I'm taking a number of vitamins to try to stop hair loss and promote growth. I suspect it could a side effect of high dose of Levo for for thyroid condition. Need the dose to be high to feel normal.
Wondering if it is beneficial to be taking this much vitamin together. Or would it be better to do alternate vitamins on different days?
Levo at 8.30a.m, 1.00 p.m and 5.00p.m iron, 7.00p.m 2500 biotin, selenium and zinc100ug, Vit B and multi Vit ACE complex(daily dosage). Omega 3.
do you know your ferritin levels? I recently saw a trichologist and he advised it needs to be over 100 for hair growth cycle to normalise itself, plus optimal levels of vitamin d, b12 and thyroid and sex hormones. So sadly, not something that easy to fix.
i take ferrous fumarate 210 twice a day with vitamin c, and ferritin has gone up from 36 to about 70 in three months, so I'm carrying on with that and remain hopeful though my hair keeps falling out in chunks day in, day out...
Hi, thanks for your reply. I've lost my eyebrows and lashes are falling, shedding from scalp heavily. It's not coming out in chunks thought but has thinned all over for 3 years.
My iron is at 49. Was at 20 but iron tablets upset my stomach and give me headaches so struggle to take high dosage.
Which sex hormones are you referring to.
Many Thanks
oestradiol, lutein, sex hormone binding capacity, androgen something...
trichologist also recommend high quality protein and bone broth. He said a single dose of iron would pretty much just maintain levels, but two would be better at raising them.
I'm no expert, but I think stomach problems could be down to adrenal issues, which the broth also helps with. I do get slight upset, but not so much to keep me from taking the tablets. I want my hair back!! 😒
I agree with your trichologist and I'm not convinced by biotin being that helpful as it will compete with vitamin b5 (pantothenic acid) for take up at the same receptor sites. B5 is essential for adrenal health, so you have a bit of a trade off there. Make sure you're getting enough magnesium and b6 as well (ideally in p-5-p form) to support adrenals.
Bone broth with all the amino acids in there is brilliant stuff - it builds collagen (along with vitamin c)) and helps the body repair itself.
Thanks I'll give it a go. How have have you coped emotionally as mine not doing very well. Xx
Hard to tell. Some days I lose so much hair I cry! I must say though that hearing the trichologist say it was reversible (provided the underlying deficiencies are addressed), was reassuring, so I've been better since and though I still find it upsetting to see so much hair fall day after day, I think I can rationalise a bit more that hair growth is a slooooow process. He said that from the moment a follicle finishes its growth cycle to the hair falling takes about 3 months, and then other 3 months or so for a new set of cells in that follicle to get a new hair growing. So I try to convince myself that maybe, just maybe, the sooner those hairs that have already "died" fall, the sooner a new hair may get the chance to start growing in its place. The challenge now is to get nutrients and hormones in balance so that the new hair has a healthy growth cycle right till the end (c. 5 years), and not fall prematurely as is the case now.
Have I read this right that you are splitting your levo into three doses and taking all your supplements together at 7pm?
There is no need to split levo as it needs converting by the body for use so unlike T3 there is no advantage in splits. If anything its a disadvantage as it narrows your window for taking other things.
Supplements can prevent each others absorption. If you search SeasideSusie she has excellent advice on this. Basically Iron will block the absorption of anything you take with it with the exception of vit c which assists iron absorption and minimises the constipation iron supplements can cause. Magnesium and calcium also block absorption so multivits containing them and/or iron become largely worthless. Some nutrients can be bought as sublingual or topical forms which makes juggling timings a bit easier. Again SeasideSusie is a good source of info.
Ferritin is stored in the hair bulb and when we are low in iron the body will reabsorb it and can cause hair to fall. Low thyroid hormone can also cause hair fall, the dose that makes you feel well is the right dose for you but if your levels are too up and down the hair doesnt get time to recover. Most hypos have deficiencies due to the poor gut function often caused and take a fairly hefty amount of supplements
I would start a new thread giving the dosage of levo and the various supplements you take and also the results and ranges of any thyroid tests and nutrient tests you have.
TSH, FT4, FT3
Vit D, B12, folate, ferritin
Dont forget the ranges (usually in brackets) as different labs use different ones so they are essential for good advice.
Poor nutrients affect your ability to convert levo to T3 which becomes a vicious circle by causing poor absorption. My nutrients were terrible but since correct supplementation and optimising my hormone dose I do have definite regrowth and it is back to needing a regular trim too, its got a long way to go as I had a very very noticeable thinning all over the top and it was also growing in length very slowly. My nails are also greatly improved. As only a third of your hair is growing at any one time it can take months to get it back to a decent level but I used to notice fine little baby hairs at the top corners quite quickly but then they disappeared again until we finally got my thyroid hormones optimal and my nutrients sorted. There is hope!
When are the best times to take magnesium and calcium supplements, to maximise absorption of all supplements? Cheers! 
I don't take calcium supplements any more, but drink calcium containing (nut milk) drink with Mag supplement. Ask Seaside Susie about this, but generally speaking, the population at large is not that deficient in dietary calcium. We are however what we absorb, not what we eat!
It's true that we're not very good at actually absorbing it, especially into the right places. Vitamin D helps calcium uptake from food and vitamin K2 then helps move this into bones and teeth and away from soft tissue. Vitamin d and k2 are both fat soluble so should be taken alongside oily food (in my case, breakfast or lunch). Magnesium is a good muscle relaxant and definitely good to be taken in the evening. If you suspect low magnesium then it's possible to take it twice a day - it does work well alongside b6. Keep Magnesium supplements away from thyroid meds and from Iron though!
vitamink2.org/benefits/intr...
Drinking tea can massively impair the absorption of Iron and of Magnesium.
Magnesium, calcium and iron block absorption the most. You cannot take anything for 6 hours after magnesium so many choose to use a topical magnesium spray oil as it is taken in through the skin there are no conflicts, many find it best taken at night due to its calming effects. B12 can also be found as sublingual lozenges or a mouth spray, again as it is absorbed through the mouth lining there are no conflicts. vit D is best taken in an oil based liquid or a mouth spray to get best absorption as it is fat soluble. You should leave 4 hours between most supplement groups to avoid conflicts. I dont take iron or calcium but believe they are 4 hours to avoid conflict also.
I have a b12 sublingual lozenge, folate capsule and b complex tablet an hour after my morning hormone, i then take a codliver oil softgel, an evening primrose soft gel along with vit d+k2 in oil drops all together at lunch time. That is enough oil that i dont need to worry about having a fatty meal at lunch to aid absorption of the vit d. I then take some miscellaneous bits and pieces at teatime (you could take iron +vit c here for instance) and a magnesium capsule before bed so it is well gone before my morning hormone. If you decide to take your levo at bed time which suits some better and some research indicates gives better absorption you could use a magnesium skin spray at any time instead of a capsule or take your levo an hour before bed followed by another supplement as you go to bed. You only need to avoid food with the levo and if you take tea or milky drinks give consideration the effect on iron absorption etc.
Mouth spray options are more expensive but they do make fitting everything in considerably easier especially if you need to fit in several supplements or up to three iron doses as some do!
It is up to you what you take when and my routine may not suit you, so it is definitely worth sitting down and working out a schedule on paper that allows you fit in your supplements with adequate spacing and help you decide which are the best types and the least hassle for your lifestyle (and pocket).
I am perplexed by the Levo split to three times a day as well. Although it may be worth trialling taking it as a nighttime dose instead of morning, if, like me you take several supplements it doesn't make sense to split it as phoenix605 explains. (I am taking my menopause sup + magnesium and zinc at bedtime.) There was an article that I read a long time ago that suggested that keeping cut tablets could lower their efficacy which certainly argues the case for a wide variety of doses to be available as complete tablets... but I haven't been able to find it for you.
However, this link should be useful..
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/resear...
Hi, thanks for your replies. I'm not splitting my Levo. Take it first thing and then breakfast two hrs later. Then I start the iron about 6 hrs after Levo. I wondering if all the vitamins together at evening was a negative thing.
Should I forget biotin and stick to multi vit B complex.
Xxx
Not a negative thing exactly, but b12 is pretty good (in my experience) at energising and I wouldn't be able to settle at night if I had it in the evening! I take omegas with breakfast too as I believe it helps me limber up (stiff back otherwise). Taking vitamin c in soluble form (just as plain ascorbic acid) with your Levo at 6am should enhance rather than reduce its absorption as stomach acid is so low in the morning. Also, taking Betaine HCl with meals can help us absorb more nutrients. I have tried many B complexes and must say that I prefer the expensive methylated ones (with p-5-p and methylfolate) and find them to work best for me.
If taking additional biotin doesn't work that well after a reasonable trial period then I'd put it aside. Two reasons: one - pretty bad for thyroid blood tests - it can skew the results; two - as I said, it'll stop you taking up as much b5 - this can lead to a functional deficiency in b5 which can affect adrenals and your sleep and may cause acne like break-outs and b5 is needed for hair growth too!
Thanks for the info about split tablets losing their efficacy. I've often thought about that, I have to cut half of my tablets and find it a nuisance especially since they do not break evenly. I would like to do about ten at a time while I am at it but I have often thought about the degradation of the hormones in them if left with one side open to the air - so for 50 mornings per prescription I have to cut one in half. (Why this nonsense? because doc insists that I take 1.25grains and I need 1.5, sooooo... I get 100 1's and 50 1/2's! so for 50 days I am OK, then I have to cut the 1's)
Have you tried a tablet cutter. Xx
Ya, hard work. I agree about dose. X
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes taken but D for a few years now. Test is now upper range of normal. I feel the bone pain, bring hands , muscle and general fatigue is due to the thyroid.
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