T3 three months in: No change to my hair... - Thyroid UK

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T3 three months in

Jump1 profile image
20 Replies

No change to my hair situation after 3 months t3. Hair as bad as ever coming out in junks hair really really really fine. Hair all over body same. I still get swelling in arms face and legs and even belly. I shouldnt have any bloated belly with the food i am eating. I feel tired in the evening. I feel sad all thr time because of the hair. My poo is still a bit constipated. I still feel cold and my skin on legs etc feels cold

When i do sweat with the exercisre my skin feels cold not warm. With the good weather i have been lyin out in the sun and i dont zeem to be su burning like i used to. I hatr what i have become. I am an unhappy person 2r hours a day. I wake up amd first thibg is my hair and i dont wamt another day of this.

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Jump1 profile image
Jump1
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20 Replies
Niklew profile image
Niklew

I feel for you, I’m in the same situation but I’m on levo. It’s awful and such a difficult thing to go through. I’ve been looking hair for over a year and gone from hair half way down my back to now just below my ears. Had to cut it really short as loosing so much. I use to have long blonde hair now it’s grown out so looks awful but I can’t colour it.

Hope someone comes along and give you ( and I) some hope on this... im not holding my breathe!

Karen154 profile image
Karen154 in reply to Niklew

Hi niklew, me too! I'm also taking levothyroxine and suffering hair loss from brows lashes and scalp. I've been using a L'Oréal shampoo called re-enforce X3. After a months usage it stablished the hair fall. It has vitamin b3, protein and amino acid.

You may want to give it a go.

Xxx

Niklew profile image
Niklew in reply to Karen154

Thank you so much!! I will definitely place an order -

Anything to help!!!! Xx

Karen154 profile image
Karen154 in reply to Niklew

You don't need to order you can buy it from any supermarket off the shelf.

It worked well for me for around three months. Then my thyroid consultant lowered the T4 and hair is everywhere again.

Hair loss is very complex and there will be other contributing factors.

Some thing really fundermental us being over looked by Dr's. Have you or anyone reading this blog had a SHBG test carried out?

I'm test was normal but low. If this isn't right it can throw other hormones out.

Xx

Karen154 profile image
Karen154 in reply to Karen154

Sorry my phone changes my words lol but you get my drift. C

greygoose profile image
greygoose

Three months is not very long in thyroid time. Nor in hair time, come to that. And it might not even be low T3 that's causing your hair-loss. All ming fell out in the shower, one day - the whole lot in one go - and I was on a high dose of T3 at the time.

Have you had your fT3 tested to see if you're on the right dose? Have you had your nutrients tested? Turns out it was low iron that caused my hair lose. But, it takes a long, long time to grow back!

fortunata profile image
fortunata

I’ve been on T3 only for almost five years now. I had two bald scoops in the front of my hair and used to despair of them ever growing back. It can take a few years to rectify the damage inflicted by low thyroid. Be gentle with yourself. Get plenty of rest, eat good, nourishing food and be prepared for a waiting game. It all takes time, I’ve found.

Karen154 profile image
Karen154 in reply to fortunata

Hi fortunata, out of curiousity did you develop the bald spots when using T3 and did you still have hair fall when using the medicine?

Many Thanks

fortunata profile image
fortunata in reply to Karen154

I developed the bald patches while taking Levothyroxine. It used to block the shower drain. I still had hair fall for about two years with T3. Then it stopped. I strongly believe it took my body a good couple of years to recover from having low thyroid hormones.

Karen154 profile image
Karen154 in reply to fortunata

Interesting as I have a bald spot in my hair line and my eyebrows are almost gone now. I've taken T4 only for 12 years and the hair fall started four years ago. I tried adding T3 and eyebrows improved but scalp hair fall was so bad I had to stop using T3. Xx

Baobabs profile image
Baobabs

Oh my goodness how dreadful for you. My hair fall was not nearly so severe but it is terribly distressing. I know 3 months can seem like a lifetime but I agree with Greygoose, it really is not long. Once my ferritin levels reached above 70 in the range my hair began growing back. It has taken 17 months all told and I'm hoping still for improvement. Your thyroid meds levels may also need adjusting. You must get your vit/minerals tested. Please don't lose hope, you will live to see a better day. Just follow advice on this forum.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Sorry not read all your previous posts

Are your vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin optimal (not just in range)

What about Zinc

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

Karen154 profile image
Karen154

Hello again jump1, sorry to hear your not doing so well. I don't have the link but I think you may find this blog interesting. If you put the title into Google then you should find it easy enough. It's called side effects of levothyroxine by Dr Westin Child's.

Please ignore the title as there's good information in the blog about T3 also a dosage chart but may help.

Xx

ShinyB profile image
ShinyB

I haven't seen any of your previous posts so don't know your background, but I'm wondering if you've considered that you might have impaired sensitivity to thyroid hormone? What sort of dose of T3 are you on? Are you on just T3?

Karen154 profile image
Karen154

Hi Jump1,Out of curiousity have you had a blood test for SHBG, serum sex hormone binding glob.

I read an article stating it transports T4 and T3 to tissues. If this is to low it can cause an increase in free testosterone and oestrogen levels which cause hair fall.

I can't reference the article at the moment but I'll find it and update the post.

Xx

Jump1 profile image
Jump1

Today is just a bad bad day in terms of how i feel about my hair loss. Every day is bad bad bad but more and more often it just feels desperate and nothing works. Thanks for the mesaages. Ive realised nothing i am tryin is going to work and the hair is just going to xontinue gettin worse. This disease is just hopeless. It makes living life hard to feel sad so much.

Hashi-Monster profile image
Hashi-Monster

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time. I know the hair situation is depressing as I can see my scalp as well now.

When are you due to have your blood retested? You might just need a little tweak

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7

Yes I would say fresh blood test as well. Also get the fab 4, VitD, B12, folate and ferritin tested and make sure they are optimal. SeasideSusie and info on her posts re what optimal levels are and how to improve your levels. The other thing to be aware of is that things move very slowly in the Thyroid world. It took me 5 months to get my Vits etc where they needed to be and only Vit D was really low. The problem with hair as well is that it takes such a long time to grow back again and there are thousands that can be dropping out in the mean time! But stick with it and hopefully you will soon start feeling a little better and you can see more light at the end of the tunnel.

Lulu2red profile image
Lulu2red

My Endocrinologist told me hair loss happens when your hypo or hyper, you need to find the balance. Taking too much medication or too little can do it. My Aunt was hyperthyroid and knew when her levels went haywire when her hair was falling. I saw a woman on This Morning a while ago now. She said she could only keep hair on her head if her iron levels were over the range. She says if they drop so does her hair. She had beautiful long thick hair, but lost it twice. She had tried everything, she had no thyroid issues. It's dangerous to take to much iron of course, but it seems to me these 'ranges' thyroid or other like to put us all in the same box. I have central hypothyroidism, but anemic too. Iron makes thyroid medication work better, of course taken 4 hours away from thyroid meds. I suggest you eat a good portion of liver every week even if you don't like it. I'm not keen on it but it's better than a pill. I like it fried with bacon and a poached egg for breakfast once a week. Maybe try that. I stopped colouring my hair when I turned 51, no highlights either. My hair is in better condition for it. I get compliments from young men and women as it looks like it's got platinum highlights but it's natural. Just wanted to mention that for the future. Also the more you stress about your hair the worse it will be. Zinc is really important too. I know by my eyes if my iron is low they look dull and have no shine. Doctors used to look in your eyes and look at your nails years ago, that tells you thyroid and anemia in an instant, no boxes required!

Jump1 profile image
Jump1 in reply to Lulu2red

thank you for taking the time tlo respond. i stopped the t3. hair was gettin worse. havent taken anything in prob a month. i dont think i feel any worse. my body van feel cold to touch in the morning and warmer in the evening and cols at bight. just changes around. cold after exercise. my lips havent peeled in a long time. i have lots of bruisrd on legs. arms hands and feet swell after exercise. eyelid droops in morning. its normal in the wvening more often than not. sometimes im not constipayed and my urinr is smellier. hair fine finr fine babies hair stronger. pulls out easily. from everywher doesmt grow. pubic hair has gone straight wats left of it. just trully sick of it. hair tanglesd so bad cause it is so finr

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