Another doctors visit...

[Sarahlouise1980]

I had an appointment with the doctor again on Friday afternoon to talk about this hairloss that I just cannot seem to get rid of. She is adamant I need to try reducing my Levothyroxine down from 125mcg to 100mcg due to suppressed TSH and high Free T4. My results on the 125mcg are:

TSH <0.005 (0.38 - 5.00)

Free T4 17 (7.00 - 16.00)

Free T3 5.8 (3.9 - 6.00)

I think I’m going to have to try it just to rule out over medication causing the hair shedding. Does anyone have any advice? I’m already on ferritin, vitamin D and Vitamin B12.

Thank you x

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Sarahlouise

Why not compromise on a 12.5mcg reduction? Your FT4 is only just over range and your FT3 is within range although very near the top. Sometimes a 25mcg reduction can make too big a difference, so you could reduce by 12.5mcg, give it 6-8 weeks for levels to settle and see how things are then.

I suppose it could be possible that overmedication can cause hair loss, and we are all different, but my FT4 has been as high as 34 (11.8-24.6) and I didn't experience hair loss.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Hairloss can be linked to low B12 ....or low zinc

[Nanaedake]

Good advice from Seasidesusie to drop dose by 12.5 as a compromise. My FT4 has inadvertently (in the past) risen to 34.0 with faulty levothyroxine. Lots of symptoms but no hair loss.

Edited: to add (in the past)

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Nanaedake]

Faulty Levo Nana? Crikey, which brand is that?

[Nanaedake in reply to SeasideSusie]

Sorry, that was a number of years ago when levothyroxine was not bioequivalent. The dispensary kept swapping me between 250 TEVA and 250 Actavis. I complained on deaf ears, got told I was being non compliant but it turned out there was a 50% difference between bioavailability when MHRA investigated. Boy, was I unwell! Took ages to recover. Sorry if I made it sound like a recent problem, I don't want to scare anyone.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Nanaedake]

Ah yes, that could have been when Teva was recalled maybe.

[Nanaedake in reply to SeasideSusie]

Yes it was. From 2009 to 2013. It wasn't only TEVA that was unreliable though.

[Buzcat in reply to Nanaedake]

The same thing has happened again with Teva brought back in 2016 and thousands of people very ill I thought I had been poisoned have been ill for over a year was. told to go to a lawyer and that it’s the government to blame how could they make the same mistake twice it’s a disgrace.

[Nanaedake in reply to Buzcat]

I'm not sure if scientists totally understand how levothyroxine and the products and manufacturing processes used affect people. Not sure they've really cracked it yet.

[TSH110]

I think it is a bit of a mystery to scientists but both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can affect hair growth.

This article is quite interesting if a tad technical:

academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...

Do you feel well on your current dose? I wonder how long you have been on it. Might be worth checking hair growth cycle times to be sure you have had adequate time at this dose for hairs to fully recover.

Mine just went very thin, white/grey and lacklustre. I was both hypo and hyper before diagnosis

of hypothyroidism. The growth has remained disappointing it is improved but as nothing compared to the thick lush hair I once had but no bald patches have ever appeared.