I have discussed this before on here but I'm at a loss as to what to do about my daughters continued hair loss since starting Levothyroxine 5 months ago. She is only 6 and its thinned out more than half now. Nobody can agree on the cause or help with managing this and im so concerned its going to continue until there is hardly any left. I hate to think how this will impact her.
Her paediatrician isn’t sure why and has so far said she may need to be referred to a dermatologist. Her Endocrinologist (from GOSH) says it’s probably stress from 3 months prior to starting Levo and her functional dr has said it may be Alopecia. I myself, do not agree with any of this. It started 4 weeks into treatment, she has had 3 dosage changes and the loss continues. All her vitamin levels impacting hair have been taken and all professionals involved say they are good and don’t need supplementing. Her last thyroid tests were good however a slight reduction in Levo and i feel next tests may be optimal.
Eltroxin side effects identify hair loss in children in the first month but this is 5 months! Any advice/help/similar experiences would be gratefully appreciated. Im so worried. Thank you
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All her vitamin levels impacting hair have been taken and all professionals involved say they are good and don’t need supplementing. Her last thyroid tests were good however a slight reduction in Levo and i feel next tests may be optimal.
You shouldn't just take their word for that. Doctors aren't very good at interpreting blood test results, and know next to nothing about hormone and nutrients. Always get a print-out of her results - ask at reception - and post the results + plus ranges on here.
Her last thyroid tests were good however a slight reduction in Levo and i feel next tests may be optimal.
Optmal, where thyroid is concerned, is how one feels, not a set of numbers. Don't ever let anyone tell you she is 'optimal' if she still doesn't seem right.
Unfortunately this is hard to assess as she is 6. I go by her symptoms and aside from the hair loss, she is better than she has been in ages.
I always get print outs. I have questioned all the results thinking they are slightly low and been told no need to supplement from all. Including a FD who specialises in Hashimotos. Its hard when dealing with a child so young and nobody can give you answers.
Yes, it is hard. I can imagine. But, I really don't think that ferritin is good. Given the size of the range, it's very low. I don't know if there's a special range for small children, but it there is, surely they would have used it, no? I wouldn't be happy with that result if it were my child. And low ferritin is a very common cause of hair-loss. I'd want a full iron panel done.
As for 'Total vit D', it's actually D3 we're interested in. But that result is pretty low, too. I would not be happy at all.
Whilst I've never had a hypo child, so you could say I don't really know what I'm talking about, I did have one child with an eye problem that it took me a couple of years to get help for. I saw every doctor/specialist/whatever I possibly could with him, and got called a lot of nasty names along the way (anxious mother, neurotic, etc.) But, I stuck at it and finally the problem was found, and I wasn't just an over-protective mother, and my son wasn't just a lazy good-for-nothing that didn't want to work at school. He really did have a problem. And, now he's fine. So, stick to your guns! Go with your gut. You know when things aren't quite right.
My hair fell out when I was low on vitamin D3. Total D being right at the bottom of the range looks really suspicious to me! And lurking on Vitamin D groups showed me how commonly that deficiency shows up in hypothyroidism. You can get a test done quite cheaply with a home fingerprint test via Better You.
Hi there that B12 looks too high to me - best to be in the range at her age not above it. Also her folate is higher than range. Whilst I appreciate the UK standards are very low in nutritional ranges - it is better to keep within those ranges for someone her age - I would have thought anyway - deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can cause hair loss - but so can taking too much of one thing. Hope this helps.
I agree but the hair loss only started with Levo. Plus all professionals involved in her care are not concerned about those results which i have questioned time and time again 😞
I know her hair loss is going on for what seems a long time but the hair she is losing now is from what happened about 4 months ago because of the hair cycle. I have studied hair loss a lot and have been a member of a couple of hair loss sites. With thyroid hair loss a large amount of hair goes into the resting phase.
Here is a little explanation that I have c&p.
"Because hairs that enter the telogen phase rest in place for two to four months before falling out, you may not notice any hair loss until two to four months after the event that caused the problem. Telogen effluvium rarely lasts longer than six months, although some cases last longer."
My hair loss went on for over 2 years because the trigger that had caused the hair loss hadn't been removed so it became chronic Telegen effluvium. In my case my trigger was my thyroid levels were too low but this can happen if they are also too high which I have had both. Also I think her ferritin is not high enough because this can also make you shed hair. My first loss of hair loss happened over 10 years ago and my hair did grow back once my levels were right for me. I then had a second lot of hair loss about 3 1/2 years ago which lasted about 2 years and I was losing 200 hairs a day and I thought I would go bald but I didn't. My hair has now been growing back for just over a year and looks ok now. I did have very thick curly hair to start with so that did help. I believe that once your daughter's levels are stabilized her hair will gradually stop falling out. I know how stressful it can be and I used to cry everytime I looked in mirror. I decided to have some hair extension to help me cope with the hair loss and it did make my hair look thicker. Try not to worry because as I have said before hair is quick to fall out but slow to grow back.
I think im mainly concerned about her being on the wrong meds and therefore giving it to her daily is just making her worse. A lot of people on other sites believe it could be the meds and when they switched, it stopped. The thought of starting again with other meds is worrying though especially if its not the cause but how would we know 🤷🏻♀️
She started on Mercury Pharma for about 6 weeks then switched to Eltroxin. It says hair loss can happen within the first month but like i said its been 5 😞
Eltroxin (assuming the UK product) is identical to Mercury Pharma.
UK Levothyroxine Tablets
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Last updated 30/04/2020.
This is a list of currently marketed levothyroxine tablets in the UK.
Please note that re-branding (whether by a manufacturer or as an ‘own label supplier’ - which has happened with several products) does not mean any change to formulation.
🔹 Advanz – branded both “Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine” and “Mercury Pharma Eltroxin” which are identical (marketing authorisation holder)
🏭 Custom Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (manufacturer)
🥛 contains lactose
25 PL 12762/0016 5.5mm diameter
50 PL 10972/0031
100 PL 10972/0032
—————————————————————
🔸 Almus – (an ‘own label supplier’ brand owned by Walgreen Boots Alliance – Boots pharmacies and Alliance distributor)
50 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.
100 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.
—————————————————————
🔹 Aristo – (marketing authorisation holder)
🏭 Aristo Pharma GmbH (manufacturer)
100 PL 40546-0159
—————————————————————
🔸 Northstar – (an ‘own label supplier’ brand owned by McKesson – Lloyds pharmacies and AAH distributor)
25 – This is repackaged Teva. ❗
50 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis. ❗
100 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis. ❗
—————————————————————
🔹 Teva – (marketing authorisation holder)
🏭 PLIVA Croatia Ltd (manufacturer)
12.5 PL 00289/1971
25 PL 00289/1972
50 PL 00289/0038
75 PL 00289/1973
100 PL 00289/0039
—————————————————————
🔹 Wockhardt – (marketing authorisation holder)
🏭 CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd (manufacturer)
🥛 contains lactose
25 PL 29831/0130
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
🔹 – identifies marketing authorisation holder.
🔸 – identifies ‘own label supplier’ products.
🏭 – identifies manufacturers (where known).
❗ – Take particular note of the actual product which varies by dosage.
—————————————————————
Numbers refer to tablet dosages in micrograms.
Only products which definitely contain lactose are identified (🥛 contains lactose). Please check other products. Where products are ‘own label supplier’, check the marketing authorisation holder.
If there is anything inaccurate in this information, please let me know by Private Message:
This document is updated whenever I am aware of any changes or enhancements are needed. Please check the Last updated date. The current version is available as a PDF here:
Hi there, this is very interesting as I never realised the Levo contains lactose. Is it simply a case of asking the pharmacist to provide lactose-free option?
Great info. Is there any research or material available on lactose effect in thyroxine? I would love to be able to email it to my GP/Endo and see if they are prepared to accept this.
Hi there can you tell me if the medical people whoever they are - are giving her any supplements or are her results you posted the baseline before she has been given anything. Trouble with someone so young and iron etc. and even D - you have to be careful of the liver and kidneys so err on the side of caution. Although I know that is difficult because you want a solution. If she isn't being given anything in supplementation than a multi vitamin like Gummy Vites which are in Costco (USA manufacture) might keep her ticking over with the right amount of nutrients to include her hair - they are very low in strength. But you would need to run this past her medical team and ensure she is tested after a couple of weeks even not months to check she isn't over absorbing anything.
Mine was hyperthyroid or Graves' although some members think that might not be the case because I cannot find out what antibodies my useless Endocrinologist tested me for. I have requested the blood test results he took over 10 years ago. I do have a multinodular goiter and last year I had a ultrasound and the consultant who did it said I definitely didn't have hashi's because she had scanned 100s and mine looked nothing like someone who had the disease. Also I have had years of not taking anything like now and I feel almost normal my hair has stopped dropping out and my nails have re-attached at last.
If that is the case I think it will eventually stop. As for biotin, it didn't make any difference to my hair loss. I also tried saw palmetto and some expensive hair tablets that Cheryl Baker used for hair loss. You will try anything when you are desperate and I can only say that once my thyroid levels were right for me the hair loss stopped.
I wouldn't believe him either, one of the first symptoms I got was hair loss followed by my nails lifting off their beds. I kept going back to my GP who said I was suffering from the menopause and he didn't spot my TSH was 0.002 and suppressed. I even paid £150 to see a dermatologist who told me I had female pattern balding and to use regaine. After 2 years of no treatment I was balding and I was a size 8 with palpitations and sweating. I looked awful and my family thought I had undiagnosed cancer at one point. Don't let yourself get really ill and insist on regular blood tests to monitor your levels.
Oh I'm so sorry to hear what you've been through Lora.
My bloods have been monitored every 6 months for 12 years now as I also have a goitre.
Unfortunately my last hospital appointment in March was cancelled because of lockdown and now they say they will speak to me over the phone in Spring 2021!
That's why I'm trying to help myself but it's difficult without tests.
Hi was you on HRT at the time, did you change HRT? Were your androgen and or antibody levels checked. Did you get any inflammation or tingling sensations? What levels were your thyroid at the time? Sorry for all the questions but im having similar issues.
You said that hair loss started 4 weeks into the treatment. Common sense says that something in those medicine causes that. Do you use Teva? Can you switch to another pharma Levo at least for 3 months to see if it makes any difference?
I used eltroxin for a while and felt really fatigued and looked really old, my eyes went really dull too so asked to be switched back to Levothyroxine.
It does list hair loss as one of the side effects so it might be worth asking for different Levo to see if it makes a difference. I do know that when thyroid levels are moving either or up or down it can make your hair fall out.
Yes I do. When I took Thyroid S suddenly my hair started to drop out more because my levels were too high. I don't know why some people lose hair with thyroid disease and others don't. I also lost nails and some lifted of their nails beds which was very painful. I was out shopping today and the lady that served me in TK Max said she was suffering with the heat because she had an underactive thyroid. I looked at her hair and it was very thin and she looked like she was struggling and did wonder it she was undermedicated. Of course I didn't ask her that but everywhere I go if I see a woman with thin hair I do wonder whether or not they have thyroid disease. When my hair was very thin someone assumed I had cancer and I had to correct them by saying "no just thyroid disease"
Hi again, how do you find that right level? I’ve lost more than half my hair over 3 years, can’t seem to get the level right. I’ve probably overdosed on thyroid but am now at a point where the TSH is just below the euthyroid number of 1.0. This is based on a US scale. However the issue is that the hair still falls, it’s been 3 months and a week on this dose but not as much as before. I don’t see hair regrowth. Besides the hair I can’t really complain about anything else, the hair loss has been so stressful, no doctor Has been helpful. my hair has a weird texture and the scalp pain has been intense. What would you recommend?
I have had all the panels done you can think of. Zinc, ferritin, D. I take all my supplements, Nutrafol, calcium and D at night. I am now drinking Skinade from the Uk for collagen.
I cannot really say because we are all different and I am in remission at the moment. I was told by a lot of people on sites in the US and the UK that your TSH has to be 1 or lower and your T4 and T3 have to be in the upper third of the range. At the moment I am taking nothing and my TSH is 0.38 and my T4 is 22.7 and my T3 is 4.46. My results are 6 months old and I need to retest when I feel safe enough to visit a hospital to have my blood drawn. I am sorry you are still losing your hair and I do know that a lot of thyroid disease sufferers never get their hair back and I don't really know why. My hair is not a thick as it used to be but I did originally have very thick curly hair so I was lucky. I do know that my hair loss caused me a lot of stress and I wonder if that added to the loss. When I had hair extensions to hide my thin hair there were a lot of young women in the salon who had lost their hair and some of theirs was caused by stress or they had actually pulled out their own hair. I have tried a lot of stuff to try and stop my hair from falling out but in my case it is only when my thyroid levels are right that it stops.
It seems impossible at least for me to get my T3 in that upper range and my TSH at or just below 1.0. Even when I was taking a lot of T3, I was only able to get it to be 3.0 but my TSH became .07 and I had massive hair loss.
I am really bummed, there has to be a way to figure this out. There can’t possibly be a thousand combinations. I get that people have different reactions but could there really be that many. I wish there was a catalog that grouped symptoms and how people have successfully beat it.
I switched to eltroxin as read not to accept a generic by American endocrinologists and was feeling brain dead on levothyroxine. Eltroxin was branded version so i gave it a good try and felt so much worse and jumped straight back to the generic, levothyroxine. Levothyroxine alone made me feel energetic physically most the time but dry skin, hair, constipation, brain fog, irritability, eye problems were a real pain and did not improve. T3 is good if mental health issues arise on T4 only medication. Be alert if your daughter starts to look unfocussed or you see changes in her usual social skills and interactions with others.
I switched to eltroxin as read not to accept a generic by American endocrinologists
That is ridiculous advice. It always has been but most especially as the days of unidentifiable little tablets should be long gone.
The impact of that, in the USA, seems very largely to promote the sales of Synthroid. But there is nothing special about Synthroid and many people do better on one or other of the available makes not Synthroid.
Further, UK Eltroxin and Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine are the exact same product in every way. Yet following the "advice" would mean that you should accept Eltroxin but not the identical Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine.
I can only comment on how i felt whilst taking these products, i can remember argueing once before concerning there sameness and despite that how very different i felt on each of them. If however they are both identicle i must have been given a placebo during some double, triple blind test as other than that there is no logical evidence to explain how different i felt.
There is every reason to try different formulations of levothyroxine. I notice differences though (other than Teva) am able to tolerate all that I have tried.
My specific point was that the blanket "use a branded product" advice is very poor.
For example, someone who is lactose-intolerant would be expected to take Eltroxin - which contains lactose.
We do not get anonymous little white tablets. We almost always get blister packed product with full company information. It is our right to receive (and the pharmacist's duty to provide) the Patient Information Leaflet for the specific medicine dispensed - even if sometimes not fulfilled.
And we do generally have the chance to ask our pharmacist for a specific make. Though I'd agree that this is often awkward.
I would say the Ferritin and Vit D levels are suspect. Hard to say what the range is for such young children but bottom end ranges are not optimal, just a get out of jail card for doctors who wish to do nothing.
Also the B12 level looks ridiculously high, is that a typo?
Will be interesting to see what the Serum Iron, TIBC and haemoglobin level is. I can recommend a good Haematologist in London if required - she’s very thorough.
I think you've had a really good explanation from Lora7again. I hope that's reassuring.
Everything with hypothyroid disease is slow so the reaction can happen quite a while after the changes. ie, several months later. That's why, once you find the best levothyroxine, you need to stick to it because otherwise its hard to track what's causing symptoms.
To activate vitamin D3 you need plenty of magnesium. As she is young it might be best to research foods that contain magnesium and ensure enough in her diet. Multivitamins often contain magnesium oxide which is very poorly absorbed so worse than useless for activating vitamin D3.
Gut health is very important with thyroid disease so its worth doing some reading around what's best. Slowdragon has good links to read and learn about it.
Wockhardt seems to be a levothyroxine that has very few fillers so it could be worth switching to see if it helps. Retest thyroid function after 8 weeks in case it's absorbed differently, check thyroid levels and then you can adjust meds if needed. The adjustment would be small if at all.
I can recommend a good alternstive clinic.they got me heslthy. Could be an immune response. Watch out for other immune reactions like nose itching and digestive issues.
From my expirience,the good news is that all these autoimmune issues have a cömmon cause. The work is to identify the pathogen,kill it, use certain things to calm the immune system,diversify the gut bacteria if needed. You need a practitioner that does that regularly. Nose itching could denote a histamine intolerance issue. But this info doesnt help you. Like i said i can recommend a practitioner. You can test it by taking antihistamine but it has to be for the right receptor for the nose.the point is you cyn fix this and not need medication anymore. I couldnt eat anything, i started having histamine intolerance and then endometriosis. After a year of treatment,it all went away....what i am trying to say is that science is there:). In the meanwhile try to eat a lot of polephynols like berries,ground flax seeds and dark chocolate.do this for a month every day.this at least will strengthen the immune system.it will still be reactive...
Hi, i am not a specialist in thyroid but i have some life expirience in some of these things. You have not mentioned but you really need to start with testing,otherwise its blind work. Since the gut modulates the immune response and since she has stomsch pain...these tests are quite cheap and you can see a lot of the species there.its 100 dollars.i did mine with ubiome but they closed down.the thing is you need a doctor that knows how to read it and has herbal protocols to kill pathogens.i had klebsiella and c-diff for example. Based on that then you might add prebiotics and probiotics. Good doctors use probiotics as antimicrobiols as bacterias dont stay in the gut but are eliminated after a week. Prebiotics lower inflamation a lot and are very cheap.but its good to do the test before,to have a clear picture. I also dont know how she eats.there is a huge variation of diets in people. I guess a good historical exam is needed.mine took 1.5h..is he has good teeth. And then you improve diet,you add prebiotics and add more supplements to lower inflamation (she is already taking some).
She has had a number of tests. Gluten/Dairy intolerance tests which she has now removed from diet.
She has done a Methylation/Histamine DNA test which i have had the results for but its a massive report and her functional dr is not available to discuss these until end of Sep 😞 However there looks like a lot of issues has come up.
She has done a stool test which we are waiting on the results for and i have just ordered a hair mineral analysis to do too.
I was sich for 8 years. Ive done all these tests but it turned out i needed a microbiologyst because most issues begin in the gut. I had hair loss,histamine intolerance,couldnt eat most foodd,gained weight,my skin was yellow.if you see me know,im shinning:). To explain a bit about testing. Traditionally doctors were sble to stool tests to see pathogens and some bacterias. Since 5 years ago they were able to sequence and do a dna testing of mictobiome. Its not the dns test where you see your genes but a test where from a very stool sample,you see hundreeds of bacterias and which pathogens you have. Also traditionally doctors would give antibiotics if they saw something and thst would wipe out a lot species.some more advanced would give probiotics to replenish.thats all wrong.you need herbals that are more gentle but kill those pathogens and then use prebiotics to feed the permanent population. That calms the immune system and then you can have her eat a lot of stuff.then the diet will be very very varied and will feed the population. These bacterias tell the immune system when to react and how to react. Ill search for the test.
Her food intake worries us. She is underweight. Sometimes she eats fine. Other times, she cant eat/says feels sick and hates sitting at tables/restaurants because she ‘sees and smells all the food’ 😞 and thinks she will be sick- its heartbreaking!
This heightened sense is often a sign of too high hormone levels and I notice in another post below you say her T3 is a little high. This could be causing the tummy aches the food issues and the phobia and anxiety behaviours.
Personally I think her levels are a little too high - although it will take a while before she stabilises. That could be a reason why her hair is coming out - it can come out for so many reasons but too much is obviously similar symptoms to too little.
Yes thats why shes on a lower dose now and im hoping it has brought them down. It should have as 25mcg was too low it seemed. I would have thought 6 weeks on 37.5 would have stopped the loss by now. Not a lot of people have said to me their children/they had 5 months worth of hair thinning since starting Levo 😞🤷🏻♀️
Quote What happens if you have too much thyroid hormone?
Because hair growth depends on the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, abnormal levels of thyroid hormone produced by this gland can result in hair changes, along with many other side effects, if left untreated. When there is too much thyroid hormone, the hair on your head can become fine, with thinning hair all over the scalp. Unquote
Quote How does the thyroid affect your hair?
When there is too much thyroid hormone, the hair on your head can become fine, with thinning hair all over the scalp. When there is too little of this hormone, there can be hair loss, not just on the scalp, but also anywhere on the body. Unquote
As I was saying - too little - hair issues and too much- hair issues
Thank you. Where are these quotes from pls? I haven’t managed to see this when researching. Yes, We believe when she was put up to 50mcg this could have made it worse but thought it would have stopped by now. However, the hair loss started when she was put on 25mcg!?! Maybe she was even too high with that?
I kept on going to the GP when she started school as she had lots of symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, tummy aches, poor concentration etc and finally bloods were done and her TSH was 12. T4 mid range. There were differing opinions on whether to start Levo from a number of professionals but we decided to because of her symptoms and they scared me by what they said could happen. Obviously im more knowledgeable now and i feel so guilty whether we made the right decision given what’s happening to her now. Particularly as one Endo said she wouldn’t have given meds and she believes her symptoms are something else 😞
Hmm - you are under GOSH - what do they think about taking her off thyroid meds and looking at what else was going on. Anaemia I am supposing was checked out - I had all those symptoms as a child and was always anaemic - I can see now I was a thyroid child but it didn't need medication although I was never right - always tired and over anxious. Can you PM me so we can continue discussion tomorrow.
I worry about changing brands in case it does more damage 😞 i mean a lot of her other symptoms like fatigue/energy levels/mood have improved. I also worry about TEVA because of all the negativity around the brand?
Actually I had a problem with Mercury Pharma and got sick of trying to get it when in short supply and refused Teva for years time and time again - then in desperation I told the chemist Oh for goodness sake give me a bottle of Teva then to try - I found it stronger and much better and had to reduce my levels from 100 mcg down to 85 mcg - so stick with Teva now after years of refusing it. I understand though I would stick with what they are suggesting at the moment the hair might settle - although I think her bloods might show she needs to reduce a little when the results come back in. This deficiency is bad enough for adults you must be beside yourself trying to sort this out for her bless her - what is her name?
Sorry i realised she has hashimoto.my expirience with these autoimune conditions is that they are caused by pathogens.unfortunately regular doctors dont have the right tools and knowledge for sutoimmune conditions.you need a microbiome analysis of her gut and to work with a mictobiologyst/functional doctor. Normsl medicine is very good in certain area but not all...
Yes,its either the medication or immune response. I wrote above,you can test with antihistamine to see if its imune response.there are antihistamine for gut or for nose,h2 or h3,i think. Otherwise calming the immune response is better(i think i wrote the ssme thing above:). If you want to share what your practitioner is prescribing,i would be happy to give my oppinion..
Yes,its a stool test. I did ubiome but it closed down. Two alternatives thryveinside.com/ in the US Or microbiota.com in australia.
It does sound like she has a digestive issue.like i said,to interpret these results you need a specialist. Dont relly on the website interpretation. I dont want to sound like a salesman but i can recommend me my doctor.not expensive and available through skype.
Anyway,i just wanted you to know that the science is available and there are people that know how ho fix this:).
But i can answer any question you have:). I can imagine its difficult when it comes to your own child.
IMPORTANT when you do the test make sure is is not taking any PROBIOTICS 2 weeks prior to that.you want to measure permanent populations and not temporary ones.
Btw smelling food issues sounds like histamine. You can test by doing a low histamine diet but treating the cause its better. Some people have this genetically but you can work around it and have it under control as there are many ways of breaking down histamine
Cause normally are pathogens.you test,you kill and you take anti inflamatory things.there is nothing more to that. But you need to test to see what you try to kill.
Her functional dr prescribed Selenium and Insoitel in April but stopped these shortly after when her TSH went down. She also prescribed Cod liver oil and glutamine which she continues to take daily. She mores recently prescribed a probiotic. Thank you
I really recommend the book and diet by Anthony William called Thyroid Healing. He is a genuine medical medium and has a great deal of information about the real causes of thyroid disease and how to heal it. His main theory is that the culprit is the Epstein Barr virus which causes havoc with the liver and thyroid gland. He also tells us how to heal it through diet and I would imagine with a child this might be a good route.
Since testing is available its always good to tests for pathogens.not sure how you test for virus. Its amaizing it is so cheap these days.before ubiome went down,they were offering me tk test multiple sites fof 100dollars. Pcr is an amaizing thing where you can really see in details what you have inside...
Hi there - oh what a shame for the poor love at 6 !!! I have had this and bad enough as an adult. I am not sure what medication she is on - I don't know that product off hand if it is a tablet or liquid- but if a tablet - might be worth asking if she can have a liquid which might help. There are some really good multi vitamin products for a child that might help - my grandchildren take them - children get through their nutritional energy so fast.
If she is lactose intolerant then she will not be absorbing it properly - my levels looked fine but I was losing my medication via the loo - if you saw photos of me when I was on lactose tablets you would be shocked.
I am actually testing her for lactose intolerance but its a complicated test for her so haven’t yet. I have the kit here though. Im confused though because if you are not absorbing the meds properly how can your levels show optimal? I would have thought levels would be off to indicate the problem? X
Hi - I didn't think the test was that difficult - but I can't remember - I could show you a photograph of myself with so called normal blood levels and I look so ill. Don't ask me why but there are instances where the hormone does not get into the cells - after all I had sub clinical hypo when I first got ill and my levels were OK then - which is why they would not give me the hormone I so desperately needed - for 13 years which has caused me serious health issues down the line due to the delay - my consultant explained that to another colleague visiting from another hospital - 'she was not given thyroid hormone when she should have been and it has caused all these problems for her'. I had over 100 serious symptoms off the list some of them life threatening at times.
This is really interesting. I’m surprised the tiny amount of lactose in a small tablet can cause such a dramatic effect. Do you have any material that backs up this assertion as I’d love to share with my doctor.
Quote: It is therefore extremely important to be aware that lactose, among other common allergens, is often included as an ingredient in thyroid hormone medications such as Synthroid. Thyroid medicine with lactose could cause malabsorption and other symptoms in people with lactose intolerance. Unquote
Is she on b12 & folate supplements? I only ask because my daughter also had those levels come back extremely high, she wasn’t having hair loss but she was having persistent panic attacks and racing heart rate. The docs were not interested in her high levels but she hadn’t been supplementing and is a vegetarian so I knew it was something. After tons of other tests we discovered pernicious anemia. She was not getting the b12 into the cells, it was pooling in the blood looking very high. Just a thought, I know PA can have a lot of symptoms
She was taking a Multi vitamin but i stopped it when those results came back. Now, the Paediatrician says she can’t be tested until 6 months after that test as it came back ‘normal’ he said. My daughter has a racing heart and has a a couple of panic attacks too 😞 How can i check for PA please? Or confirm this is happening to her regarding her B12?
Here is a link to the mayoclinic which has a lot of helpful info on PA. Some of her current labs might show you that she needs further testing. It can be hard to diagnose, it’s important to know if anyone in your family tree has had it because we had a hard time getting a doc to believe that’s what she had. I knew it as an RN and it’s all through my husbands side of the family, but the docs will push it off for whatever reason. If she can have intrinsic factor tested that would show. You might be able to manage it with lozenge b12 but she could need injections, of course she might not have it at all, I’m just saying if so. My daughter does ok with the lozenge because she won’t do injections. I think she would do better with the shots but I can’t force it. Since we started the lozenges she has really reduced all the symptoms to nearly none. If you’re in the U.K. it might be easier to find a doc to look into it, here in the US the docs have their heads up their asses.
Medically reviewed and written by Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP on April 5, 2018
DR. IZABELLA WENTZ / APRIL 5, 2018
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For many of us women, hair loss can be a distressing symptom that we experience with Hashimoto’s. In many ways, our hair represents our femininity. When we experience hair loss, we feel that we are losing some of our sense of self. Every time we brush our hair or look in the mirror, we are met with a constant reminder that something is off in our bodies and we are not well.
Hair loss was one of the symptoms I experienced on my journey with Hashimoto’s, and one of the early clues I had that something was not right inside my body. I know first-hand how distressing it can be to wash your hair in the shower and watch huge clumps of hair clog the drain!
The good news is that there are many different strategies that have worked for me and many of the people I have worked with to overcome hair loss, by addressing the following questions:
What causes hair loss?
How can adjusting thyroid medications improve hair loss?
What supplements are helpful for hair growth?
Can hair growth be promoted by dietary changes?
Can topical treatments be beneficial to reduce hair loss?
In the case of Hashimoto’s, hair loss usually occurs when the body is shunting resources, such as nutrients, to be used elsewhere in the body.
But, just as there are many triggers, or root causes, for Hashimoto’s in the first place, there could be many different reasons why you are experiencing hair loss.
What Causes Hair Loss?
There are several types of hair loss, with a wide variety of causes, from inheritance, to stress, to autoimmune disease.
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss. Usually, we see this as “male pattern baldness or even “female pattern baldness”, with thinning primarily at the front and top of the scalp. This type of hair loss affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. Many patients with androgenetic alopecia have a family history of this condition. It can begin as early as during a person’s teen years, though risk does increase with age. In women, most hair loss of this form begins after menopause.
Alopecia areata is acute, patchy hair loss that is thought to occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles. It occurs in about 2.1 percent of the population and affects both men and women alike. Its cause is likely autoimmune, and it can have a single episode or remission and recurrence.
Telogen effluvium is the most common type of hair loss we see with Hashimoto’s. Its primary causes include high fevers, childbirth, severe infections, chronic illness, severe mental stress, surgery, an over or under active thyroid gland, protein deficiency, nutritional deficiencies, and some medications. It’s characterized by large clumps of hair falling out, usually while showering or brushing. It usually causes hair loss in a diffuse pattern, over the entire scalp.
Is Your Hair Thinning?
Have you experienced hair loss on your journey with Hashimoto’s? If so, there are so many things we can address to stop the hair loss and restore a sense of confidence and femininity. Sometimes, just one of these solutions will be effective in restoring hair growth; for others, it may be a multi-faceted approach. But be assured that there are options and hope for you. You can get your hair back!
Adaptive physiology is a concept that suggests that our bodies develop autoimmune conditions as a protective measure to conserve energy when resources are low. One example would be the body not getting the nutrition it needs, either from a compromised digestive tract or restricted calorie or nutrient intake, causing the thyroid gland to sense danger and down regulate the body’s metabolism to conserve resources.
You can read more about my safety theory in this article, but I think it’s a reasonable conclusion that addressing the nutrient deficiencies in the body and restoring a sense of “safety” that the body has all the resources it needs can have a huge effect on preventing hair loss.
1. Adjust Your Thyroid Medication
A primary root cause of hair loss is a deficiency in thyroid hormone. This could be because you’re not getting a high enough dose of thyroid medications, or because you’re not getting the right kind of thyroid medication.
When your TSH is on the outskirts of the normal range, you can continue to lose hair, and your hair may lack luster and shine. If your hair tangles easily, this is a sign that you may not be getting enough thyroid hormone.
In 2015, I conducted a survey of 2232 people with Hashimoto’s that resulted in as many as 36 percent of patients reporting that optimizing their TSH helped with improving their hair. Optimizing the type of thyroid medications they were taking also helped many people restore hair growth. As many as 38 percent of people surveyed reported that Nature-Thyroid helped to improve their hair; however, it is important that you find the thyroid medication that is right for you.
If you’re on thyroid medications and experiencing hair loss, the general rule of thumb is to check that you are on a T3 containing medication like WP Thyroid, Nature-Throid or Armour Thyroid* and that your TSH is between 0.5 and 2 μIU/mL. While most thyroid medications contain the T4 hormone, it’s the abundance and availability of T3 hormones that help your hair grow and keep it from falling out. On paper, T4 medications convert to T3, but this doesn’t always happen effectively in the body. Many people have reported finally getting their hair back after T3 levels were optimized.
*Note: While Armour Thyroid does not have any gluten-containing ingredients, it is not tested for gluten content, and cannot be certified as gluten-free. Armour does contain sodium starch glycolate, which can be derived from wheat or corn.
To learn more about how to optimize your thyroid medications, download my free eBook on Optimizing Thyroid Medications.
2. Consider Nutrient Depletions
A nutritional deficiency is often at the root of thyroid related hair loss. One of the most common culprits is a lack of iron, but a few other supplements may also prove effective in restoring hair growth.
Iron
Iron deficiency is the primary cause of hair loss in premenopausal women and is often the reason women with Hashimoto’s continue to lose hair despite taking thyroid medications. A study conducted in Iran of adolescent girls studied the effect of low iron on young women by collecting urine and serum samples of iron deficient girls. The results concluded that there was a significant correlation between the T4, TSH and ferritin levels studied in the subjects and an indication that iron deficiency may affect thyroid hormone status in adolescent girls.
In our survey of people with Hashimoto’s, 21 percent saw improvement in their hair condition by increasing their intake of iron or ferritin, so it’s definitely worth investigating.
Your doctor may test for anemia (low iron levels) by running a panel for red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and iron levels, and all of them may come up normal. However, you may still be low in iron. If not enough iron is available, the body may pull the iron from less important physiological processes, such as hair growth, to keep enough iron circulating in the blood.
Ferritin, the name given to the body’s iron reserve protein, is required for the transport of T3 to cell nuclei and the utilization of the T3 hormone. A decrease in ferritin can present as increased hair loss during shampooing and brushing, as well as overall thinning of hair without a specific pattern or bald spots.
Ferritin levels can also be measured and will be a better predictor of how much iron you have stored in your body and that are available for use. Ferritin should be checked in all women with Hashimoto’s and for anyone experiencing hair loss.
Normal ferritin levels for women are between 20 and 200 ng/mL. According to some experts, ferritin levels of at least 40 ng/ml are required to stop hair loss, while levels of at least 70 ng/ml are needed for hair regrowth. The optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.
You can check your ferritin levels easily with Ulta Lab Tests.
What causes iron depletion?
In addition to poor intake of dietary iron rich foods and a lack of hydrochloric acid which helps us absorb iron from foods, pregnancy (due to an increased need for iron) and heavy menstruation increase the risk of iron/ferritin deficiency. During each menstruation, a woman will lose 1-6 mg of iron while a pregnancy may cause a loss of 600–1000 mg of iron! Any bleeding, such as that present in nosebleeds, bleeding from the gut, as well as gut infections could also cause iron loss. Furthermore, malabsorption of iron can occur due to certain medications, dietary factors, SIBO, Celiac disease and food sensitivities.
A gluten free diet or elimination diet can help with addressing your iron levels and resolving many symptoms.
As iron needs an acid present to be absorbed, antacids and calcium supplements that are taken around mealtimes may reduce the absorption of iron from foods and supplements. Anyone with hair loss and taking PPI’s or acid-suppressing medications should immediately get their ferritin levels checked.
Dietary factors can also impact iron levels. Tannins in tea and coffee can inhibit iron absorption and should be spaced out by an hour from iron-containing meals. Phytic acid found in nuts, legumes, and grains, is known to be a food inhibitor and can prevent micronutrients, such as iron, from being absorbed by the human body. Even egg whites may also affect iron absorption.
Sometimes the simple act of eliminating these problematic foods can help restore iron levels, and thereby hair growth!
So, how can I increase iron levels?
If you are mildly iron deficient, or not consuming enough iron rich foods, food as medicine may be a key to increasing your iron levels.
Iron is present in both heme and non-heme versions in different foods. The heme version is the better-absorbed version and is found primarily in animal products.
The highest levels of iron are found in organ meats. I know what you may be thinking: Mmmm, liver! Beef, turkey, and chicken are the next best choices. In contrast, non-heme iron is found in nuts, beans, and spinach and is not usually absorbed as well.
To restore your iron and ferritin levels with food you can:
Eat cooked liver twice per week
Eat beef a few times per week
What if food isn’t enough?
If you continue to struggle with low ferritin levels, despite eating adequate red meat and liver, or if you just can’t look at liver without wanting to cry, supplements may help.
Here are some options for getting your iron levels up:
1. Digestive Enzymes and High-Dose Probiotics
We are what we absorb… absorption is dependent on digestion. Iron is best absorbed in an acidic environment, and if you’re not making enough stomach acid, you can boost your iron absorption by doing one of the following along with eating an iron-rich food: taking a vitamin C tablet, eating a vitamin C rich food such as cooked broccoli, or creating an acidic stomach environment by taking a Betaine with Pepsin supplement with meals. Here’s a comprehensive article on Betaine with Pepsin and low stomach acid, which commonly co-occurs with thyroid disease.
We often absorb nutrients from our food because of the type of bacteria we have within our digestive tract. Probiotics can increase our absorption of iron from foods. Lactobacillus Plantarum can help to increase iron absorption by 50 percent! Probiotic 50B contains L. Plantarum. For more information on probiotics, you can read this article on the best probiotics for Hashimoto’s.
2. “Liver Pills”
Taking encapsulated liver can be a fantastic option for boosting ferritin levels in people who are not liver lovers. 🙂 Paleovalley makes an encapsulated liver supplement that can help. Please note, liver is also high in other nutrients such as copper, so people with copper toxicity should avoid liver supplements.
3. Iron Supplements
Most iron supplements are in the non-heme form and may not be absorbed as well. Additionally, many people find that they get terrible stomach aches from the supplements, and they find them extremely constipating! Here are a few more gentle and effective ferritin boosting options to consider:
OptiFerin C contains ferritin and has helped numerous of my clients boost their ferritin levels. Ester-C, a natural, water soluble version of Vitamin C, is added to increase intestinal absorption.
Thorne Iron Bisglycinate is an iron supplement that is more gentle on the stomach and less likely to cause constipation.
If choosing to take iron supplements, do so with much caution as they are one of the leading causes of overdose for children and adults. An iron overdose can be deadly, so make sure you keep the iron out of reach of children and speak to your physician or pharmacist about a dose appropriate for you. Please note, I don’t recommend supplementing with iron unless you test positive for iron deficiency.
4. IV Iron
Another option, especially for those who have tried EVERYTHING, is to work with a functional medicine practitioner to obtain intravenous iron. Intravenous iron can restore your ferritin levels with a few IV’s that can be done in two weeks time, won’t give you constipation, and won’t require you to take a daily pill.
This is a great option for people who are not absorbing iron orally. While any doctors can prescribe or order iron IV’s, most clinics are not set up to offer it. The iron is usually infused over time in saline. Look for integrative, functional and naturopathic clinics that offer this service, or a medical specialist that is known as a hematologist.
Additional Nutrient Deficiencies
If you don’t have an iron deficiency or if you’re already addressing it, there are additional nutrient deficiencies that can lead to hair loss that you may consider testing for. While I always recommend testing for iron deficiency, most people can take the remaining supplements safely.
Biotin
Hashimoto’s always co-occurs with inflammation in the body. The inflammation puts the adrenals on overdrive, depleting our biotin stores. Biotin is an important vitamin for many bodily functions, and deficiencies have been found to cause hair loss.
Supplementing with Biotin at a dose of 5000 mcg-10,000 mcg (5-10mg per day) per day can help with hair loss. Biotin can also help with adrenal fatigue and Candida.
Please note, new reports are surfacing that 5-10 mg of Biotin per day can interfere with some thyroid labs, making it appear as though the person has Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism, when they do not. Case reports of people taking Biotin and having a low TSH test, high T4, high T3 and elevated TSH-receptor antibodies (in the absence of hyperthyroid or Graves’ symptoms) have been reported. The lab values do normalize after 7 days of being off Biotin. While Biotin doesn’t actually cause hyperthyroidism, it interacts with the lab reporting in a way that can cause a false appearance of hyperthyroidism. If you’re going in for a thyroid lab draw, please be sure to skip the Biotin for 1-7 days before your lab test to ensure that the supplement doesn’t interfere with the results.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential element to our well-being. It acts as a catalyst in about 100 different enzyme reactions required by our body, and is involved in DNA synthesis, immune function, protein synthesis, and cell division. It is required for proper sense of taste and smell, detoxification, wound healing, and thyroid function. And it’s critical for hair growth!
An analysis by the World Health Organization concluded that an estimated 17.4 percent of the world’s population may be zinc deficient, and most people with hypothyroidism are in fact zinc deficient. Thyroid hormones are essential for zinc to be absorbed, and a deficiency of thyroid hormones can result in zinc deficiency.
Zinc deficiency prevents the conversion of T4 into the active T3 version. This results in a slowed metabolism of proteins. Zinc is also needed to form TSH, and may become depleted in those with hypothyroidism who are constantly producing more TSH.
Where does zinc come from?
Zinc is not stored in the body, so a daily intake of zinc is required to maintain sufficient levels. Unfortunately, there are many problems with relying on food sources to give us the proper intake of zinc.
Oysters have the highest concentration of zinc, but they are not practical for most of us to eat every day. Beef, liver, pork, lobster, and chicken are the next best sources of zinc, as it is easiest to extract zinc from meat compared with non-meat sources. This means that vegetarians are also at an increased risk of developing a zinc deficiency.
Absorption of zinc may be impaired by damage from intestinal disease such as celiac disease and other malabsorption syndromes – common conditions for those with thyroid disorders. Additionally, phytates found in grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can bind zinc and prevent its absorption when eaten alongside zinc containing foods.
What about zinc supplements?
Zinc supplementation is often the best way to address a deficiency. In my survey of people with Hashimoto’s, 18 percent did report that adding a zinc supplement to their diet improved their hair growth. The recommended dose is no more than 30 mg per day. A word of caution: zinc doses over 40 mg may cause a depletion of copper, necessitating the use of a copper supplement.
Gelatin/Collagen
Hair grows out of follicles, which are essentially tiny sheaths formed out of collagen. The papilla, also made of collagen, is what links the follicle to the rest of the body.
Collagen is a protein that consists primarily of the amino acids glycine and proline. Gelatin is formed when collagen has been boiled-down, dried and pulverized into a powder.
People used to naturally eat a lot more collagen by consuming the bones and other parts of animals that are rich in collagen. These days, we mostly just eat muscle meat, which is high in amino acids, but low in collagen. This is not only bad news for our hair, but for our health in general.
By increasing the amount of collagen in your diet, you can support your hair follicles and papilla – the longer the and stronger they are, the healthier your hair will be!
There are many collagen and gelatin supplements on the market today. You can try the Pure Prescriptions Perfect Collagen or Bulletproof Collagen. Or, you can make your own cheap and easy bone broth that is also delicious! You can find a video with simple instructions for making your own bone broth HERE.
Biosil
Biosil is a supplement designed to improve hair, skin, nail and joint strength. Its primary ingredients are choline and silicon. Choline likely improves the appearance of hair by improving fat absorption into the body. A higher silicon content in the hair results in a lower rate of hair loss and increased brightness. Studies have suggested that silicon has an effect on the tensile strength of hair, making it more resistant to breakage.
3. Use Food to Boost Hair Growth
Blood Sugar
Blood sugar swings brought on by eating too many carbohydrates and not enough quality proteins and fats can wreak havoc on your health and hair! Blood sugar swings encourage the conversion of T4 to reverse T3. Reverse T3 is an inactive hormone that blocks the body’s utilization of T3, resulting in increased hair shedding.
For some, a Paleo style diet that emphasizes high quality proteins and fats and limits grains, processed sugar and starchy carbohydrates can keep blood sugars lowered and stable. My Hashimoto’s survey resulted in 27 percent reporting an increase in hair growth when following a Paleo diet, with 32.6 percent noticing improvement with a strict autoimmune Paleo diet! But any diet that reduces sugar and keeps carbohydrates at a moderate level can help bring blood sugar back into balance and reduce the likelihood of hair loss.
Healthy Fats
I first noticed the role of fats in hair when I was studying the effects of low fat and high fat diets on lab rats (this volunteer research assistant position sounded much better on paper). I’ll spare you the lab rat research stories for another time, but you should know that the rats fed a high fat diet had beautiful long and shiny rat hair. The low fat diet ones, not so much. This is because fatty acid deficiencies result in dry, dull, lifeless hair.
Another six-month long study conducted on 120 healthy women evaluated the changes in hair density after being given Omega-3 and -6 supplements. At the end of the treatment, superior hair growth improvement was demonstrated in the supplemented group, with 89.9 percent reporting a reduction in hair loss, 86.1 percent an improvement in hair diameter, and 87.3 percent an improvement in hair density.
Eating Omega-3 containing fish or taking a supplement can also help bring back the shine to your hair. As many as 26 percent of the people with Hashimoto’s that I surveyed concluded that adding an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement brought noticeable improvement to their hair!
Green Vegetables
There is some indication that increasing the amount of green vegetables in your diet could lead to improvements in hair growth. My survey indicated that 19 percent of participants reported increased hair growth by adding green smoothies into their diets, while further improvements were seen by adding in green juices and increasing vegetable intake. While I don’t recommend a vegan or vegetarian diet to people with Hashimoto’s disease, upping the number of vegetables, particularly greens, in your diet can certainly improve hair growth and lustre.
4. Explore Topical Treatments
If you’ve addressed your thyroid medication, adjusted your supplement intake and looked for any deficiencies in your diet but you’re still experiencing hair loss, there are several topical treatment options that you may find effective. Although I believe that healthy hair comes from within, external factors, such as the shampoo that you are using, might be exacerbating your hair loss.
Hair Products
Shampoos that contain toxic chemicals and gluten can be detrimental to your scalp, resulting in inflamed hair follicles. There are also a host of endocrine disrupting chemicals in most commercial hair care products that can wreak havoc on your thyroid. Opt instead for for an organic shampoo and conditioner that are free of toxic chemicals. I use the Acure Organics line, which I’ve found to be both safe and effective in giving me beautiful and shiny hair.
For people with tangled hair (often a first symptom of an underactive thyroid), I recommend Acure Leave In Conditioner and the Tangle Teezer brush. These two together did wonders for me when my hair was tangled, and I still like to keep my brush with me at all times, especially when I travel.
I’m also loving the new line of safe hair care products from Katie Wells (Wellness Mama), called Wellnesse.
Because fatty acids are so important for healthy hair growth, another topical treatment option is to massage olive oil into the scalp itself. The rich fat will nourish the hair right at the roots and can help to stimulate hair growth in dormant hair follicles.
Scalp Mites
Demodex hair mites – sounds gross right? But there are tiny mites that live in the hair follicles of 96 to 98 percent of people that may be responsible for your hair loss, and could cause your hair to be more greasy. You can wash your hair with a sulfur and tea tree oil containing shampoo like Ovante’s Demodex to kill the mites – just remember to let the shampoo sit on your scalp for 3-5 minutes to effectively kill the mites.
Growth Lasers
Recently, the use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has shown promise as a treatment for hair loss and to stimulate hair regrowth. Laser combs and laser helmets, such as the Theradome, emit a low level of laser light that can stimulate hair growth. They can be purchased without a prescription and used in the comfort of your own home.
PRP
The latest in hair growth research is focused on stem cell therapies and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Some dermatologists and anti-aging doctors are using PRP to inject a concentration of the patient’s own blood platelets into the scalp to help retain and regrow hair.
In a recent study, eleven patients suffering from androgenic alopecia hair loss who hadn’t responded to drug treatments were injected in the scalp with PRP four times over a period of 3 months. Results showed a significant reduction in hair loss, and their hair count increased from 71 hair follicular units to 93 hair follicular units.
A Final Word About Hair Loss…
Stress can make you shed hair like crazy. I’m speaking from personal experience, as well as the experiences of hundreds of my clients. What can you do to reduce the stress in your own life that might be contributing to hair loss? Taking time to care for yourself with yoga, meditation, journaling, or light exercise are all great options to help reduce your stress load. Here are some of my favorite strategies, that you can save or print for easy reference:
stress reduction strategies
You might also consider supporting your stress hormones with adaptogenic herbs, such as those in Rootcology Adrenal Support.
I want you to know that there is help for your hair loss! I know how crushing it can be to deal with a symptom as difficult to disguise as hair loss, but there are so many avenues for you to explore that can lead to a huge shift in your current hair growth. As I began to get to the root cause of my own thyroid condition and make changes that restored health and balance to my body, the hair loss I was experiencing stopped. Start with the solutions that resonate the most with you and are easiest to implement, and note that it may take several weeks to see noticeable changes with any supplement, medication, dietary, or topical changes that you make.
I wish you all the best on your journey toward recovering a healthy head of hair!
P.S. Be sure to sign up to receive my Thyroid Symptom Hacker for more tips on overcoming hair loss!
References
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Bodó E, Kromminga A, Bíró T. Borbíró I, Gáspár E, Zmijewski MA, Paus R. Human female hair follicles are a direct, nonclassical target for thyroid-stimulating hormone. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2009;129(5), 1126-1139.
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Hair loss? It may be iron deficiency. WebMD. webmd.com/skin-problems-and.... Published May 17, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2018.
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Note: Originally published in February 2015, this article has been revised and updated for accuracy and thoroughness.
Sorry i just remembered what a specialist prescribed for my son who lost 99% of his hair due to thyroid issues. Dermovate, its brilliant his hair is better and healthier than ever after using this product. I personally was refused as only a doctor who can write prescription for specialist medications can prescribe. xx Good luck .
So sorry about your daughters issues, it’s so much harder to cope when It’s your children suffering. Alopecia tends to cause hair loss in patches rather than thinning all over. Auto immune also tends to affect the body symmetrically so same patches in matching areas on the head, if that makes sense. If your daughter doesn’t have these symptoms, hopefully it isn’t alopecia. I think your gut instinct is telling you it’s the medicine so I would follow that line. Children do tend to be lower in iron and vit d than adults naturally. I can’t help but think that the b12 is SO high that it could indicate absorption problems perhaps. If I were you I think I would think about it in a quiet room for a bit and if you still feel it could be the medicine then stand your ground and ask for it to be changed. Best of luck x
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Hashimotos hair loss 
Hair loss/growth and t3
Hair loss and skin rash
Hair Loss - Ferritin Results
Alarming hair loss happening
