I'm new here. I had extreme itching and hair loss after surgery from Percoset. Do you see anything that can be tweeked to help ?

[brockenbury]

Transferrin Percent16 % 15 - 50 %

Transferrin234 mg/dL 206 - 381 mg/dL

T3 Total126 ng/dL 97 - 169 ng/dL

T4 Free0.89 ng/dL 0.78 - 2.19 ng/dL

TSH0.073 mIU/L 0.465 - 4.680 mIU/L

[RedApple Administrator]

brockenbury, Before anyone can offer any useful suggestions, more information is needed.

What was your surgery for?

Are you on thyroid medication? If yes, what and what dose?

Are you on any other medication?

[brockenbury in reply to RedApple]

I had back surgery to repair 2 dics, clean a ruptured disc and a CoFlex spacer was placed in the top disc.

I am on 90 mg NP Thyroid, 2 mg estradiol and 75 mg Cavedilol. I am on iron, magnesium, D3, hair vit with collagen, p5p, allergy shots for mold etc., and have added saw palmetto since hair loss.

[RockyPath in reply to brockenbury]

Hi brockenbury,

You’re still being sort of thrifty with information— such as how long ago you had surgery and if you’re still taking pain medication.

Here’s a place you could begin, since you’re associating the effects with the Percocet:

memphisrecovery.com/rehab-b...

All the best

[brockenbury in reply to RockyPath]

Sorry… I didn’t want to ramble. I had back surgery 2 months ago. I was on Percoset for 5 days . I was itching all over and my hair was coming out by the hands full. I called my dr and he put me on tramadol. My body went ridged after 1 day. He put me on 16 advil and 8 tylenol a day. That messed up my stomach after one day. I was on meds a total of 1 week, but I think they were too high of doses for me. I think the strong meds started something to go haywire in my system. I’m not used to any pain medicine. If I use 1 advil a year… that’s it. I called my general dr and told her I didn’t want anything except a muscle relaxant to sleep. I used muscle relaxants 2 days and then stopped everything. My back is healing (slowly because I’m 79). My hair is 1/3 thinner, but was not getting worse. Now, 2 months after surgery my hair is starting to fall out again. My scalp feels warm and prickly and comes out when I run a hand through it. There is a mouse size clump in my shower drain when I wash my hair. I was wondering if my T4 being in the lower range could be part of my problem. My dr won't do Free T3 test, which I believe in. Thank you RockyPath for the site.

[RockyPath in reply to brockenbury]

I’m in a slightly earlier decade of life, but I would guess that all of those pain pills your doctor directed you to take were a really bad idea. Genetically, many of us aren’t helped by NSAIDS, and taking them without a meal first will cause gastric bleeding. If you had a terrible allergic reaction to the opioid and acetaminophen in the Percocet, and then were told to keep heaping on more acetaminophen, while adding an NSAID that would cause gastric bleeding, then you are in a very rundown state. At your age, the body needs a lot of time to recover.

On top of that, your beta blocker dose is the maximum, and for someone your age, the extended release tablets in lower dose are recommended: rxlist.com/consumer_carvedi...

The above article explains how some patients develop anemia after they have been taking it successfully for some time.

Although hair loss is typically associated with thyroid, there are many other possible causes, and your other health conditions and medications seem like possible suspects. From what you’ve related, I’m not terribly impressed with your doctor. It’s challenging work and the world is awash in moderately qualified people happily practicing at medicine, sometimes to the detriment of their patients.

If you can, raise the questions with your physician, omitting the thyroid focus, and zeroing in on the drugs you’ve been prescribed over the past few months.

Good luck

[brockenbury in reply to RockyPath]

Thank you RockyPath. I will talk to my Cardiologist about my Carvedilol dose. I have always been anemic so maybe it is not a good medicine for me. I was on Metoprolol, but my BP went up (probably because of back problems) so my BP med was changed. The surgeon"s assistant prescribed the pain meds. I did tell the surgeon that I felt I was overmedicated and not happy losing my hair and being so ill. I appreciate your response.