Stopping meds due to hair loss.

[InTheForest]

Having taken 125mg Levo for a year or so I noticed my hair was thinning at an alarming rate. So I just stopped taking it! I never felt much better while taking meds or not, so am I really doing the wrong thing by stopping altogether? Doctor unable to do blood tests at the moment due to Covid-19. Any suggestions or advice please.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

InTheForest

You first posted about hair loss 8 months ago but never responded to any of the replies you had:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Did you get any of the tests mentioned done? Hair loss can be due to certain vitamin deficiencies.

There's no real reason why GP surgeries shouldn't do blood tests, mine does with Covid precautions in place. Or you could do your own with a test from one of our recommended labs.

If you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism then for whatever reason you are not producing thyroid hormone and this is needed by every cell in our bodies and if you don't produce it then it needs to be taken exogenously or eventually you will become more and more unwell.

[Karenk13]

You should never just stop your medication without medical supervision it can have a bad affect on your thyroid. Especially if you go from taking 125mcg to nothing at all 😳

[Wolfiesmom08 in reply to Karenk13]

Yeah one time I cut my dose in half because I thought it was giving me headaches and about three weeks into it I became so sick filled with anxiety terrible shaking end it just a mess. It wasn’t till I decided to raise my medication back up that I started to feel better but I was a wreck for about three months. Till my body readjusted.

[Lora7again]

You could have low ferritin which can cause hair loss and it needs to be over 80 for hair growth. Stopping the medication could make your hair loss a lot worse and you really need to find out what your levels are because that could also cause hair loss.

[McPammy]

Dr should be able to still continue with bloods tests. I’ve had 2 lots of tests since March this year. I went to my GP surgery for mine. You can also go to your local hospital with the blood form snd get it done with or without booking, just walk in. You really need thyroid blood results before stopping or changing your dose.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Strongly recommend starting back on levothyroxine, and getting FULL thyroid and vitamin testing after constant unchanging dose and brand of levothyroxine for 6-8 weeks minimum

Hairloss often linked to being UNDER medicated and low iron or ferritin as direct result

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease

Ask GP to test vitamin levels NOW

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

Also vitamin D available as separate test via MMH

Or alternative Vitamin D NHS postal kit

vitamindtest.org.uk

Hairloss is common hypothyroid symptom and may get worse with sudden withdrawal of levothyroxine

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[Lalatoot]

I all but stopped my levothyroxine. Please read what happened healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... keep checking your thyroid blood levels as I got very ill though it crept up on me after initially feeling great.

[annnsandell]

I concur with other comments. Hair loss can be due to high levels of Testosterone as well as low vitamins including iron. No reason why you can't have blood tests, I have had several since March., sick of GP and physio excuses.

[elwins]

No reason for doctors not doing blood tests, I have had several done to check my thyroid levels and vitamins. My doctor has been brilliant in doing everything I have asked for in the last few weeks.

[Lily288]

Hi IntheForest Same thing happened with me. However instead of stopping my Levo altogether, I cut back to half of my 100mcg tablet, that is, 50mcg. I felt better and then later, I was able cut back another .25mcg.

I do not change my prescription to a lesser dosage prescription.

I asked my doctor to leave my prescription to a 100mcg tablet. I then cut the tablet with a pill cutter. The reason for this is it is best to never change company or your levothyroxine manufacture . I figure if it works, no need for blood tests. BT W my doctor is aware and agreed with cutting back.

Hope this works for you.

[69dream]

I have posted here a few times regarding my own decision to stop taking levothyroxine as I was having very bad side effects and my doctor who thinks that she's God kept ignoring me. I was in fact suffering from a very long term bacterial infection which had spread to my lungs, since I started on a one year course of antibiotics and started several natural procedures my thyroid symptoms seem to be virtually non existent. I would advise any of you who are having thyroid problems but also suffer from recurring strep throat or ear/sinus/bladder infections or similar that just won't clear up to do a bit more investigation.