Can anyone help me understand my blood tests. A private dermatologist recently took some bloods after prescribing finasteride. I took the drug four months and discontinued as it shrunk my hair follicles. My scalp now looks dramatically worse, thanks to this drug. It didn't increase hair loss but didn't stop it either. Odd how the hair shaft shrunk and basically disappeared in the short time that I was taking it. Anyway my legs feet and ankles swelled and looked like balloons when taking this drug. So worried about my kidneys and liver.
I would be grateful if anyone can advise based on the blood tests. He basically just draw circles round a few tests and said the tests were ok. There are also two sheets. The second sheet I have uploaded and posted as continuation of liver kidneys, iron ferritin and serum transferrin. I'd be grateful if my other posts can be searched for the continuation.
I'm 49yr old female. Currently taking folic acid, zinc and multi vitamin.
Thanks
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Karen154
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I would suggest that you should definitely not take iron supplements. The chances are that your serum iron wouldn't budge, but your ferritin would get higher.
Frightened incase the ferritin damages my liver. I don't drink or smoke. In fact I can't stomach alcohol be at all. But I am very over weight now so fatty is very likely the case. I also have thyroid which has been poorly managed. I don't think Drs know how to manage it. Some of my vitamin levels don't look so good. I'm also concerned the finasteride may have caused kidney damage . Due to the amount of swelling. I asked for a kidney test but I can't see it on the tests I've uploaded.
Thank you for the information. I have uploaded a previous post today with more blood tests. The post heading is the same but think it shows my kidneys. I think finasteride my have caused some damage to my kidneys. I have a thyroid condition and have deficient in everything at some stage. Also about 5stone overweight so probably do have fatty liver. Don't drink or smoke tho. Would you be good enough to give your opinion of the other post please. Lot of bloods there too.
Recommend you get TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 tested after 6-8 weeks minimum on unchanging dose and brand of levothyroxine
All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Likely to see poor conversion of Ft4 to Ft3
Monitor my health is cheapest for TSH, Ft4 and and Ft3 tested together £26.10
It's approximately 6 weeks since the NHS did a full thyroid profile test. The hospital didn't give the ranges but I wasn't concerned about the T4 and T3 but the TSH was so low it lower the range. The Dr was decent. She ignored the TSH and concentrated on the T4 and T3. But I asked my GP to lower the levo as felt I'll. My hair follicles shrunk and loosing eyelashes again. I'm ok at the moment as hair stablised and lashes are growing back. But my scalp doesn't recover again. So basically unless I stop the tsh from moving I believe I go bald.
Differently think DHT prescribed had been the wrong thing to do.
Do you have androgenic alopecia? I’m guessing that’s why you were given finasteride. Did the dermatologist not give you any further advice on what to do next?
They are saying it's female balding. I don't know the difference between androgen or androgenic hair loss. However I believe it's thyroid or another condition. This is because female pattern hair loss only effects the scalp and this everywhere. Also feel ill most of the time. They will not change the records. So I was treated with a drug without the private consultant taking tests first. I had to request them. My hair is appalling after approximately four months of taking a drug which made everything so much worse. I told the private dermo my scalp was worse for taking the drug. He replied, you have to take it at least 6 months. I believe I would have kidney failure and be bald within that scale if I continued with finasteride. I paid a lot of money to speak to a NHS consultant working privately for second opinion. At least 500 for appointments and my scalp is worse for it. I didn't get the second opinion. I don't believe you can diagnosis a condition of hair loss from how it looks on the scalp and ignore the rest. If you thyroid a difficient or hormone issue. I think it all looks the same.
Sorry to hear this. Sounds awful. Sorry I should have just written androgenic and not androgen too. Its the same meaning. Corrected my original comment.
Your right this needs a whole body approach but that’s hard to find with standard medicine.
I keep recommending Dr Carrie Jones but she’s the medical director of Precision Analytical who produce a test called the DUTCH test. I’ve got nothing to do with this but the information she shares is really good. Here’s one of her posts about hair loss:
I wonder if they tested you to see if you’re producing a certain type of testosterone which can contribute towards hair loss. Finasteride basically blocks a particularly potent metabolite of testosterone that can cause hair loss but if it’s causing more hair loss then that’s not good. Maybe it’s not addressing the problem.
Anyway if you decide to do the DUTCH test it measures all these hormones in urine but you might need an functional medicine practitioner’s help to work through it and figure out how to treat this through a whole body approach.
Just wanted to add you can test hormones and their metabolites in blood serum but you get more information and about what’s being used in urine.
Hi, thank you for your reply and sharing the link. I have read a little about the Dutch test. My cortisol has been tested 3 times. Twice by the NHS which was a urine test and it normal. Also did a Sylvia test 3 times a day which was normal. Also had my DHT tested about 12 months ago and I didn't have any. My testosterone level hasn't moved in four years. Although I have to say the in Bupa test for testosterone is lower then the NHS range. I would have to find the old test for the range. But when I say it. I thought it was lower then standard range.
I have also noticed that people with pattern hair loss have their eyebrows. I don't.
Hi, he briefly talked about stronger off license drugs but didn't prescribe them. I had such a bad experience with finasteride I won't be going back. I wish I hadn't go in the first place as I need to spray my scalp now to try and hide the baldness. My scalp wasn't this bad before I took the drug which was only four months ago.
He said, the drug needs to be taken for six months. Nooo way!!
My didn't see my hair fall out but seemed to disappear very quickly. Almost as though my scalp hair had dissolved.
I told him, I was thinking of a hair transplant now. He advised against it and recommend a plasma inject injections. I am keen to try haven't injections but haven't able to find anywhere that I would trust.
So sorry to hear about this. I also lost a lot of hair last year but it’s not as bad. Stress is also really bad for hair as cortisol and adrenaline attack the hair follicles causing hair loss and also premature greys.
Why not ask about a trusted PRP clinic in a hair loss forum? There must be some around and Facebook has lots of hair groups too. Good luck.
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