Hair Loss and Thyroid

[diogenes]

A lot of posts describe loss of hair coinciding with thyroid deficiency or what is believed to be inadequate treatment. The BTF page on thyroid function and hair loss makes a very important point. A patient may think that hair loss after treatment is due to the inadequacy of the suggested dosage of whatever. However the BTF document points out that the period between the onset of thyroid problems, its subsequent diagnosis and treatment may be the time through which the hair follicles are starting to go into a resting state, prior to becoming obvious after diagnosis and treatment. In other words, it's not the shorter time after diagnosis that is important, but the often long time before that when the thyroid eg through slowly developing Hashimoto's has begun the hair-weakening proocess. Oddly enough, if the onset of hypothyroidism is rapid and quickly diagnosed and treated, then this hair loss often is much less and can more frequently be reversed - as the long time of "grumbling" thyroid inadequacy is lacking.

For anyone interested: googling "hair loss and thyroid" will bring up the BTF article on the page.

[haggisplant]

I’ve noticed significant symptom delays re hair loss when thyroxine hasn’t been optimal, so yes hair loss wasn’t hugely related to then. I did notice more hair growing not long after starting zinc supplements as well as quite quick hair loss associated with ferritin falling below 50 (at time of test it was 45).

It’s not always straight forward!

[haggisplant in reply to haggisplant]

I’ve also had hair loss when in too much thyroxine. It’s a tough balance!

[DippyDame]

Interesting, thank you.

My hair definitely suffered from under/ wrong medication, my hairdresser first noticed it years ago when it presented as thinning with a mysterious very light waxy coating./texture. He suggested the cause was internal, maybe thyroid ( I was levo mono then).It cleared up recently after I reached a therapeutic dose of T3 only. If my T3 level drops my hair (amongst other things) suffers.

Wish I could tell him he was correct, very sadly he later died of cancer after walking the Santiago de Compostela way.

[Supermisshelen in reply to DippyDame]

Hi Dippy DameI know everyone is different, but just out of interest, what was your dosage on t3 only that then helped your hair issue?

[DippyDame in reply to Supermisshelen]

I have a form of thyroid hormone resistance (RTH) which requires me to take a supraphysiolgical dose of T3 to be effective (potentially very dangerous without RTH). I also tested Dio2/homozygous though prob irrelevant re hair loss.

As I experimented to find a therapeutic dose I was eventually (very many months later) taking 200mcg, after a few months symptoms of overdosing started so I dropped back to 50mcg ( clearly not enough) and increased again. When I slowly reached 100mcg symptoms of overdosing started again and after much trial and error I'm currently taking 75mcg which seems to be what my system now needs. This may change.

Can't remember my dose when I first noticed improvement but less than 75mcg doesn't work for me.

Are you taking T3? As you will be aware dosage is a very personal thing and T3 needs to treated with respect.

For most people adequate thyroxine may help.... vit D vit B12, folate and ferritin all need to be optimal.

Hair loss can be linked to low B12 and low vit D...I'd suggest you start with vit B12 then optimise vit D.

Only change/ add one thing at a time

Sorry, long response to your question and probably most irrelevant to you but hope something helps

Best...

DD

[Supermisshelen in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you ever so much for that info DD! I have optimised vitamin D but the b12 is something I have definitely been concerned about ( and a trichologist really pointed me in the direction of upping my b12 which was low 200s at the time. I asked my endo for some b12 shots but I just have one a month ... but am taking high dosages of b12 sublingual and methyl folate in the hope it is going to make a difference.. as well as tinkering with and upping my thyroid meds ( one thing at a time of course). Thank you again.

[DippyDame in reply to Supermisshelen]

verywellhealth.com/vitamin-... be helpful

[Supermisshelen in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you!! It says this link not found I wonder if you can click it again?

[DippyDame in reply to Supermisshelen]

Ah! Just noticed HU gremlins have cut my message and the web address.

It happens... Grrr

Try this...it works for me now

verywellhealth.com/vitamin-...

[Supermisshelen in reply to DippyDame]

THANKYOU this is great those pesky gremlins 😆but the effects of people correcting a b12 deficiency they have but didn’t even k or about.. it’s astounding in some cases that I’ve read .

[Marz]

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Long before I was diagnosed with Hashimotos in 2005 - I was aware my hair and skin always felt good on holidays in Greece - the sun ?? I then moved there in 2004 and enjoyed the benefits for 15 years. Now back in the UK

We often read on the forum that low thyroid is linked to low B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD - especially with Hashimotos. As with everything in life today - it is important to consider the bigger picture staring us in the face 🌻🌻

[haggisplant in reply to Marz]

There’s current research looking at the role of selenium in reducing a particular type of antibody too; TPO I believe (in the last btf newsletter.)