Extreme hair loss :(

[FSH3]

Experiencing dramatic hair loss over the past 6mo, almost half. Began Ndt in February from being on synthroid and lio combo. However after having Covid in Jan. was still struggling with low energy and palps. Felt better and was increased from 1.5 to 1.75 which resolved palps. Felt great….except for hair falling out:(Endo did labs and my TSH had gone from 1.5 to 2.1 so thought an increase might fix the hair issue. Increased Ndt to 2. Well….3 days later resting heart rate was 120 and I was a mess. I have since been told to go back to my original dose. It’s been a week and I’m still dealing with increased heart rate, jitters and general “weirdness”. I know it will level out but this hair loss is unbelievable:(. Anyone dealt with such hair issues? Thyroid removed 2015

[greygoose]

The only thing NDT did do for me was make my hair grow.

What makes me lose my hair is low iron. Have you had your ferritin and iron tested?

[FSH3 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your response. I will look over my recent labs and DEFINITELY have ferritin and Fe checked!

[greygoose in reply to FSH3]

You're welcome.

[jamesal0 in reply to greygoose]

NDT makes my hair grow like crazy

[Beamishmom in reply to greygoose]

Hi, what is NDT?

[greygoose in reply to Beamishmom]

Natural Dessicated Thyroid. It's thyroid hormone replacement made from pig thyroid, and containing both T4 and T3.

[Imaaan]

I'm not sure if you're aware or not but there is a link between covid and experiencing hair loss.

[Evej13 in reply to Imaaan]

I was just going to add this Imaan. I've seen this all over forums about covid / covid long haul.

[carriegod in reply to Imaaan]

A friend of mine had severe hair loss after 2 Covid vaccines. She's not had Covid. There are links there too

[Sparklingsunshine]

Hi

A lot of people have reported hair loss after getting covid, it seems to affect the hair follicles and lead to a condition called Telogen Effluvium, increased hair shedding. The good news is its normally temporary and your hair will start to grow back. Make sure your key vitamins like iron B12 and folate are all good.

[Anthea55]

You don't say what brand of NDT you have been taking. My hair got thinner when I was on Erfa, but now getting thicker again now I've given it up. I've seen other reports on here of hair loss on Erfa.

[Tide]

Same here, dramatic loss since getting levo dose right. What I *hope* is happening is that while under medicated there was no new growth and now the new growth is pushing out the old. I noticed before diagnosis that leg hair etc just didn’t grow but now normal so this is my amateur theory! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

[Ajva]

I am on NDT and I do notice the hair loss is unreal on it. I am yet to be optimal but I can not take levothyroxine so this is my only option.

When I am even slightly over medicated by 1/4 grain I feel awful with jittery ness, anxiety, hair loss, extreme fatigue, brain fog. I can’t seem to go over 1 grain as it is putting my t3 over range.

Some people say armour is great for hair gain other like me it has been the opposite.

Also NDT does give me a high heart rate. When I am over medicated I can’t get my HR resting down from 150. But I do have PoTs which does not help.

[Wee-midge]

I experienced hair loss last year, I was on ndt Tru T, but found that I was taking the wrong amount (had switched from Throid-s). However it also happened a couple of weeks after vaccination, 6 months later it happened again, this time I had gone back on levothyroxine (struggled to get ndt in uk), however again I was approx 4 weeks after vaccination. I have now been on Armour for nearly 3 month, hair feels better and leg hair is now growing! Currently I have to self prescribe, which leaves it open to error, I am now asking endocrinologist if he will help with ndt.

I had my thyroid gland removed 20 years ago, on Levo for about 15years, gave me great blood results but I still felt awful, ndt has been brilliant but definitely the dosage is hard to get right and supply has been very difficult.

[Birdarse]

Hi I’m on armour thyroid NDT. I’ve recently increased to 1 grain 3 times a day, its spread to prevent the jitters. I have felt so much better since upping to 3 grains but spread out.I have suffers with hair loss for years due to my thyroid. NDT makes no difference to it.

What has made me shed hair again is having Covid in October. Both Covid jabs and Covid can make you lose hair it’s very common and confirmed by my dermatologist. You need to feed the immune system as it’s broken from Covid. I have t had any jabs because I researched this and jabs are linked to hair loss.

Only on 3 grains am I also losing weight.

Good luck.

[Petalrugbaba]

I’m on ndt ( erfa) and still have hair loss. If my dose increases the hair loss gets worse. I currently take part Levo and part erfa and try to keep my iron at a good level and keep well hydrated as both can affect hair growth/loss.

[kaz111]

I also have extreme hairless I'm on 225mcg of thyroxine my hair is a mess so self conscious

[shaws Administrator in reply to kaz111]

I have been diagnosed with Alopecia Areata and you may have developed this too. It is another autoimmune disease.

webmd.com/connect-to-care/h...

[Gilbo72]

I have had problems with hairloss a few times. I seem to be susceptible to Telogen Effluvium. Unfortunately, in my experience, once triggered, it is a process the hair goes through before finally slowing down and regrowing. (Ie not general hairloss) My latest bout occurred after the covid vaccine and the hairloss lasted for 6 months +. I lost about 65% thickness and it’s is soul destroying. You say yours has been going on for 6 months, yet your hair loss started in February? So it was already falling before your med change? I can feel a mild tingling in my scalp when I experience hairloss. It is really frustrating as Telogen effluvium tends to be a delayed reaction, so it starts several weeks/months after a trigger. It does sound like Covid could be the culprit and it may be that it will start to slow down on its own accord if you stick to the original dose.

[Annieza in reply to Gilbo72]

Hi Gilbo72, sorry to hear about your hair loss, it is definitely soul destroying. My latest bout of hair loss started after I took the Hep B vaccine in November 21, it started falling in Feb and still hasn't stopped. I had already lost a lot previously so now it looks worse as its falling from all ready very little hair. Was there anything you did to stop it or did it just stop by itself? I'm not on any medication...

[Gilbo72 in reply to Annieza]

My hair loss started about a month after the AZ vaccine. It went on for over 6 months. I just sat it out, knowing that it would eventually stop and regrow. To make my self feel like I was doing something, I made sure I took lots of vitamins, used some Plantur shampoo (caffeine based) and in desperation, bought myself a Reme real hair halo off amazon for about £40 which was a life saver for going out for a while when I had no self confidence left! Im not sure any of it had any impact except for patience. It does seem to happen when hormones or immune system is knocked off a bit. Best of luck. Mine has stopped and is regrowing now.

[Annieza in reply to Gilbo72]

Thanks Gilbo72, I'm glad that it has stopped for you and is re-growing. I've been looking into hair pieces so i will have a look on Amazon too

[glennss3]

I had really bad hair loss all of the sudden when I was on a specific brand of levothyroxine!! I think you should think about getting a brand of levothyroxine that is specifically made for people sensitive to the dies or bindings in the pills. My endo kept saying that my hair loss was just a symptom of being hypo, but the minute I switched brands it stopped. I use a brand now called tirosint which really helped me!

[jendwall]

I lost half of my hair from covid. I started losing about 3 months after being ill. Much of it has starting growing back. It just takes lots of time. So sorry. I know its scary and concerning . ❤

[FSH3 in reply to jendwall]

Thank you for sharing. If this is the worst of myCovid experience, I am blessed.

[jendwall in reply to FSH3]

Agree. So many people are going through so much.

[Bluemaxx]

I also lost over half of my hair about three months after having Covid the Christmas before last. I have hashimotos. I finally got to see a Dermatologist after about a month of hair falling out as, due to lockdown, I couldn't even get to see or talk to my GP or any of the Trichologists who advertise on the Internet. The dermatologist told me that she had seen other cases like this with people who had Covid. I had telogen effluvium which means that your hair falls out after a shock to the system. The good news is that it is growing back, but slowly. She also told me that my hair was thinner anyway at the back and that she sees this a lot with hypothyroid patients. I had my bloods checked before my appointment with Medichecks. They have a special test - Advanced Hair Loss Blood test - plus the full thyroid test. They all came back okay. She recommended that I use Regaine/Rogaine until the hair had regrown, then I was able to stop. I also started taking vitamins for hair growth. In the meantime I bought a hair piece which I am still using. I set it back about three quarters of an inch from my hair line and brush my own hair over the join so nobody can tell that I have a 'wig' on. This has been a horrible experience but at least it is almost grown back a little over a year later. Unfortunately my hair seems to grow about a half an inch a month it that. Good Luck!!!

[FSH3 in reply to Bluemaxx]

Thank you for sharing your story. This could very well be Covid related. It’s hard to know as I was switched from synthroid to Ndt about a month after recovering from the virus.

[Annieza in reply to Bluemaxx]

Hi Bluemaxx, its awful isn't it, i'm glad your hair is almost back, that gives me a lot of hope for my hair loss! I've got a dermatology appt next week, is there anything that they need to be doing specifically to find out whats causing my hair loss, like a biopsy or something? I've been waiting a year for this appointment so just want to make sure I get the most from the appointment. Also can I also ask where you got your hair piece from? Im struggling to find anything that looks natural....

[shaws Administrator]

I am hypothyroid but also have two additional autoimmune diseases. The second was my hair falling out altogether - diagnosed with alopecia areata. I also have pernicious anaemia.

For the first ten years, hair fell out then slowly grew back and I usually had first haircut after summer. Now it doesn't grow back at all and I have bought a wig. No-one, especially if on holiday, wants to wear a wig.

I don't complain as I had a friend (no thyroid problems) who had been complaining about 'women's problem' for a long time with no answers but when she had sufficient funds, got a private consultation only to be told that her problem was fatal, She got diagnosed/married/buried all within three months.

How was this condition not diagnosed much sooner?

[shaws Administrator]

I have alopecia areata (whole head of hair lost several times and then it grows slowly back). It's not ideal that we lose our hair but I am grateful that it is not due to having a cancer.

[radd]

FSH3

Hair loss can be extreme with any change in hormones. Mine shedded unbelievably when I first introduced T3 and then to a lesser degree since with any T3 dose change. You have also recently had COVID and introduced HRT.

Telogen effluvium is known to happen when one has a terrible shock but also with bodily stress caused by hormonal change, causing the hair roots to enter the resting stage of the hair cycle too early. It reverses as (thyroid) hormones start working more effectively.

Low iron is another cause but also COVID, and the COVID vaccine has left many with Alopecia.

'Hair loss following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is an increasingly reported phenomenon in the United States and globally'. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...