Hair thinning

[trisha7]

HI

I wondered if anyone has advice as to what supplements would help or are recommended as my hair loss is noticeable now. Im currently on 100mcgs of levothyroxine and trying to get GP to increase because of other symptoms.

Thanks for any advice.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

trisha7

What are your current results for TSH, FT4 and FT3? Can you post them along with their reference ranges (ranges vary from lab to lab).

Besides hypothyroidism, hair loss/thinning can be due to low ferritin or other nutrient deficiencies.

Ask for Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin to be tested, these all need to be at optimal levels (not just within range) for thyroid hormone to work properly.

Ferritin/Iron and hair loss:

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

particularly the part where it says:

According to some experts, ferritin levels of at least 40 ng/ml are required to stop hair loss, while levels of at least 70 ng/ml are needed for hair regrowth. The optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.

Vitamin deficiencies that can lead to hair loss:

hubpages.com/health/16-Vita...

[trisha7 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks SeasideSusie.

T4 19 5 (11.0-22.0)

Free T4 4.2 (3.5-6.5)

TSH 1.2 (0.2-4.0(

B12 744 (211-911). I take b12 tablet after severe deficiency and fight with GP to get!

Ferritin 16 (10-291.0)

Folate 23.4 (3.0-14.4) which goes with b12 deficiency as you probably know already.

Had a lot of brain fog /exhausted, etc days so asked for these tests.

Thanks.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to trisha7]

trisha7

Ferritin 16 (10-291.0)

So this is a problem and may be the cause of your hair problem. According to NICE this is iron deficiency

From: cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...

In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.

but your GP needs to do an iron panel to confirm, this should include

serum iron

total iron binding capacity

transferrin saturation percentage

ferritin

Also needed is a full blood count to see if you have anaemia. You can have iron deficiecy with or without anaemia.

You can also have low ferritin without iron deficiency.

So you can see why you need these tests done.

Symptoms of low ferritin include:

◾Weakness

◾Fatigue

◾Difficulty concentrating

◾Poor work productivity

◾Cold hands and feet

◾Poor short-term memory

◾Difficulty remembering names

◾Dizziness

◾Pounding in the ears

◾Shortness of breath

◾Brittle nails

◾Headaches

◾Restless legs

Symptoms of iron deficiency include:

◾Persistent fatigue

◾Pale skin

◾Shortness of breath

◾Headaches

◾Dizziness

◾Heart palpitations

◾Dry skin

◾Brittle hair and hair loss

◾Swelling or soreness of the tongue or mouth

◾Restless legs

◾Brittle or ridged nails

[trisha7 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Sadly my GP paid no attention to this even though I told him my symptoms. If results are borderline as he puts it, then he thinks that's fine. The battle continues! Thanks for the information.

[shaws Administrator in reply to trisha7]

I believe there are not many GPs who're knowledgeable about how best to treat patients who have a dysfunctional thyroid gland .

I had a phone call from surgery and GP told me:

Your THS is too low, your T4 too low and T3 too high:

me: Yes doctor - my T4 is low because I take none. T3 is higher because I take T3 alone. GP "but T3 converts to T4". I'm sorry doctor but it is the other way around, T4 should convert to T3.

This is from a GP who must be nearing retirement so how many times has he repeated the above to many hypo patients?