Hello, can someone please help me understand my lab results? I was diagnosed with Hoshimoto's and given armor thyroid. the main symptom that led me to the drs was major hair loss ( 70% my hair is gone). I have bold spots and I am so devastated about this. I am always miserably cold, have brain fog, and fatigue, and work out 5 times a week yet I can't lose a pound to save my life. But out of all the symptoms, the hair has been the most mentally wrecking and has tremendously affected my mental health. Upon taking Armour Thyroid (60mg), I noticed my hair fall out got 100% worse. After reading the side effects, it seems this is a major side effect that can last months. I had to stop taking it because I don't have any hair left to withstand the amount of time it may take my body to adjust to the meds. Can someone please help me understand my lab results better, and if you have dealt with this illness, what are some natural treatments I could try if any? It took 4 Drs including two Endocrinologists to finally be diagnosed, but the meds he gave me are not working. I already gave up gluten and Soy and I am currently vegan. ( I understand the Armour Thyroid is not, but I was so desperate I gave it a try for 5 days).
my wedding is supposed to take place in November, a day I waited so many years for and I am devastated I will be a bold bride.
Thank you in advance for your help.
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MimiC811
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Hello, thank you for your response. According to my last labs , all these vitamins were within normal range, and my B12 was actually high. Not sure if you saw the attached lab test results, but Drs confirmed Hashimoto. I am not taking anything at the moment, the Dr prescribed Armour Thyroid but as I mentioned gave an instant reaction causing sever hair loss ( last thing I needed). So I stopped taking it.
I, too, have no hair and it wasn't caused by medcation but it is another autoimmune condition - alopecia areata. I have several autoimmune diseases unfortunately.
This wont console you but there are some very good 'natural looking' wigs and reasonably priced.
I have monthly B12 injections but that's to deal with pernicious anaemia.
I am so sorry you are going through that, I pray that you find healing and get your hair back soon <3 I cant imagine how difficult that must be. Yes, I been thinking about extensions and wings.
I very much doubt your hair loss was caused by taking Armour as if you were only on this Natural Desiccated Thyroid product for 5 days I don't believe this was a long enough time to cause any side effects.
I think the delay and stress in getting diagnosed with Hashimoto's Auto Immune thyroid disease coupled with punishing exercise will have compounded your health issues even further.
I think you should also consider getting your core strength vitamins and minerals tested as no thyroid hormone replacement works well until your ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up and maintained at optimal levels -
and please be aware that T4 to T3 conversion can also be down regulated by inflammation, antibodies, and any physiological stress ( emotional or physical ) depression, dieting and ageing.
I too experienced alopecia as a child when taking exams at age 11 - I realise now that mine was stress related as I was undiagnosed hypothyroid and dyslexic and left handed - and found school a challenge every day - fortunately my hair grew back over time.
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
We have received further information the lab about ferritin reference ranges. They confirm that they are sex dependent up to the age of 60, then beyond the age of 60 the reference range is the same for both sexes:
Males 16-60: 30-400 ug/L
Female's: 16-60: 30-150
Both >60: 30-650
The lower limit of 30 ug/L is in accordance with the updated NICE guidance and the upper limits are in accordance with guidance from the Association of Clinical Biochemists. ‘
Thank you so much for your help and the links above I will go through ever single item and try to get some help from them. I really appreciate this. I cannot believe either Drs I saw in the last two months bothered to look into this. the stress from the lack of care from the Dr is truly an addition to the illness itself. Do you see anything else in other results?
I started armour on Friday 12/23 and stopped today. I was not comfortable with the major side effect being more hair loss. As i mentioned before, my hair started shedding tremendously worse than the normal shedding ( which was already bad). I took the test early morning and was fasting the night before as per direction from doctor. Can be linked so not necessarily an absolute determining factor?
Don't be surprised that those we expect to be more knowledgeable than us (hypothyrodism) as my GP phoned (before I was diagnosed) to inform me that I had no problems - he apparently failed to notice TSH was 100 !
The present review of the literature regarding B12 status among vegetarians shows that the rates of B12 depletion and deficiency are high. It is, therefore, recommended that health professionals alert vegetarians about the risk of developing subnormal B12 status. Vegetarians should also take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including the regular intake of B12 supplements to prevent deficiency. Considering the low absorption rate of B12 from supplements, a dose of at least 250 μg should be ingested for the best results.3
You need full iron panel test for anaemia including ferritin
High ferritin due to inflammation of Hashimoto’s can mask iron deficiency
I just posted all the test results in the comments please see below in the thread. I am taking Iron and Athletic Greens ( athleticgreens.com/ingredie.... I am also taking a hair supplement and l tryptophan for sleep because I suffer from sleep issues too. I have attached the labs, please take a look. I am not sure I know how to read them but based on what I am seeing iron, ferritin, B12 seem normal, and Dr didn't bother to mention anything if something was off. The only alarming one is the Thyroid panel. I appreciate your feedback.
Hi Dear, thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my post. My only concern is that the hair doubled in falling in the matter for the 5 days period. After doing some research online, I did find that some people react badly to NDT and one of the major red flags is increased hair loss. I also agree with you, the amount of stress this has caused me has been a vicious cycle and although I am trying to maintain my sanity by exercising and eating healthy, i cant help but feel crushed every time I brush my hair, and more so on wash day. As for vitamins, I can share the results of my Ferritin, below and my apologies, I just realized the image is difficult to read. I will attach a better image
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