Yes, a lot of people experience hair loss when dealing with hypo ... after being on you new higher dose for a while, you might consider going in for another round of blood tests also. If you've raised your dose, it's unlikely you're going to stay at 2.9. :-)

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is there anybody else who has had hair loss or still is losing like i am?if so let know when it stopped if it did and how long did it last

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My doc told me it could take a couple months for hair loss to slow down or stop (and that's AFTER you find the right hormone replacement dose), because of the way your hair growth cycles work, and that it could take up to 6 months before you start really seeing new hair growth at all.

Hair isn't something that changes overnight, so just keep taking your Armour, and see what happens over time.

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I think most of the hairloss I experienced was when my body was in crisis due to undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. As soon as I started on insulin, the hairloss stopped. Maybe as soon as your body stabilizes, it will slow the loss down. Hope so anyway!

Stella

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thanks people for the reply and thanks mivox for gettin that info:)

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I've been reading articles about hair loss with special interest and identify with requests for ideas to try. I'm glad the founders of this and other forums have not struggled so much with this particular symptom and yet I sympathize with those who find the advice to wait it out hard to follow after many months of seeing their hair flowing down the drain. Last night I tried the iodine patch test and it revealed an iodine defficiency. What's even more revealing to me is that my hair was a little better today from that dose of iodine and from three kelp supplements. I can't be sure there is any connection but I wanted to mention it for any others who aren't sure of their iodine status. It's a very easy diagnostic requiring only a bottle of tincture of iodine and the instructions are online. Just search for "iodine patch test." Hope this will be a help.

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Here's an article about iodine deficiency that includes some information about how to give yourself a patch test, and also some ideas about how to boost your iodine intake in your diet:

http://www.qfac.com/articles/august/iodine.html

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hey mivox,i checked that site about iodine and i dint see anything in there on how to test yourself do you know how?or were i can get a self test or do i just by some iodine and put it somewere on my body,,heheh

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You swab some iodine (the regular orange iodine from the pharmacy) on the inside of your arm, and see how long it takes the color to fade, according to what I read. It *should* keep its full color for (as I recall) 6 hours. If it fades before then, or the color disappears completely within 12 hours, you're iodine deficient. I could swear that was in the link I posted.

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I never considered that I might be Iodine deficient...until a few days ago when I came across the following article: http://tinyurl.com/ov7x9

I don't recall ever cooking, baking or adding salt to food except the couple times a year we have mashed potatoes. I don't eat saltwater fish or sushi, both apparently good sources of Iodine, nor do I eat kelp, whatever that is.

Ironically, I started last week taking Potassium plus Iodine from NOW. I just happened to be browsing the health food store (I'm like a kid in a candy store whenever I go to the health food store)--never spend less than $200!--and it looks like I made a good purchase!!

I'm seeing my holistic DO this comeing Tuesday and I am going to lug all my supplements with me. He's going to think I'm obsessed, I have so many different things I'm taking.

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So I finally did some reading up on all this iodine business ... I mean, I'd done a little reading here and there, but nothing in-depth. So, now that I have, it seems like iodine deficiency is a LOT more common than I was originally led to believe by "mainstream" medical info (surprise, surprise!) ...

New article, about iodine and how to test yourself and some other supplement options: Iodine deficiency: Testing yourself, and treatment

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I don't see any responses to how long the hairloss lasts. Mine hasn't gotten better after being on synthroid for 5 months. also very cold, tired, forgetful, etc. why is my level worse rather than better after all this time, my doc is sending me to another doc cause she doesn't know. don't want to play this game! Julie

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hi julie well my hair is still falling out i been on treatment for 4 months now im on armour thyroid 150mg daily ,maybe your feeling bad still cuz you only have a t4 no t3? maybe you should ask your doc.to add t3 to your treatment?i heard that it can take up to 6 months aftwer you find your optimal dose for you hair to even slow down,beleive me i been really worried about my hair to,,,question to anybody-has anybody went bald having thyroid problems? :(

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Thyroid treatment does not work the same for all patients, Julie. Some folks do fine on synthetic medication, and a lot of people report that they do better either with T3 added to their regular synthetic meds or taking a "natural" dessicated tyroid product like Armour thyroid.

However, based on your description of your symptoms, it seems like you could use a higher dose of medication, whether you stay with synthetics or not. It's rather hard to say exactly what's going on for you though, with so little information. What dose are you at? What were your last blood test results?

There's a lot of information on this site, aboout a lot of topics, so feel free to browse around the main blog and the forums too!

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my doc hasn't mentioned any options other than synthroid. she has me on 175mcg and says we need to up it but lets check in one month and see it things have improved. i was told not to take it with my coffee. by the pharmacist, but the nurse said that should not effect it. you get different answers from everyone you ask the same question. this is frustrating also. everyone relates hypo to weight being high, i've always been thin and my daughter says i am "freakishly thin" now ( which of course makes me feel i must look especially horrid ) my hair has always been baby fine and on the thin side, so to lose what I have is distressing. I work with the public and feel like i should't be out in public! the cold and tired does seem to be improving a tiny bit, we've been having a wonderful fall so far, sunny and warm so maybe that is it. Can barely stand being in air conditioning thou! Any thoughts? Julie

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If there's one thing I've learned since being diagnosed, it's that you can't count on your doctor to give you information about ALL your treatment options. Unless you go to a naturopath, your doctor probably won't mention Armour. I strongly recommend you spend some time online, doing some research about differnt medications before your next doctor appointment. My PhA didn't mention Armour to me either, but I did my research and asked about it, and eventually talked her into switching my prescription.

That said, you may not NEED your prescription switched either. How long have you been on medication? It sounds from your posts like it hasn't been that long since you started taking the Synthroid?

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My hair will not stop falling out, every morning I do not want to touch my hair but I know I have to. I am so stressed out!! I think the stress is causing more hair to fall out..my hair is so thin now that I feel everyone notices it. Doctors are no help..Hypothyroidism causes hair to fall out and the medication makes it fall out even faster. HELP ME

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Have you tried any over-the-counter treatments specifically for hair loss? The two I can think of off hand are Nioxin and Rogaine ... I've never tried them, but I'd love to hear some feedback from someone who has! There's also Propecia (which you're not supposed to use if you're pregnant, or planning to be pregnant, which kind of scares me), but I think that might be prescription only.

My doctor also told me it can take up to 6 months for hair loss to stop ... and assuming that's 6 months after you find the right dose of your medication, it could be well over a year before your thyroid medication actually has a noticeable effect on your hair. I doubt anyone else notices it as much as you do though.

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6 months for hair loss to stop?
I have noticed that my hair is thinning out a bit-more hair falling, but i blamed it on the stress that I am going through, since I recently switched medications.

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Because your hair follicles basically operate on a multiple-month growth>maintenance>hibernation cycle, it can take as long as 6 months for your hair to start recovering from hypothyroid-related thinning and breakage.

Bascially, only some of your hair follicles at any time are actively growing hair. Other follicles are "maintaining" a hair strand, but not actively growing anymore. And the rest are dormant: Just sitting there, not doing anything at all..

Once your medication is properly adjusted, the then-dormant group of follicles will start producing healthier hair when they enter their next active growth cycle, but the portion of follicles now in their active-growth cycle will only be producing good *roots* for the weakened hair strands they've been growing up to that point, and the follicles in their "maintenance" cycle will need to shed their current hair strands, go through their dormant phase, and then cycle back to their active growth phase before they start producing healthy hair.

So, yes, in short ... it can take months for your hair to start to show an improvement. And I'm not sure there's anything you can really do about it.

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hello, I have had a thyroid problem for about 15 years and have lost my hair for all that time. It never gets better, but I have been on every dose I can think of along with just about every brand out there.(levoxyl, synthroid, thyrolar, cytomel) My thyroid has never been stable or at a level I thought was great. The only good thing at this time is that my hands and feet are no longer cold and Iam not tired with black circles under my eyes anymore, but the hairloss still persists and I have been to several great doctors and no one has done a thing to help me out. I think after 15 years of losing my hair, I should of been bald by now but at least my hair is replenishing itself somehow. It is thinner than it used to be and some days are better than others with the hairloss but it still comes out. I have been on a stable dose of levoxyl now for about 9 months. Iam hoping this will slow down. Don't give up, I have not. I keep hoping it will stop.

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I notice all the thyroid medications you list are synthetics ... have you tried Armour thyroid? Many people report that "stubborn" symptoms, that will not go away no matter how much synthetic hormone they take, finally start to resolve themselves when they switch to Armour thyroid.

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What sort of cost is it to have treatment for hair loss, mine is extreemly thin on top look bald from 2 meters away, just a rough cost on medication treatment or replacement type treatment.

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Hi everyone,

Recently someone mentioned I should get tested for thyroid problems. I just wanted to ask your opinion. I'm only 23 and my hair has been coming out in clumps in the shower for the past year. Some say it could be stress, but I don't feel stressed! Is there anything nutrient-wise I could be lacking in my diet? I keep wondering if I just need more vegetables and protein. My hair also feels like straw if I don't use conditioner. That started about 7 years ago though. Previously, I'd use conditioner once every two weeks. Now I can't get a comb through without it. I'm having other symptoms too, things I never thought about before. I am tired 100% of the time, and my hands are like ice always. Your help is appreciated. Thanks guys!

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It definitely sounds like it could be thyroid related. I wouldn't wait around for more of your hair to fall out. Go see an endocrinologist as soon as possible. I waited six months before I went and wish now that I hadn't. I'm losing hair still after being on synthroid for 4 months. I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't have lost as much hair if I had gone in to the doctor sooner and started the meds before I had a lot of hair loss already. Definitely get it checked out!

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I would seriously consider finding an Integrative and/or holistic hormone specialist. While in a perfect world where conventional doctors truly listened to patients and respected symptoms rather than simply over relying on test results, an endocrinologist would indeed be the proper specialist. However, the world is far from perfect, and conventional doctors tend to rely too much on test results. So, after seeing several doctors, including endocrinologists, for about 15 years, I finally found relief with a holistic DO I found on http://thyroid.about.com/cs/doctors/a/topdocs.htm .

Judging from my own symptoms and the relief I've finally found, it sounds like you very well may have thyroid problems. If you do you will be amazed at how much better you feel upon receiving proper treatment. So many of my symptoms disappeared almost immediately after starting treatment, things that I never would have imagined were due to a slow thyroid.

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The initial TSH test isn't that expensive, and it's amazing what a difference it can make in your quality of life when you get on the right treatment!

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mine fell out for a good four months. handfuls in the shower, during blowdry and on my bed pillow. the fall out seems to have stopped being excessive now, but the coming back in is VERY slow! now the docs have me hyper, due to too high a dose for too long!! does anyone know, can i just stop taking it, what then??

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How do you know you're hyper? Test results or symptoms? If you're not having hyperthyroid symptoms, don't put too much weight on test results as long as you're feeling good ...

And if you ARE feeling hyperthyroid symptoms, it's time to adjust your dose downward NOT stop taking medication altogether. Talk to your doctor about adjusting your dose if you're not feeling well, and if they're overprescribing you that's easier for you to fix by yourself than people who get underprescribed ... try reducing your daily dose by a little, until you start feeling better.

If you stop taking your medication, you'll just end up hypo again, with your hair falling out and everything else. Unless your thyroid has actually started producing a normal amount of thyroid hormones again, you need to stay on your medication!

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the last blood tests say hyper, she has me taking 200 mcg now and says we should not decrease even thou I am now on the hyper side. trouble is I can't sleep and I really need to gain weight!!

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