Excessive hair loss from Snthyroid medication on a 15 year old

[julz2174]

I am a 15 year old girl that is losing hair from this medication, Synthroid. I had hair loss before, but once I started this medication it got much worse. Being 15 my hair is extremely important to me and I cant take losing too much more hair. Today is my eighth day on the medication and my dosage was just cut in half from 100 MCG today due to excessive hair loss and my doctors recommendation. I know it takes about 6 weeks for my body to regulate better but I don't think I can handle another 5 weeks of this. By then I'll have no hair.  
this is my first time being on any medication for my thyroid. i was just diagnosed with a thyroid condition.  Is there any way that I can slow down the hair loss any more? Should i try a different medication? I am begging you to please help me with this. I'm afraid of what the out come of this medication will be. I don't know what else to do. I am in desperate need of help. For now I'll just keep praying.

[goolarra]

Hi Julz -

Understand that I am not a doctor, but a fellow thyroid patient.  You said that your hair was falling out before you started Synthroid.  It was doing that because you are hypothyroid.  Eight days on meds is not enough time for the Synthroid to have any effect on your hypo (you said you understood that).  My opinion is that the hair loss continues to be caused by being hypo, not the Synthroid.  Often our symptoms keep getting worse for a while after starting meds until the meds stabilize in our systems and we reach a therapeutic dose.  Thyroid conditions demand a LOT of patience.    

Do you have the results of your free T3, free T4 (and their normal ranges) and TSH from before you started on Synthroid?  That would help us to understand how hypo you have been.

I don't know of anything else you can do about the hair loss at the moment, but just trust that it's going to be temporary, and the best thing you can do to fight it is get on a therapeutic dose of meds and normalize your thyroid hormones.

Hope this helps some.

[Super_sally888]

HI,

usually hair loss comes from being hypo not the treatment for it.  Hair actually takes a long time too grow.  So very very unlikley that 8 days of meds is making a difference - probably you are still seeing the effect of the hypo.

Be patient.  Please post your test results so we have some idea of that...

I agree that the hair loss will likely be temporary.  best wishes.

[Liz94]

I'm gonna throw in my two cents here because I've been through this too.  And I can tell you, it does stop. It'll just take some time and you will not go bald, I promise.  Your hair will stop falling out when your thyroid levels are at the right place.  It might take a few months.  And everytime you have a dosage change, your hair will start falling out again until it gets regulated. But it WILL stop.  After I had my thyroid removed and started on the synthroid my hair fell out for 14 months. I'm talking tons everytime I washed my hair. My doc recommended taking Primrose oil. What you have to realize is that your hair might be coming out but new hair is growing too. You will get to a point where you will start to see little 2 or 3 inch hairs all over your head and you'll realize that what's falling out is being replaced and it will help you calm down some. Doesn't make for good hair days for a bit with little sprouts coming in but just relax.  I lost hair for over a year and now at 17 months post op I still have a head full.  And I've also got tons of sprouts coming in everywhere from the hair that fell out.  Just be calm, take a hair vitamin so that the new hair is healthy, and treat your hair very gently.  It's gonna be okay. I promise. And I can assure you that even though you are 15 and I'm 42 I probably freaked out more than you!  My hair is the only thing I'm vain about.

[tigerlily131]

I;ve suffered very bad hair loss since my dose was upped in January and it does sometimes feel like the end of the world.

I'm currently taking evening primrose oil which helps prevent hair loss.

I'm also talking to my doctor about taking a different natural medicine which might help - I'm also a little dubious about whether the Levyothyroxine has helped and not hindered my recovery.

I'm pretty sure the hair loss is caused by the medicine, not my thyroid. When I was on 50mcgs I had no issues, now that I'm on 100mcgs my hair is very thin.

It's best to sit it out for a few months to make sure it's the thyroid and not your medication. Very very few people go bald from thyroid problems, your hair will just thin slightly.

It can feel like the end of the earth and i have shed many, many tears in moments of panic (I'm 23).

Just stay calm and give it 4-5 months to see how it helps.

Please know you're not alone and that if hypothyroid caused people to go completely bald there would be a lot more bald women walking around!

x

[TSH425]

Some of the hair loss is due to new hair starting to grow and pushing the non-growing hair out of the follicle.

Why I got on medication Synthroid  I notice that my hair after a couple months turned much darker and thicker.  My leg hair started to grow back as well. I'm a guy so this doesn't gross me out so much but I was amazed by all these tiny very fine hairs growing. It scares me to think how sick my body was that it could grow those hairs.

Good luck, stay on the Synthroid, it will benefit you in the end. Don't be scared it's your natural hormone that they are replacing and there should be little to no negative side effects. You need to let your body adjust.

[Angela63]

I apologize, but I do not agree with almost everyone above.  I have been experiencing this problem for two years now.  I have gone off my meds, tried natural (I can not tolerate most thyroid meds... synthroid I can tolerate it, but the more I raise it the more debilitated I get)  Anyway... my hair started falling out when I was switched to Synthroid two years ago.. When I stopped it because of other issues, chest pains, palpitations, etc.. I was put on a minimal .12 amount (because of a bad head injury) but duruing that time I had awful hypo symptoms.... but I lost 15 pounds and my hair became full and healthy again.

You have to understand that your hair takes time before you see effects... 2 to three months... But if it is caused by the possible side effect of the synthroid, then if you stop the drug the hair loss stops.  Hypothyroidism causes your hair to thin badly.  I have that too because I am undermedicated.  

No, you will not go bald, but you can get severely thinning hair.  Most people that have this problem do better on a T3 T4 thyroid med.  Also, make sure your iron levels are good.  I take Evening Primrose Oil, which does not stop hair loss but nourishes the hair and helps soften it.... as hypothyroidism causes your hair to become dry brittle and break.  I also take 5,000 of biotin each day.  I was taking the capsules and there was no improvement after 6 months.  My dermatologist told me to take Matrix 5,000 from Amazon.  She said that the tablets are better absorbed by most people, so I am trying that now.  My hairline has receded also and I now break out or get these little bumps at my hairline.  

I can tell you from lowering and raising my meds (trying to get them up because I am hypersensitive) I have seen my hair improve and get worse.... it is at its worse now.  But what you see now, is a result of your course 1 to 3 months prior... My MD explained the 3 month shedding facts to me and that the synthroid was actually working and new hair was coming in... by the excellent Dermatologist I have been seeing said that everyone is different.  I have NO new hair on my head.. and synthroid causes some people to continuously loose hair...

I laughed when I read one of the responses here... at 46, yes I am vain about my hair!!! I plea... if I am going to be sick and feel so sick all the time... can't I do it with all my beautiful hair??? LOL

I find I have less hair loss using the hair product (WEN) its not harsh and helps with the brittleness and keeps your hair real soft.  I also put a shower filter in my shower (we have municipal water) to remove the chlorine.  I do not blow dry (haven't for 2 years now... I'd be bald if I did!)  I tried the Nioxin shampoos 2X as everyone swears by them, but even the set for processed hair leaves my hair so dry.  And it does not help... Nothing will truly help but getting your levels good, including ferritin... and choosing a thyroid med that does not cause hair loss for you.  Armour and Nature throid work for most... unfortunately I can't take either of them :(

Best of Luck!!