Is hairloss a side effect of Synthroid or a symptom of my hormones being out of whack?

[Liz94]

Okay, I took Levoxyl for a million years and never lost a hair.  Then I had my thyroid taken out and was put on Synthroid and the hair is coming out by the handfuls everyday.  I'm starting to get worried here. Is this a side effect of the Synthroid? Or is it because my levels are messed up?  My endo said that when the body is in crisis the first thing it will do is to stop sending nourishment to the hair follicle as that the least important thing in the body and then the hair will obviously fall out. Well hello?????  It's been a freakin year now and the hair is STILL falling out. Is my body still freaking out because of no thyroid after a year?  Is it ever going to stop? Should I switch back to Levoxyl and see if it makes a difference?  (I'm afraid to do that because I don't want anymore changes.)  What is the deal here people, my hair really wants to know!!!!

[KD9ER]

What was the reason for switching you from Levox to Synth?  Was it simply because your thyroid was taken out or was it that Levox wouldn't be enough?  

It seems odd that you had a med that worked for you and then instead of seeing how you would do remaining on it after your surgery they just threw a lot of curves at you.  I think you should go back on the Levox personally.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!  And how would they know you'd be broke if you remained on Levox?

Wow...seems like your doc is a good talker but not a good listener.

Just my opinion.  

-K

[megsmom007]

I have been on synthorid now for 4 years. In the beginning I lost a lot of hair. I actually had what is referred to as male pattern baldness. I had receeding hairlines and my all over hair was very thin. My hair started to grow back and stopped falling out between 6mth and a year.

Also ... my pharmacist gives me a print out of side effects and cautions etc. with every prescription, and hair loss can be a side effect of this drug. But hair loss can also happen just as a result of your thyroid deficiency.

Unfortunately not all cases are the same ... and your hair may take a little longer to smartin' up! My pharmacist also mentioned when I was going through this ( as I was also panicking) that alot of times, your symptoms will not disappear until your levels are back to normal. So because yours are still not up to par, you may have a little more waiting to do.

Good luck to you, as I know this can be very difficult. Especially for females. Our hair is such a part our femininity ... short or long!!

Tammy

[Liz94]

Well that is not gonna work for me!  Right after I started the synthroid my hair fell out for about 3 months and then it stopped completely. I breathed a sigh of relief and carried on. Then my dosage changed shortly thereafter and OUT COMES THE HAIR AGAIN.  And it's been about 6 months now of continuous loss.  I thank God everyday that I have an absolute ton of hair but I'm really starting to worry now. It's just constant, all day long. How can I make it stop????  

[zfaith]

I just wanted to let you know that I am in the same boat.  I have very thin hair to begin with, so you can imagine what it looks like now.  I don't even want to leave the house.  

[patrips1]

I also used to take Synthroid, and found out that it wasn't the actual medication that was causing the hair loss, it was the fillers in the medication.  After being switched over to Levoxyl (my tsh levels would not level out with generic, they bounced all over), hair loss decreased quite a bit.  I also use an organic (at least as organic as it's going to get), a foam ingredient, commonly referred to as SLS (Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfates) are not the greatest for special ones that are folliclely challenged.  lol  I've just joined out of pure desperation of my own situation so I need to read over the guidelines (not sure I can post products or supplements that I had success with).  I know I personally had to do alot of research and focus more on my individual needs, no matter how good the doctor, each person is different and I've had years of being the medical guinea pig.

I take certain supplements that have dramatically reduced my hair loss, when I was told by my doctors that I just had to deal with it, your hypo, it happens.  grrrrr

[Liz94]

TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE TAKING!  And I'm calling the endo tomorrow and switching back to Levoxyl.  Probably gonna screw me up more than I already am but I have nothing left to lose. Except more of my freakin HAIR! I take a stress vitamin everyday that has a lot of B vitamins. I thought that was supposed to help. Doesn't.  Then the endo told me to take Evening Primrose but I can do that regularly. The pill is just huge and I gag on it. Ugh, I'm so frustrated. There is hair all over my house. It's ridiculous.

[patrips1]

I use a shampoo called Revivogen, only available online, and kinda pricey, but in the past 2 years has worked wonders for me.  I also take, of course, a regular multi b vitamin, but he shou root (I personally take Shen Min), and from our local Vitamin Shoppe, elements of hair.  One other product I use is the Scalp Treatment by Nioxin.  The shampoo didn't help, but the scalp treatment seems to help alot.  Biggest thing that seemed to help was getting away from the commercial line of shampoos.  The SLS is a huge irritant to as I said, the follicle challenged people that we are.  :)   It's a matter of find the right combination, and don't pay so much attention to regrowth at first, more so reduction of hair loss, it takes a good 3-6 months to actually see a visual impact.  My immediate goal was to minimize the loss and keep what I had left.  lol  I really hope this helps, and these weren't the first round of stuff I tried.  It took me about 2 years to get something that worked.  Unfortunately, the docs don't emphasize on the 'outward' as much as we do.

Key elements to keep in mind for healthy hair....keratin, silica, calcium/vitamin d, and biotin.  Vitamin A is also essential, but be careful of overdosing.  If you take a multi, this has more than enough, and can be very harmful if you get too much.  I really do hope this helps, I've dealt with this since I was 7, and more recently the last 3 years (had a partial T), and now going back under the knife for a total I guess.  A website that had alot of helpful information for me was hairlosstalk.com.  I didn't care so much about the products, but what products worked for me.  I tried the Tricomin, worked for awhile, then quit, tried several others and fortunately, Revivogen seems to be the one for me, at least for now.  :)

[patrips1]

One other thing I did that let me know I was kinda on the right track, it sounds silly, but it does give you an upclose look.  I actually went to an initial consultation for what used to be known as the hairclub for men (now catering to women and cancer patients, finally!), but here is the important part.  The free consultation includes them using a type of microscope to magnify your scalp.  First trip, really gross all the nasty build up (kind of looks like yellow gunk to be honest)... I honestly couldn't afford their products, hence the products I told you about before.  So switched over to more 'organic' shampoos (if you can find one that uses natural coconut vs. SLS as a cleaning/foaming agent, so much better!!)..  Shen Min used to make a great shampoo, but of course they switched just like many to the cheaper SLS (it was the first kind I used and it worked great, was nearly heartbroken when I went to make another order and seen most of the ingredients changed, of course to cheaper ones for them!).  But of course the biggest step was figuring out my body couldn't handle the fillers in Synthroid, it lessened, but my hair still needed more help.  Around 6 months later, went back for another consultation (there is nothing wrong with using the 'free' resources out there!), and they actually had to admit their products could do no better for me than I already done.  The dramatic difference in buildup around the hair shafts was more than obvious.  And slowly but surely, fine hairs (easiest ones to see of course is right in front on top) started showing up.  Some of my hair actually started growing back.  The follicle was so clogged, and having so many health issues to boot, my hair just couldn't grow with all the chemicals.  Let me know if it helps, I know how hard it hits the self esteem when you feel bad about how you look on the outside.  :)

[Liz94]

Thanks for all of that. I'm definitely gonna look into it.  It really has been bothering me lately. But what really bothered me is when my husband started to get concerned at the amount of hair that comes out after I wash my hair.  As of right now there is no noticable difference in the way I look, I still have a head full of reasonably thick hair. But, it's coming out at a rapid rate over the past month, I mean handfuls after I wash it.  I started washing it only every 4th day because so much is falling out. I'd been complaining about it to my husband but he wasn't taking any interest until the other day I took the towel off my head and started combing out my hair in front of him.  He was seriously concerned. I have to say though, the hair that I do have has gotten a lot healthier over the past few months. I bought a filter for my shower head to take out the chlorine and it's made a huge difference in the dryness.  And now I have little 3 inch hairs growing all over my head. I don't know if it's new growth or if it's just old hair that's breaking off.  I'm gonna look into the shampoo you mentioned. Something has got to give.

[redheadaussie]

When did you have the TT? It is not the fact you are taking any other medication, rather that the body has a lovely way of shutting down when it is disturbed...surgery is one BIG disturbance. Also if you were hypo this too can effect the hair falling out. The sudden withdrawal of the thyroid is enough to set off a chain reaction.
  Hair will only grow about 1 millimeter a month so it is going to take time to grow it back.
   I have very thick long hair and I lost a lot of mine too. I had surgery in May 07 and the hair started to fall out a few weeks later, then the rest of the thyroid was taken in Dec 07.. I became very hypo too at that time... the hair just fell out all over the place!
People swear by products but honestly the hair is attached by a follicle, and the rest on the outside of the head is dead, like your finger nails. Unfortunately the only thing that works is patience...or a wig... just kidding about the wig!
  

[Liz94]

I had my thyroidectomy 13 months ago so I think my stupid body has had long enough to figure this **** out.  I'm not hypo at this time but 4 weeks ago I did start alternating doses of 137 and 150. I haven't noticed any change in how I feel other than at times I feel a bit hyper.  The one thing that I've noticed though is that my fingernails are growing nicely now and aren't breaking off anymore. They seem to be nice and thick. Don't the hair and nails have something to do with each other?  I'm telling you, I'd much rather have broken ugly nails than lose 400 hairs a day!  I AM trying to be patient here. I've been patient for almost a year and now I'm starting to freak out. I go back in February but my endo doesn't see any corelation between thyroid problems and hair loss. I guess I'm the only person on EARTH to ever lose a hair after a thyroidectomy according to him.

[pep88]

Maybe I missed this solution above as I just scanned through the other responses... but switch back to the Levoxyl!  Or some other brand/generic.  There's no reason you need to stay on Synthroid just because that's what your doc gave you.  I had a terrible time on it.  I switched another brand as soon as I started seeing weird symptoms.  Mine were arthritis and bloating, but still, not all people get along fine on all brands.  Just call your doc and have him switch you.

I would also be tested and make sure you're not still hypo as well, but it's probably just the Synthroid.

[bizwiz12751]

Ok, so I saw your post a few days ago but didn't want to respond too early. I was on Synthroid for almost 2 years now, TT Feb. 2007, and I swear I just knew that I was going to go bold. The amounts of hair that I would lose in the shower and throughout the day was absolutely unbelieveable. I have long hair and the ends were sooooo dry that it wasn't funny any more. I switched to Armour last Friday, Jan. 9th, and I swear that my hair loss is to a bare minimum now. The ends are starting to get a little bit of life too. This might sound crazy to some of you but I am so happy to actually run my fingers through my hair and not have fist full when I'm done. I think it's the Synthroid, but who knows. This is my observation so far. Good luck.

[megsmom007]

Hi Liz,
I really hope that you find a viable solution. Just wanted to mention that I also used a shampoo for thinning hair ... you get it at the salon. Its called Nioxin ... there is a whole line of products that you can use. I used a daily serum along with the shampoo, and it really did make a difference.

Maybe you could try this is conjunction with your medication.

Good luck to you.
Tammy

[Liz94]

Thanks, I have a call in to my endo right now about this whole situation.  I told the nurse if he even THINKS that this isn't related to my meds or thyroid then not to bother calling me back because I will be looking for a new endo.

[Sonflower]

I wanted to share my experience.....

RE:  HAIR LOSS

Over the past 4-5 years I have been taking Synthroid....   During this period of time my ENDO was attempting to shrink my Thyriod Nodule(s) by doing what is call "TSH Suppresstion Therapy" by increasing my hormones over and over again.  I started out taking 25mcg and it was gradually increase until I was taking 125mcg.  This method of treatment kept my Thyroid Nodules at bay for 4 years, but did not shrink them.  Then suddenly they got larger.  I am now post opp 13 weeks for a Complete Thyroidectomy.  

But everytime she would increase my dose of Synthroid.... my hair would begin to fall out!  And would continue to fall out for 2-3 month and then stop.  During this time of hair loss I would take Evening Prim Rose 1300mg 2x's a day, it took 2-3 months to notice a differents.

Now another medhelp member has shared that she has heard and has now begun taking "SILICA", this is suppose to aid with the hair loss problem.  Also, a shampoo named "NIOXIN".  

Since my surgery, post opp 13 weeks now, I am still loosing hair, so much so that I am afraid to brush it...   So I am now trying the Silica as well. The one I have just started is called "SILICON", which is Silica, Boron and Zink drops.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Take care;  Sonflower

[Jennifer1987]

In my opinion I think its due to the hormonal imbalance (In my case).. My hair was coming out before I started my Eltroxin. I wasn't to worried about it as I thought it was my imagination to begin with..The worst was in tho shower it would and still does come out a lot! Scary!  mentioned it to my doctor today! He said its like a big ship, when its engine is turned off it takes 20 miles to actually stop..Meaning when your levels are in 'normal' range it will take a few months for the other symptoms to go, e.g hair loss! Im hoping hes right!