Hair loss! Just dx'd w/hypothyroid-Need help understanding numbers plz! :-)

[dottiesheltie]

I have been recently dx'd with hypothyroid but my dr did not go over one of the results which was the Anti-TPO which showed as high at 9579. Does this mean I have Hashi's? My concern is that the norm on the test says <61! This seems to be off the chart (no pun intended). She has put me on Armour but one of my symptoms that I complained about that brought me in to see her was EXTREME hair loss.  She told me that the Armour would help with this but when I researched on line, I discovered that one of the foremost side affects of this Rx is hair loss! I cannot afford to lose any more hair. I read about iodine being a cause of hair loss but that, if I understand, if I have Hashi's then I should not take iodine. For reference, my TSH is 6.595, TT4 is 9.70, FT4 is 1.21, TT3 is .91 and FT3 is 2.8. Any info on my Anti-TPO and other would be so greatly appreciated. And any suggestions for help with the hair loss! Thank you :-)

[Guppy70]

PS, want to add that the whole quality of my hair changed for the better after starting the EPO. It used to be dry and easily tangled. Now it's silky, smooth and super easy to comb through, even when wet. Before it was impossible, it was as if I had gum stuck in there.

[Guppy70]

Hi! I just want to let you know that Evening Primerose Oil has helped me with my hairloss. I also recommend taking a vitamin D3 supplement.

I started taking the vit D3 end of last year after suffering terrible hair loss for over 6 months. It did slow it down a lot but never really grew in completely.
This spring and summer I went through a horrific bout of subacute thyroiditis, making me first very hyper, then very hypo. As I was rapidly dropping in July, I notice the hair loss picking up again. I had just read about the evening primerose oil being very helpful to hair loss in hypo patients, so I bought some and within a week my hair loss completely stopped. It's been amazing to me so far. The hair grows in like crazy and I lose hardly any hair at all.

Sure, it might be placebo, but I'm good with that too. :)
I take 3 capsules a day (1000 mcg each) And I take 2000 mcg vit D3 daily. And to balance the oils I also take omega 3 fish oil. It's not very expensive, so far it's been nothing but a true miracle for me as I was fearing I would go bald. So give it a try. Good luck, I hope you feel better very soon.

[Barb135]

Sorry - I meant, most of find that we need FT3 in the upper half to upper third of its range...

[Barb135]

Yes, your high TPOab means you have Hashimoto's.  Don't let the high number freak you out.  It's not any worse than if the number was 957.

Hair loss is a prime symptom of hypothyroidism and the purpose of Armour is alleviate symptoms of hypothyroidism, so it's unlikely that it cause your hair loss to get worse, though it's not unusual for symptoms to worsen after starting thyroid hormone replacement.

You're correct that iodine should not be taken when one has Hashimoto's, as it can make the autoimmune reaction worse.

We need the reference ranges for your Free T4 and Free T3.  Ranges vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report. Your FT3 looks very low in the range, but with all the T3 in the Armour, that should come up relatively quickly.  

Hopefully, your hair loss will stop, once your FT3, which correlates most with symptoms, comes up to where you need it. Most of us find that we need FT3 near the top of the range.