thyroperoxidase antibody & hair loss

[Desperate3]

Does the above antibody attack the hair follicles as well as the thyroid?  I have been experincing hair loss since I began taking levothroid, for 15 years!!  Please help, my doctor won't consider trying a natural hormone.

[briggy97]

I just wanted to respond to you...the hair loss could be from the meds or not enough meds....when did you last do labs?

And, hello...I'm also in Sacramento!

[stella5349]

I never looked at it in the way you are asking. BUT Hashimoto antibodies throw off many things within the body. Some experience swelling - hair loss - fatigue etc...etc.....etc.


I don't think the "attack" as you say happens to the actual follicles per say-- but the condition may certainly weaken them to break.

I agree about the meds in some ways. I had a huge break down in hair when I first was DX in 2003 with Graves. Then I had RAI and became seriously Hypothyroid with Hashi antibodies.

It started growing back right after RAI - but then fell out in extreme amounts while on Synthroid.

I along with that had many other very debilitating symptoms for 4 years and made a swtich to another thyroid med and finally am doing well both symptoms wise and growing my hair back.

I have most of my hair back now and thankful to have gotten this back in control for me.

[Smilerdeb]

Isnt the hair hair due to thyroid levels being out of 'whack?'
Thats what I always thought........
That once the levels stabilisie, then the hair loss subsides.
maybe I am wrong but I found that to be true.
I found my hair course too when Hypo.

[Angela63]

Stella... here is a post I posted on another thread in relation to your issues last year.  

I just wanted to ask you what is the thyroid med that did work for you.  I have tried so many and I am hypersensitive to all of them so far... Levoxyl, Synthroid (the worst constant hair loss) Levothyroxine (the generic) Armour and Naturethroid I believe I was allergic too... I am sensitive to all meds but these caused me bad constant palpitations and many sleepless nights.. the only one I believe I did not try yet is Thyrolar... I was allergice to Cytomel also.

Just for your info my post:

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!!

[stella5349]

What worked for me was a combo of many things. It like, so many people lose the concept of thinking that the whole body needs to working as one for things to be correct.

A big majority of thyroid patients complain of hair loss. Regardless of hyper or hypo.  My hair fell out at the time that I was severly hyper with Graves disease. It also was thinning, especially my eyebrows ( which are still thin) when I was on synthetic meds) My head hair is again very thick - but other parts of me are either heavier in  hair or less than what it was prior to my troubles with my thyroid.

Hair loss is not a solid link to thyroid. Testosterone - and estrogen are.... Insulin and Vit D depletions too. Our bodies are built for a whole balance of wellness and if depletions/antibodies/cancer/or hormonal faults are present - we respond in warning signs outside our bodies and see the changes and need to find out what is causing the issue.

Adding medications to "heal" us is a whole nother side of this. We are now dependant on a drug to alter our illness in order to see improvements. If the drug is not exactly fitting our needs two things will happen. The illness is still present - spirialing more things to go wrong - and our body is rejecting the meds - b/c is is not exactly what we need. I believe that is why "allergic" reactions happen. Not because the body is allergic to it - because it is rejecting it due to it's ability to actually get what we need out of it or something is present within the body ( depletions or changes) that push what's right  out.

Rashes - hair loss - ringing in the ears - swelling - skin dryness - dry eyes - frequent colds - and a host of other things is the outside warning signs that something else needs to be added to the pile to get balanced. Immune systems are built on balance in the body and if that is weak - and usually that's the first to fail - then everything will weaken until that's built back up.

Three things are necessary to complete the balance in our bodies to be well. Vitamin - Mineral - and hormonal balance. If a person is optimal on those levels - then all the warnings signs should be gone taking in the right amount of meds to feel good.

Finding the unbalanced issues is key. You can't expect to add thyroid hormones, lets say - and have a zinc depletion and expect to get well thyroid hormonally. It's just not that easy. BTW - zinc is related to rash.

Now fillers in drugs - this adds a whole new twist into the equasion. Our bodies are not equiped to rid the filler content in all these drugs - whether synthetic or natural porcine/bovine meds. Let's say a body is congested with gluten or celiac and the issues of that are not found - adding the lactose from a desiccated thyroid med could result in a rash for some (warning sign) Simply, eliminating gluten and wheat /white flour can resolve that issue of rejecting the med and even improve the function of a synthetic/natural drug's ability to really do it's job. Eliminating the body of the harmful issues causing the reaction could improve the meds ability to work and not have complications.

Raw components of meds can not be replicated without processing. We certainly can't go kill an animal and take it's thyroid out to see if pure components will be what we need - so we need to alter our bodies - rid our issues of the processing we take in and purify the best we can - to maintain the abilty to take in what we need to really help us. We don't live in a society of non processing - the soy contents we US people consume is horrid regardless if you have a thyroid or not - so we have to remain one step ahead of the game to see where we benefit and rid the other issues effecting our ability to be well.

[Barb135]

My hair fell out badly prior to being put on med -- once on med, although it's not stopped completely, it's not nearly as bad most of the time.