Aa
18 & Losing hair + muscle
Hi everyone, I've noticed my hair has started thinning right after I turned 17. I've been on .05mg of levothyroxine to start off with but my doctor later said that my thyroid levels had decreased so she has now upped my dosage to 0.075mg. I've noticed that muscle is very difficult for me to gain and when I eat a lot to try and gain weight nothing seems to happen.
I'm really concerned about my hair, I'm 18 and very young, never had health problems in the past and hypothyroidism has never been in my family. I think it all began after I started to lose weight and had a very poor diet which I regret.
So my ultimate question is, as I continue to take these pills, will my hair grow back and will I eventually be able to gain muscle again?
Thank you in advance.
I'm really concerned about my hair, I'm 18 and very young, never had health problems in the past and hypothyroidism has never been in my family. I think it all began after I started to lose weight and had a very poor diet which I regret.
So my ultimate question is, as I continue to take these pills, will my hair grow back and will I eventually be able to gain muscle again?
Thank you in advance.
COMMUNITY LEADER
There's always the dispute on how to treat hypothyroidism and the importance of TSH, which we know becomes irrelevant for many of us, at some point; particularly, those of us on a T3 med.
My fasting blood sugar in the morning has been normal.
My sleeplessment is only occasional (and increased during the lower thyroid dose), it does not bother me, it does not cause drowsiness during the daytime. I can raise my Thyroid dose back to 2.25 pills, maybe even to 2.5. On 2.25 I sleep well (but have evening and morning drowsiness). The dose was decreased from 2.5 to 2 in order to raise TSH. But the decreasing effort makes no sense. Here is a dispute how to treat hypothyroidism.
I usually eat a snack or sour milk products in the evening at 8 o'clock. But in the evening in question, because I was hungry, I ate additionally much rice, which had left from lunch. I think that because of much carbohydrates my blood sugar dropped drastically at night and caused again hunger.
I have no longer had such nightly hunger. And I have decided to increase my Thyroid dose.
My sleeplessment is only occasional (and increased during the lower thyroid dose), it does not bother me, it does not cause drowsiness during the daytime. I can raise my Thyroid dose back to 2.25 pills, maybe even to 2.5. On 2.25 I sleep well (but have evening and morning drowsiness). The dose was decreased from 2.5 to 2 in order to raise TSH. But the decreasing effort makes no sense. Here is a dispute how to treat hypothyroidism.
I usually eat a snack or sour milk products in the evening at 8 o'clock. But in the evening in question, because I was hungry, I ate additionally much rice, which had left from lunch. I think that because of much carbohydrates my blood sugar dropped drastically at night and caused again hunger.
I have no longer had such nightly hunger. And I have decided to increase my Thyroid dose.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Have you been tested for diabetes? Extreme thirst and frequent urination are classic symptoms of diabetes.
Have you tried taking a low dose of melatonin before bed, to see if it will help you sleep?
My potassium levels have never been out of range, either, but when I start cramping, and take a potassium pill, the cramps invariably go away. You should talk to your doctor about that.
Did you eat dinner last night? Or a snack before bed. You shouldn't let yourself get so hungry that your stomach cramps. Even a small glass of milk is better than nothing.
Have you tried taking a low dose of melatonin before bed, to see if it will help you sleep?
My potassium levels have never been out of range, either, but when I start cramping, and take a potassium pill, the cramps invariably go away. You should talk to your doctor about that.
Did you eat dinner last night? Or a snack before bed. You shouldn't let yourself get so hungry that your stomach cramps. Even a small glass of milk is better than nothing.
I add: I was very hungry in the evening, and at night I was so hungry that my intestines cramped.
Last night I hardly slept. I was very thirsty in the evening and at night. I went to toilet to urinate nearly ten times. (My maximum during this summer has been twelve times a night!) Since Agust 18 I seem to have lost 2kg from the 5 gained in this year. During last few days I have had nightmares, and buzz in my left ear.
Bearing in mind that I sleep better on 2.25G Thyroid, during being awake at about three o'clock last night, I succumbed to the temptation of taking extra Thyroid, I took one quarter pill, it calmed me, but I could not, however, sleep.
My blood potassium has varied from 3.5 to 4.3 (ref. 3.3-4.8) from 2007 to 2013 (21 meauserements, mean 3.76).
During the same time, my blood sodium has been 140-147 (the upper reference limit varies a little, 144-145) (28 measurements, mean 142).
Thus potassium has always been normal but sodium sometimes over normal. I don't like (or tolerate) salty foods. I have no hyperaldosteronism.
I think that hyperparathyroidism causes polyuria, and this may cause, beside dehydration, loss of magnesium and possibly potassium. But my blood potassium has never been below the reference (except once in 1989, when I had often tachycardia, possibly sinus tachycardia).
Just a moment ago I got a short SVT! I feel slight salty taste in my mouth. Sometimes I have such episodes or periods of dehydration(?). Nobody knows what the sodium and potassium measurements could be during the worst episodes.
Bearing in mind that I sleep better on 2.25G Thyroid, during being awake at about three o'clock last night, I succumbed to the temptation of taking extra Thyroid, I took one quarter pill, it calmed me, but I could not, however, sleep.
My blood potassium has varied from 3.5 to 4.3 (ref. 3.3-4.8) from 2007 to 2013 (21 meauserements, mean 3.76).
During the same time, my blood sodium has been 140-147 (the upper reference limit varies a little, 144-145) (28 measurements, mean 142).
Thus potassium has always been normal but sodium sometimes over normal. I don't like (or tolerate) salty foods. I have no hyperaldosteronism.
I think that hyperparathyroidism causes polyuria, and this may cause, beside dehydration, loss of magnesium and possibly potassium. But my blood potassium has never been below the reference (except once in 1989, when I had often tachycardia, possibly sinus tachycardia).
Just a moment ago I got a short SVT! I feel slight salty taste in my mouth. Sometimes I have such episodes or periods of dehydration(?). Nobody knows what the sodium and potassium measurements could be during the worst episodes.
COMMUNITY LEADER
It's normal for weight to increase during the day, as we eat, drink. Typically, the stomach is empty by morning, plus we've probably gone to the bathroom a couple of times, etc. My weight can fluctuate as much as 4-6 lbs during the day, as well and I'm always lighter by morning.
Have you had potassium levels tested? Potassium is an electrolyte and low levels can cause cramping. While too much potassium is not good either, we must have enough.
Have you had potassium levels tested? Potassium is an electrolyte and low levels can cause cramping. While too much potassium is not good either, we must have enough.
Yes, I am. The weight decrease seems to occur on 2G. Elsewhere I wrote that my symptoms are controversial. When I was on 2.5G, my weight was stable.
I see now the weight decrease best at and after the night. I have to go to urinate several times at night, and in the morning I am 2 kg lighter than in the evening. I always compare my morning "empty" weights during years. Maybe I often gain water (sometimes even 3 kg) during daytime and lose it during the night. It is odd that when I was on 2.25G, I did not have the diurnal weight changes. I have had muscle cramps during the last few days. I am taking magnesium 300 mg daily.
It is to be noted that I do have intermittent fluid and electrolyte imbalances, possibly due to partial diabetes insipidus and primary hyperparathyroidism. These complicate my situation.
I try to be on 2G for a longer time before labs, if I do not get bad symptoms. I don't know what causes smaller need for thyroid hormone now in comparison with previous years.
I see now the weight decrease best at and after the night. I have to go to urinate several times at night, and in the morning I am 2 kg lighter than in the evening. I always compare my morning "empty" weights during years. Maybe I often gain water (sometimes even 3 kg) during daytime and lose it during the night. It is odd that when I was on 2.25G, I did not have the diurnal weight changes. I have had muscle cramps during the last few days. I am taking magnesium 300 mg daily.
It is to be noted that I do have intermittent fluid and electrolyte imbalances, possibly due to partial diabetes insipidus and primary hyperparathyroidism. These complicate my situation.
I try to be on 2G for a longer time before labs, if I do not get bad symptoms. I don't know what causes smaller need for thyroid hormone now in comparison with previous years.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hair loss is a symptom of being hypo; however, weight loss is most often related to hyper, though some people who are hypo do lose weight. Fatigue and muscle weakness can also be symptoms of hyper, as is increased appetite.
Helyanna, you FT3's have been leaning toward the high side, indicating slight over medication. You should retest in a couple weeks and see where your levels are. Are you still on the 2.0 grains ERFA?
Helyanna, you FT3's have been leaning toward the high side, indicating slight over medication. You should retest in a couple weeks and see where your levels are. Are you still on the 2.0 grains ERFA?
During the first years of thyroid medication I lost weight 16 kg. Maybe that was extra water and fat. Then my weigth was stable for 2.5 years. Several months after the beginning of the medication I lost some hair. Maybe the hair grew again.
Now I have less strength than in early spring and last year, and I have been losing hair in summer. But during a few last days I have begun to lose also weight. I hope that I am losing fat or extra water. I am at a lower dose of Thyroid than in last year. I am often hungry now. Maybe my dose is too low.
Now I have less strength than in early spring and last year, and I have been losing hair in summer. But during a few last days I have begun to lose also weight. I hope that I am losing fat or extra water. I am at a lower dose of Thyroid than in last year. I am often hungry now. Maybe my dose is too low.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Muscle takes up less space than fat, because it's denser (packed more tightly); maybe that's why you're getting smaller, but it doesn't mean you have less strength. .
Oh no that's strange, I'm actually a male I must have entered that in wrong not sure how lol. I do dynamic exercises a lot and I run as well, I just feel like I'm getting smaller
COMMUNITY LEADER
It would seem that you are expending everything you eat in exercise and have nothing left to store. You need to exercise your whole body, not just your arms.
Your profile says you are female; is that correct?
Your profile says you are female; is that correct?
Chest presses, dumbbell curls etc anything to make my arms bigger and I drink protein shakes + eat a lot too and don't see myself getting any bigger
COMMUNITY LEADER
What type of exercise are you doing? Some exercise builds muscle better than others; additionally, if you don't get enough protein in your diet, you will have a hard time building muscle.
Your information is very helpful but I still don't know why it's so hard for me to gain muscle? I lift weights and i'm seeing very little to no results
The time to figure this all out is all over the map. A lot is based upon how good your Dr is. And there are very few "good" thyroid Dr's. Please see the question of the month by Barb135 posted about what defines a good thyroid Dr for more information. But suffice it to say they are few and far between.
Some people are lucky and the first dose they try works. Others unfortunately it takes literally months and in some cases YEARS to actually get to a point of optimized dosage. Often times a Dr will take you from feeling really really crappy to just feeling crappy. Sure it is an improvement but you need to find another Dr. Unfortunately a new Dr can throw a wrench and go backward because they are clueless. So be aware of that!
One thing you absolutely need to do is keep a journal or a record or a binder, something to keep a diary and record for documentation. In this diary or record you must be absolutely sure to record at a minimum. ALL the blood labs. And with those blood labs you want to write down all the symptoms and how you feel, what was the dosage of any and all medications you are taking including supplements such as vitamins etc. In particular the record showing how the blood labs change along with your symptoms is absolutely priceless. this is particularly true when changing Dr's (due to retirement of the Dr, death, moving away or simply wanting to find a new Dr) so you have a record to PROVE your point.
You have to be your own best advocate. Education and documentation are your best weapons. Along with the fact that YOU know YOUR body better than anyone. YOU are a clinical trial. So your record of how YOU respond to treatment is the ULTIMATE best clinical trial there is.
This record can show trends of how improvements, or set backs occur with different medications and different dosages. it will also document when (or if) you every get to optimization. You will then have a correlation between exactly how you feel and what the blood labs were that got you to feel that way. this is Nirvana. Then if you ever start feeling poorly again, you can see how your current blood labs correspond to that optimized record.
Do NOT leave ANY of this to memory or believe that the medical system or medical records will do this for you. They won't. And it is amazing how you forget how you feel and symptoms you've had at various medications and dosage combinations. Trust no system but your own record keeping.
Again. Normally it takes a person several months to get this all sorted out. Starting on low doses and slowly increasing over time is the name of the game. This may seem glacial ice flow slow. Because you just want to feel better ASAP. But rushing things is ususally a recipie for disaster. You also only want to change one thing at a time if possible. Otherwise if there is an improvement you don't know which of the severalthings you changed that was the cause of the solution. This too causes the process to move slowly. Trust me. I understand how frustrating it can be and how anxious you are to feel well.
If possible you may want to request if at all possible the following tests.
TSH
Free T4 (FT4)
FreeT3 (FT3)
Reverse T3 (RT3)
the last one may be very difficult to get tested. But it is about the only way you can possibly know if you have a reverse T3 dominance problem. Part of the problem with getting this test is many if not most Dr's don't even believe a reverse T3 dominace IS a problem or a condition that exists!
If you are fatigued and tired also get the following tested:
Vitamin D3
Vitamin B-12
Magnesium
Iron
Ferritin
Note that I believe the D3 should be about 60 or supplementation would be a good idea. B-12 in Europe lower range starts at 500. In the USA most start at 200. The top of the range often goes up to 1,200 or so. many people report not feeling well until their B-12 is about 900 or more. So being "in range" for B-12 is virtually worthless information as the range is so wide.
Did you say you lived in Canada? If so I'm not so sure how your medical system works with the national health care system. What it covers and what it will test. I know people in the UK have extreme difficulty if they are a person who needs T3 medication as they will not test for it or cover it or you have a mini-war on your hands to obtain it.
Good luck!
Some people are lucky and the first dose they try works. Others unfortunately it takes literally months and in some cases YEARS to actually get to a point of optimized dosage. Often times a Dr will take you from feeling really really crappy to just feeling crappy. Sure it is an improvement but you need to find another Dr. Unfortunately a new Dr can throw a wrench and go backward because they are clueless. So be aware of that!
One thing you absolutely need to do is keep a journal or a record or a binder, something to keep a diary and record for documentation. In this diary or record you must be absolutely sure to record at a minimum. ALL the blood labs. And with those blood labs you want to write down all the symptoms and how you feel, what was the dosage of any and all medications you are taking including supplements such as vitamins etc. In particular the record showing how the blood labs change along with your symptoms is absolutely priceless. this is particularly true when changing Dr's (due to retirement of the Dr, death, moving away or simply wanting to find a new Dr) so you have a record to PROVE your point.
You have to be your own best advocate. Education and documentation are your best weapons. Along with the fact that YOU know YOUR body better than anyone. YOU are a clinical trial. So your record of how YOU respond to treatment is the ULTIMATE best clinical trial there is.
This record can show trends of how improvements, or set backs occur with different medications and different dosages. it will also document when (or if) you every get to optimization. You will then have a correlation between exactly how you feel and what the blood labs were that got you to feel that way. this is Nirvana. Then if you ever start feeling poorly again, you can see how your current blood labs correspond to that optimized record.
Do NOT leave ANY of this to memory or believe that the medical system or medical records will do this for you. They won't. And it is amazing how you forget how you feel and symptoms you've had at various medications and dosage combinations. Trust no system but your own record keeping.
Again. Normally it takes a person several months to get this all sorted out. Starting on low doses and slowly increasing over time is the name of the game. This may seem glacial ice flow slow. Because you just want to feel better ASAP. But rushing things is ususally a recipie for disaster. You also only want to change one thing at a time if possible. Otherwise if there is an improvement you don't know which of the severalthings you changed that was the cause of the solution. This too causes the process to move slowly. Trust me. I understand how frustrating it can be and how anxious you are to feel well.
If possible you may want to request if at all possible the following tests.
TSH
Free T4 (FT4)
FreeT3 (FT3)
Reverse T3 (RT3)
the last one may be very difficult to get tested. But it is about the only way you can possibly know if you have a reverse T3 dominance problem. Part of the problem with getting this test is many if not most Dr's don't even believe a reverse T3 dominace IS a problem or a condition that exists!
If you are fatigued and tired also get the following tested:
Vitamin D3
Vitamin B-12
Magnesium
Iron
Ferritin
Note that I believe the D3 should be about 60 or supplementation would be a good idea. B-12 in Europe lower range starts at 500. In the USA most start at 200. The top of the range often goes up to 1,200 or so. many people report not feeling well until their B-12 is about 900 or more. So being "in range" for B-12 is virtually worthless information as the range is so wide.
Did you say you lived in Canada? If so I'm not so sure how your medical system works with the national health care system. What it covers and what it will test. I know people in the UK have extreme difficulty if they are a person who needs T3 medication as they will not test for it or cover it or you have a mini-war on your hands to obtain it.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for that information! I started the weight loss over 2 years ago and have been eating normally ever since. I experience regularly now but also eat healthy and normally. The weight loss occurred within a period of 6-8 months where I lost about 70 lbs.
I'm excited to hear that the hair will grow back but how long does the entire treatment take to settle down at normal levels are begin regrowing?
I'm excited to hear that the hair will grow back but how long does the entire treatment take to settle down at normal levels are begin regrowing?
Yes once you get the proper amount of hormone and your body heals, most people's hair will start to come back to normal.
One thing you mention that caught my ear. You mentioned that this all started when you went on a diet and started to lose weight.
Have you really cut back on food and increased excersize etc? Have you lost a significant amount of weight? If so how much and over what time period.
Reason why I ask is that stressing your body like that can cause a reaction where your body thinks you are in famine mode. And one of the body's responses will be to convert the T4 into REVERSE T3. This is a useless hormone that is inactive. Rather than the conversioin primarily to straight T3. Your body's cells ONLY use the Free T3 hormone. It is possible that due to this stress caused by any number of things both physical or emotional, your body thinks it needs to conserve energy. As such, one way to shut down the motabolism is to convert as much as possible T4 into revers T3. Thus starving your body of T3 it needs resulting in hypothyroidism at the cellular level.
An analogy would be in the middle of winter where it is cold, you realize that you are going to have a dramatic cut in your pay. As such an immediate thing you could do to start saving money is to go home and set the thermostat at a significantly low setting. Same thing with your body. It senses that it needs to conserve (rightly or wrongly) and it short circuits the system to swicth the conversion from a hormone it can use to a hormone variation that is useless. resulting in near immediate slow down of motabolism.
Please post your blood labs as well as the reference ranges of all the tests you have had run. In terms of Thyroid, the three main tests that should be run are: TSH, and Free T4 and Free T3. Some places they will test for "total T4 and Total T3". and T3 uptake. All of these are outdated and of little value. If you do not have your lab report if you are in the USA the Dr is required by law to provide you the lab report upon your written request. So if you do not have it please ask your Dr's office to send you the report and then post your results here when you get them. Many more people will be able to help you out with that data.
To answer your question. One of the FIRST symptom for many people who are thyroi deficient will be hair loss. Finding the optimized dosage is or can be a long process and unfortunately for many the LAST symptom to be relieved is hir re-growth. I guess the body views having hair to be a far less priority than to continue to survive. So it gives up the hair first. Then repairs and heals up every other higher priority thing and then finally gets back to hair.
But yes many people who have hair loss will regain their hair growth but not until their thyroid level and other issues (if any) are dealt with to a fair degree.
One thing you mention that caught my ear. You mentioned that this all started when you went on a diet and started to lose weight.
Have you really cut back on food and increased excersize etc? Have you lost a significant amount of weight? If so how much and over what time period.
Reason why I ask is that stressing your body like that can cause a reaction where your body thinks you are in famine mode. And one of the body's responses will be to convert the T4 into REVERSE T3. This is a useless hormone that is inactive. Rather than the conversioin primarily to straight T3. Your body's cells ONLY use the Free T3 hormone. It is possible that due to this stress caused by any number of things both physical or emotional, your body thinks it needs to conserve energy. As such, one way to shut down the motabolism is to convert as much as possible T4 into revers T3. Thus starving your body of T3 it needs resulting in hypothyroidism at the cellular level.
An analogy would be in the middle of winter where it is cold, you realize that you are going to have a dramatic cut in your pay. As such an immediate thing you could do to start saving money is to go home and set the thermostat at a significantly low setting. Same thing with your body. It senses that it needs to conserve (rightly or wrongly) and it short circuits the system to swicth the conversion from a hormone it can use to a hormone variation that is useless. resulting in near immediate slow down of motabolism.
Please post your blood labs as well as the reference ranges of all the tests you have had run. In terms of Thyroid, the three main tests that should be run are: TSH, and Free T4 and Free T3. Some places they will test for "total T4 and Total T3". and T3 uptake. All of these are outdated and of little value. If you do not have your lab report if you are in the USA the Dr is required by law to provide you the lab report upon your written request. So if you do not have it please ask your Dr's office to send you the report and then post your results here when you get them. Many more people will be able to help you out with that data.
To answer your question. One of the FIRST symptom for many people who are thyroi deficient will be hair loss. Finding the optimized dosage is or can be a long process and unfortunately for many the LAST symptom to be relieved is hir re-growth. I guess the body views having hair to be a far less priority than to continue to survive. So it gives up the hair first. Then repairs and heals up every other higher priority thing and then finally gets back to hair.
But yes many people who have hair loss will regain their hair growth but not until their thyroid level and other issues (if any) are dealt with to a fair degree.
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