Thyroid hair loss

[rk484]

Hello !
I am a 21 yr old boy. I have been taking thyroid medicine(Levo)  ,since 3 months and the name of medicine is - Thyroup 50 . I haven't seen any relief for hair loss. It's falling at an alarming rate.

I am having stubborn dandruff too which never goes off. I am confused what is the reason for hair loss - dandruff or thyroid. But if it would be due to dandruff then it should not fall in heavy quantity.Do correct me if i am wrong


I had my T3,T4 and TSH  test about 3 months ago.. T3 and T4 were normal, but TSH wasn't.
Maximum limit for TSH is 5.5 and I was having 6.4 when i got tested three month ago.


I am about to visit a dermatalogist. What should I do?
Should I go to any endocrinologist? If suppose i go to a dermatologist then I need to know that does a dematalogist know about thyroid? I mean do they have proper insight on how to treat thyroid ?What would be better- derma or endo?


Also what should I ask them to check for - t3,t4,tsh  or  ft3  ,ft4, tsh?
Please Help !!

[goolarra]

Hair loss is a hypo symptom.  Your labs do not look hypo at all.  Also, if you have no other symptoms, your levels are probably good for you.  Your TSH is a little higher than most people like it, but TSH is influenced by many factors and isn't as reliable an indicator as T3 and T4.

If I were you, I'd start to explore another cause for your hair loss.  Have you had a complete iron panel, including ferritin?  What's your diet like?  At this point, I think you might want to see a dermatologist.  Something might be obvious to a dermatologist that isn't to us.

[rk484]

I don't have any symptoms except the hairfall. It is falling at an alarming rate! What should I do? Even though the reports are normal, my hairs are falling. Is it due to thyroid?
Will the doctor prescribe some medicines again?

[goolarra]

If you only take T4, you can take your meds before the draw.  What's really important is consistency.  Always take it or never take it.

FT4 is a little on the high side.  It's 77% of range, and 50% is the target for FT4.  FT3 looks good at 76% of range, although that can be a bit high for some people.  However, TSH is still a little on the high side, though in range now.

Are you having any hyper symptoms?  

[rk484]

I have been taking the levothyroxine medicine since 3 months but I skipped the tablet yesterday as because I gave the blood test..so,will it affect the result?

[rk484]

I got it done!
Here is the report -

Tsh - 2.72    ( 0.30- 5.5 )
FT3 - 3.6       ( 1.7- 4.2 )
FT4 - 1.55      (0.70 - 1.80 )

I will visit to a doctor in a day or two, what will I ask him?

[goolarra]

Yes, levothyroxine is T4 only.  T3 is sold in the U.S. as brand name Cytomel and generics.  Desiccated porcine thyroid contains both T3 and T4.  It's sold under many names...Armour thyroid, NatureThroid, Erfa, etc. and generics.

[rk484]

I would like to know that - are levothyroxine medicine =  t4 medicine

[rk484]

Thank you for replying goolarra!
I will contact them in a day or two, then I will write about them....

[goolarra]

I don't know that I'd see a dermatologist for a thyroid issue.  An endo would be the logical choice, but not all endos are good thyroid doctors.  Many of them specialize further in diabetes.  So, it's best to make some calls to get a general feel for how they treat thyroid.  

One good question to ask is which tests they order routinely for their hypo patients.  Ideally, you will hear FT3, FT4 and TSH.  Any doctor who only orders TSH is one to stay away from.

Another good question is which meds they are open to using.  Once again, you'd like to hear T4, synthetic T3/T4 combos and desiccated.  However, practically speaking, very few routinely use all three.  It's important not to get someone who will only use T4.  

[rk484]

He is a general physician

[goolarra]

Have you had any follow up blood work since starting meds?  If not, you are overdue.  After starting meds or changing dose, you should have blood work in about 4-6 weeks to determine if a dosage adjustment is necessary.

Be sure your doctor is ordering FREE T3 and FREE T4 because there are two other tests (total T3 and total T4) which are not nearly as useful and are the default if FREE isn't specified.

Who is prescribing your thyroid meds now?

[Red_Star]

An endocrinologist specialises in the endocrine system which includes the thyroid gland. The problem is, unless you have an excellent doctor who is looking at you the patient with obvious hypothyroid symptoms, they will say you are well treated for your hypothyroid condition if you are in "normal" range.  I personally need free T4 and free T3 above mid reference range.

Dandruff can be due to a yeast-like fungus called Malassezia globosa. Hypothyroidism can cause fungal infections due a decrease in stomach acid production.