Levothyroxine Causing Hairloss

[Arrade]

I also have unexplained, continual bloating and arthritis in my hands. Part of the reason I ended up on this forum was because of the very low calorie diet I had to follow for years just to maintain a normal BMI. The inadequate caloric intake caused many problems which I have since been able to get a handle on since joining this forum. I’m finally sleeping a bit better and no longer feel physically ill when I get up in the morning. Obviously my caloric intake was inadequate to deal with a pro-metabolic substance such as levothyroxine. I do feel better but weigh 10 lbs more and still have other hypo symptoms like fatigue, constipation, very dry skin, and hair loss which is why I’ve been interested in this thread. Perhaps I do need other supplements or need to add in some T3. I do not feel comfortable completely going off my T4 but I am interested in your experience with eliminating this drug.

Frankly I did nothing recently to make my estrogen high but since removing the T4 and adding fat soluble vitamins it leads me to believe it may have increased estrogen, which would cause massive bloat. I ate plenty of calories with a lot of macronutrients, and yet got fatter even without necessarily increasing my calorie load from before the meds. I also lost my energy to exercise.

Do you have a pain you get in the neck occasionally? I'm just wondering because I was on and getting off the thyroxine, I heard it could be your thyroid trying to work.

I had a 6pack and squatted twice my bodyweight and was one of the fastest runners on my rugby team without the use of T4, I don't think my metabolism was crippled like the rhetoric here seems to be. However I am open to these ideas.

The joint pain went away after getting off of T4 for a few days. I think it has to do with the calcitonin hormone not working.

I really can't advise you with the T3. My free T3 was in range, but I also read that your thyroid makes T3 separate from converting T4, and I have no clue how it will affect your symptoms if you add it.

All in All I feel much healthier off the levothyroxine, less bloat, no more joint pain, no headaches, increased confidence, drive to go the gym again. I do want to fix it with herbs/supps tho and see what having a healthy TSH off meds would be like.

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Frankly I did nothing recently to make my estrogen high but since removing the T4 and adding fat soluble vitamins it leads me to believe it may have increased estrogen, which would cause massive bloat. I ate plenty of calories with a lot of macronutrients, and yet got fatter even without necessarily increasing my calorie load from before the meds. I also lost my energy to exercise.

Do you have a pain you get in the neck occasionally? I'm just wondering because I was on and getting off the thyroxine, I heard it could be your thyroid trying to work.

I had a 6pack and squatted twice my bodyweight and was one of the fastest runners on my rugby team without the use of T4, I don't think my metabolism was crippled like the rhetoric here seems to be. However I am open to these ideas.

The joint pain went away after getting off of T4 for a few days. I think it has to do with the calcitonin hormone not working.

I really can't advise you with the T3. My free T3 was in range, but I also read that your thyroid makes T3 separate from converting T4, and I have no clue how it will affect your symptoms if you add it.

All in All I feel much healthier off the levothyroxine, less bloat, no more joint pain, no headaches, increased confidence, drive to go the gym again. I do want to fix it with herbs/supps tho and see what having a healthy TSH off meds would be like.

No, don’t have neck pain at this time but did when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. I had a goiter and the Levo worked very quickly on that. I know I’m highly estrogenic and it’s probably caused by the levo. I wish I had never started that drug many years ago because my only symptoms were slight fatigue and the mild goiter. But... I would trade those minor problems for the myriad symptoms I have now on that drug. Because Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition I’m not sure vitamins, iodine, etc. would work for me. Also I have little tissue left to produce my own hormones. I’m sure that starting the levo years ago helped atrophy my thyroid gland. Good luck to you. I’m so looking forward to your progress!

 

[marsaday]

I also have unexplained, continual bloating and arthritis in my hands. Part of the reason I ended up on this forum was because of the very low calorie diet I had to follow for years just to maintain a normal BMI. The inadequate caloric intake caused many problems which I have since been able to get a handle on since joining this forum. I’m finally sleeping a bit better and no longer feel physically ill when I get up in the morning. Obviously my caloric intake was inadequate to deal with a pro-metabolic substance such as levothyroxine. I do feel better but weigh 10 lbs more and still have other hypo symptoms like fatigue, constipation, very dry skin, and hair loss which is why I’ve been interested in this thread. Perhaps I do need other supplements or need to add in some T3. I do not feel comfortable completely going off my T4 but I am interested in your experience with eliminating this drug.

Have you tried the T4 at bedtime ?

It is known as the night hormone. We make it when we go to sleep and in the second half of the night we make cortisol based on our thyroid production.

In thyroid patients typically cortisol will be low in the morning and then it will spurt out too much in the day. This gives rise to an unbalanced cortisol / dhea relationship. This has many consequences and absorption of thyroid is one of them.

So a good way to naturally support the hormone system is give T4 at the correct time (bedtime or a few hours before).

It can really aid sleep issues in people who cant get off very well.

 

[marsaday]

How it ever been proven that a lack of simple vitamins and minerals caused mpb?
I'm genuinely curious because I never saw any evidence, maybe poor quality hair but not evidence of going bald

My comment is not related to MPB, but hair loss with T4. MPB is much more complicated than just taking a bit of T4 and all is well.

 

[Arrade]

My comment is not related to MPB, but hair loss with T4. MPB is much more complicated than just taking a bit of T4 and all is well.

I was saying taking T4 causes hairloss thru the calcitonin hormone being suppressed

 

[Luckytype]

My comment is not related to MPB, but hair loss with T4. MPB is much more complicated than just taking a bit of T4 and all is well.

Louder for the people in the back

 

[Blossom]

I always appreciate and learn from your posts on thyroid @marsaday.

 

[marsaday]

I was saying taking T4 causes hairloss thru the calcitonin hormone being suppressed

NTH has calcitonin in it and many women report hair loss on NTH as well as T4 only.

I will have to have a read about calcitonin and hair loss. It a possibility, but so are many things.

If suppression is part of the equation then this is very likely as many thyroid patients on T4 can have a suppressed TSH. I am sure TSH is involved in calcitonin production somehow (again need to do some reading).

So again it is not the T4 at fault itself, but rather the over supplementation. Again this is common.

 

[marsaday]

I always appreciate and learn from your posts on thyroid @marsaday.

Your welcome Blossom

 

[Arrade]

NTH has calcitonin in it and many women report hair loss on NTH as well as T4 only.

I will have to have a read about calcitonin and hair loss. It a possibility, but so are many things.

If suppression is part of the equation then this is very likely as many thyroid patients on T4 can have a suppressed TSH. I am sure TSH is involved in calcitonin production somehow (again need to do some reading).

So again it is not the T4 at fault itself, but rather the over supplementation. Again this is common.

that's because ingesting animal hormone doesn't replace human hormone, if anything you're getting iodine or nutrients from NDT. You can;t have your balls removed and expect eating bull testicles to actually act as some sort of replacement...

It's not over supplementation, it;s like injecting testerone. You could inject synthetic test for a range of 800 (normal human levels) and it would still suppress your own natural production of test. This is what biosynthetic T4 does, even if you TSH is 1.5 on levothyroxine your natural thyroid hormones are being suppressed, like calcitonin

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Have you tried the T4 at bedtime ?

It is known as the night hormone. We make it when we go to sleep and in the second half of the night we make cortisol based on our thyroid production.

In thyroid patients typically cortisol will be low in the morning and then it will spurt out too much in the day. This gives rise to an unbalanced cortisol / dhea relationship. This has many consequences and absorption of thyroid is one of them.

So a good way to naturally support the hormone system is give T4 at the correct time (bedtime or a few hours before).

It can really aid sleep issues in people who cant get off very well.

Yes, I tried several years ago after reading a book by Kenneth Blanchard, MD. He recommended taking T4 at night as well as with food. Unfortunately it made my insomnia worse (but I was calorie restricting at the time). I tried right before bedtime and then switched to dinner time with the same results. Now that I’ve almost doubled my calories I will try the split dose approach mentioned earlier in this thread and take the last bit at bedtime. I’m hoping this works. Also, I’m sure that I’m over supplemented with a TSH of 0.07 but feel worse above that. I have no hyperthyroid symptoms- just hypo symptoms. My pulse is generally 50 bpm and temps around 97 degrees. I always feel very warm and can not tolerate heat (I hate summer).

 

[Blossom]

Yes, I tried several years ago after reading a book by Kenneth Blanchard, MD. He recommended taking T4 at night as well as with food. Unfortunately it made my insomnia worse (but I was calorie restricting at the time). I tried right before bedtime and then switched to dinner time with the same results. Now that I’ve almost doubled my calories I will try the split dose approach mentioned earlier in this thread and take the last bit at bedtime. I’m hoping this works. Also, I’m sure that I’m over supplemented with a TSH of 0.07 but feel worse above that. I have no hyperthyroid symptoms- just hypo symptoms. My pulse is generally 50 bpm and temps around 97 degrees. I always feel very warm and can not tolerate heat (I hate summer).

I'm sorry if you mentioned it and missed it but out of curiosity have you tried t3?

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

I'm sorry if you mentioned it and missed it but out of curiosity have you tried t3?

Have not tried T3 as Endo refused to prescribe it. I wouldn’t even know where to start with dosage as I’ve been on T4 only for so long. Occasionally I will have an irregular heart beat usually connected to over exercising and undereating. I have read that T3 can exacerbate any heart issues so I would need to be very careful starting out.

 

[marsaday]

Dr b’s book is the best out there.

What dose do you take?

Taking less thyroid meds every so often is a great way to work out what the body needs.

Over time our systems change on any hormone replacement. You have mentioned your calorie intake has changed. This will impact the hormones.

So part of our routine should be yearly of bi yearly reductions to test out where the body is.

If you feel worse after a few days you obviously were on the right dose. But you can often feel a bit better. Excess hormone can stop the body from working in its set groove. If you can find what this sweet spot is you will enjoy much better health.

I find a suppressed tsh is not something to aim for. Around 0.5-1 is a good place. Tsh is an important part of the thyroid equation and will aid t3 conversion.

Thyroid patients do have issues regulating the temps. Have you tried dr b’s seasonal dosing where you decrease in summer and increase in winter. Could be worth a look. Certainly drop a little in summer but maybe don’t increase in winter.

Small changes can make a big difference. I have discovered a drop from 125 to 112,5 t4 per day has had a really positive effect on me this summer. At the moment I am not wanting more so I am holding steady.

I have found that for me my cortisol level is the bigger driver for a good balance. To balance my cortisol I use progesterone at 6mg per day but in the summer this requirement drops down to 2mg per day
Approx.

So come mid aug every year I always feel slightly off and I have messed sround with thyroid and my adrenals to try work out what is going on. I was thinking vit d maybe dropping but I actually think it is more to do with a drop in cortisol due to sunlight levels starting to drop around this time of the year.

I always feel my best in the summer.

So for you I would try and work out if you are being affected in the summer by too much cortisol or to much thyroid. Messing about with your levels may give you some clues.

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Dr b’s book is the best out there.

What dose do you take?

Taking less thyroid meds every so often is a great way to work out what the body needs.

Over time our systems change on any hormone replacement. You have mentioned your calorie intake has changed. This will impact the hormones.

So part of our routine should be yearly of bi yearly reductions to test out where the body is.

If you feel worse after a few days you obviously were on the right dose. But you can often feel a bit better. Excess hormone can stop the body from working in its set groove. If you can find what this sweet spot is you will enjoy much better health.

I find a suppressed tsh is not something to aim for. Around 0.5-1 is a good place. Tsh is an important part of the thyroid equation and will aid t3 conversion.

Thyroid patients do have issues regulating the temps. Have you tried dr b’s seasonal dosing where you decrease in summer and increase in winter. Could be worth a look. Certainly drop a little in summer but maybe don’t increase in winter.

Small changes can make a big difference. I have discovered a drop from 125 to 112,5 t4 per day has had a really positive effect on me this summer. At the moment I am not wanting more so I am holding steady.

I have found that for me my cortisol level is the bigger driver for a good balance. To balance my cortisol I use progesterone at 6mg per day but in the summer this requirement drops down to 2mg per day
Approx.

So come mid aug every year I always feel slightly off and I have messed sround with thyroid and my adrenals to try work out what is going on. I was thinking vit d maybe dropping but I actually think it is more to do with a drop in cortisol due to sunlight levels starting to drop around this time of the year.

I always feel my best in the summer.

So for you I would try and work out if you are being affected in the summer by too much cortisol or to much thyroid. Messing about with your levels may give you some clues.

I take 550mcg/week. The Endo has me taking 100mcg 5 days/week and 50mcg 1 day/wk. In one of my earlier posts to Arrade I mentioned the Endo decreased my dose one summer by 50 mcg/week because my TSH was 0.04. That was in June. By November I was really fatigued and had my levels rechecked. My TSH was 19.2. It really didn’t make sense to him or me but I was put back on the 550/week and my TSH came back down to 2.5. But I was severely restricting my calories and ate probably under 20 grams of protein daily at the time.

My Endo doesn’t believe in seasonal dosing but after reading Dr. Blanchard’s book, I decreased my dose this summer by 25 mcg/week. That is not much but based on what happened a few summers ago, I was afraid to go down much more. I am overdue for labwork but want to get back up to the 550 mcg as the Endo severely admonishes me if I adjust my dose.

I’m thinking that with my increased calories and protein I could retry the going down 50 mcg/week in the summer. My vitamin d levels were low - around 26 last year but I struggle with supplementing D orally. I recently started using Estroban at 2-3 drops daily and I’m not having any problems. Btw, how would I know if too much cortisol or too much T4 is my issue? I always feel like I’m hypothyroid!

 

[Luckytype]

I take 550mcg/week. The Endo has me taking 100mcg 5 days/week and 50mcg 1 day/wk. In one of my earlier posts to Arrade I mentioned the Endo decreased my dose one summer by 50 mcg/week because my TSH was 0.04. That was in June. By November I was really fatigued and had my levels rechecked. My TSH was 19.2. It really didn’t make sense to him or me but I was put back on the 550/week and my TSH came back down to 2.5. But I was severely restricting my calories and ate probably under 20 grams of protein daily at the time.

My Endo doesn’t believe in seasonal dosing but after reading Dr. Blanchard’s book, I decreased my dose this summer by 25 mcg/week. That is not much but based on what happened a few summers ago, I was afraid to go down much more. I am overdue for labwork but want to get back up to the 550 mcg as the Endo severely admonishes me if I adjust my dose.

I’m thinking that with my increased calories and protein I could retry the going down 50 mcg/week in the summer. My vitamin d levels were low - around 26 last year but I struggle with supplementing D orally. I recently started using Estroban at 2-3 drops daily and I’m not having any problems. Btw, how would I know if too much cortisol or too much T4 is my issue? I always feel like I’m hypothyroid!

Give us an idea of your morning temp and daily temps each day as well as some idea of food intake?

If you truly are underfed there are plenty of people who get their TSH artificially supressed by stress hormones. My TSH was lowish at times until my body started to wake up.

What are some of the reasons you stay with your endo @Albina if this is the relationship?

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Give us an idea of your morning temp and daily temps each day as well as some idea of food intake?

If you truly are underfed there are plenty of people who get their TSH artificially supressed by stress hormones. My TSH was lowish at times until my body started to wake up.

What are some of the reasons you stay with your endo @Albina if this is the relationship?

This is my 3rd Endo. They, unfortunately, all read the same book. My daughter has been to 4 different docs and she has encountered the same attitudes.

I am no longer underfed calorie wise but I’m having a difficult time some days getting my protein above 40 grams.day. I react to the proteins in milk but I’m not lactose intolerant. I eat 4-6 oz cheese 2-3 x/week. Muscle meats also 3x/week. Scallops once/week, one egg daily. Don’t like liver. Have a hard time with collagen since I have histamine issues. I eat mostly fruits and vegetables but not longer eat the veggies raw. For some reason I do not feel well eating much meat, as I feel it just sits in my stomach. Also coffee, occ chocolate or ice cream, dates, potatoes or rice 3-4x/week, masa harina occ, brown rice bread or coconut wrap daily as I try for gluten-free diet. Use ghee or coconut oil. I have gained 10 lbs so far and I’m not underweight at 5’3 and 138 lbs. this is the most I have weighed in my life. I will start taking temps again and post.

 

[Luckytype]

This is my 3rd Endo. They, unfortunately, all read the same book. My daughter has been to 4 different docs and she has encountered the same attitudes.

I am no longer underfed calorie wise but I’m having a difficult time some days getting my protein above 40 grams.day. I react to the proteins in milk but I’m not lactose intolerant. I eat 4-6 oz cheese 2-3 x/week. Muscle meats also 3x/week. Scallops once/week, one egg daily. Don’t like liver. Have a hard time with collagen since I have histamine issues. I eat mostly fruits and vegetables but not longer eat the veggies raw. For some reason I do not feel well eating much meat, as I feel it just sits in my stomach. Also coffee, occ chocolate or ice cream, dates, potatoes or rice 3-4x/week, masa harina occ, brown rice bread or coconut wrap daily as I try for gluten-free diet. Use ghee or coconut oil. I have gained 10 lbs so far and I’m not underweight at 5’3 and 138 lbs. this is the most I have weighed in my life. I will start taking temps again and post.

Very cool. I am sincerely sorry to hear about the doc experience. I was in a similar situation and decided to save my own life. It took a couple years to figure out it was me or nobody.

It may be worth trying to find nu naturals gelatin(vs collagen?) and adding a couple tablespoons to your drinks. I notice a distinct difference in how i feel with more protein. Ive been tracking temps for a month and my temps suffer if i dont eat protein with my first two meals. I feel considerably more "present" with protein and carb for my first meals. Unfortunately i still have to eat frequently to hit my calorie number and to stay warm

Can you tolerate shrimp or cod/sole?

I also hate liver, Ill suffer once a week or bring one single bite to have with coffee at work. Its worth it to feel better :). I used to choke it down.

 

[Sexypizza]

I’m not sure I will be able to divide my 100 mcg of Levoxyl into 6 pieces but I will give it a try. My Endo has always assured me that taking a whole week’s dosage in one day is acceptable (in fact this is done, he claims, in third world countries with lack of supplies). I take 550 mcg per week and he has me taking 100 mcg for 5 days and 50 mcg on the 6th day! Taking 75 mcg/day would have made more sense to me but as only a nurse, what do I know?? Thanks for sharing. I have struggled with this drug too many years. It has made my life miserable and yet the Endo blames all of my continued hypo symptoms on other non-thyroid reasons since my TSH usually runs .07 or lower. Ft4 at normal levels and he refuses to test rt3 or prescribe T3. He always reminds me to take the drug on an empty stomach as well. This drug has made me highly estrogenic, too. Well...I hope this new dosing schedule helps me to grow my hair back or at least slow down the loss.

I’m not sure I will be able to divide my 100 mcg of Levoxyl into 6 pieces but I will give it a try. My Endo has always assured me that taking a whole week’s dosage in one day is acceptable (in fact this is done, he claims, in third world countries with lack of supplies). I take 550 mcg per week and he has me taking 100 mcg for 5 days and 50 mcg on the 6th day! Taking 75 mcg/day would have made more sense to me but as only a nurse, what do I know?? Thanks for sharing. I have struggled with this drug too many years. It has made my life miserable and yet the Endo blames all of my continued hypo symptoms on other non-thyroid reasons since my TSH usually runs .07 or lower. Ft4 at normal levels and he refuses to test rt3 or prescribe T3. He always reminds me to take the drug on an empty stomach as well. This drug has made me highly estrogenic, too. Well...I hope this new dosing schedule helps me to grow my hair back or at least slow down the loss.

I think in the pharmacies they sell T4 in lower dose pills 25mcg each. if you can buy those and just take 6 of the pills per day, that would work as I done that too. Now though I have a higher dosage T4 pills, each pill is 100mcg, So what I do is I take one pill and cut it into 4 pieces and then take another pill and cut that one in half and cut the half in half again and that ends up being 6 pieces. I just cut it with a knife usually, it's not exact but it still works.

As a female its better to generally take T3 a long with the T4, females tend to have more estrogen stored in the liver which can inhibit the conversion of T4 into T3. That could be partly why you still feel bad on the T4.

This is Ray's emails to me that may help:

"For the last couple of years I’ve been getting my Cynomel from farmaciadelnino.mx (where the price is $11.65), and before that I was getting it from mymexicandrugstore.org and I haven’t noticed any variation in the quality over the last 40 years. I usually take 5 mcg with some milk and cheese, so that it absorbs gradually. If you crush the tablet, doses of 1 or 2 mcg every hour or two will produce very mild effects that you will be able to measure in your pulse rate and temperature. T3 is quick acting, and has a half-life in the body of about one day, so it’s important to check pulse rate 30 minutes to an hour after a dose of T3, during the first two or three days, until you find the right way to dose. Were you taking the T4 in a single dose per day? Doctors usually give that instruction. If your diet lacks something, such as selenium or vitamin D, that’s needed for thyroid to work, T4 can interfere with the effects of T3; if you take 25 or 50 mcg in a single daily dose, the liver will experience a momentary toxic overdose, and over a period of a week or two will adapt its detoxification enzymes to destroy it, with the result that the body will be extremely deficient in thyroid most of the day, with a short period of toxic excess."

"125 nmol/L is a good level for vitamin D. It’s most physiological to divide the T4 dose with meals. There’s some evidence that taking part of it in the evening (with a little food) reduces stress during the night and makes sleep more restful."

 

[Sexypizza]

There might also be fillers in the T4 that you are taking. Thats always a risk with pharma drugs and could cause some symptoms. So if dosing it differently doesnt work, you could try a different T4 drug perhaps or even NDT.