Levo decreased, hair loss
skiextrm
Posts: 144 Member
Hi! New here. I've lost 26 lbs since January, so my doctor decreased my levothyroxine dose to 110mcg one day, 112 the next, alternating daily. I'm noticing a lot of falling hair. I've been on the new dose 3 weeks. Does anyone think this is from such a minor dosage change or could it be that I haven't been getting enough protein? I just started a protein powder and am determined to hit my protein macro level from here on. Thanks for any feedback. Bloodwork again in October.
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Do you mean 100 micrograms and 112 micrograms? I don't believe anyone makes a "110" microgram pill.
You should call your doc and let him or her know about this.
Too many docs treat the lab numbers instead of the patient. If you are having symptoms he should restore your dose.
You should also ask him to re-test you to verify that the numbers that prompted him to change the dose were not lab error or the result of normal variation of the laboratory test's accuracy.
add: he may also be driven by "guidelines" which say the dose needs to be re-evaluated whenever your weight changes by >10%. "re-evaluated" doesn't necessarily mean "changed". Docs seem so eager to cut people's thyroid dose when they lose weight but you'll rarely find one so eager to raise it if you gain back pounds. It's an unfair asymmetry we need to fight against.
I'm not sure why the medical establishment seems to fear mild hyperthyroidism so much more than hypo...prolonged hyperthyroidism can thin your bones, but you'd get short-term symptoms of racing heart, sweating, etc. etc. to demand you change dosage long before any long-term damage is done. By contrast hypothyroidism is easily missed as a problem for years, and causes deranged cholesterol and triglycerides with all their associated problems.
Especially for someone actively losing weight, it seems silly to me to cut thyroid dosage for someone who is not suffering any symptoms whatsoever of hyperthyroidism.0 -
I just began levothyroxine about 6 weeks ago. I am on a very low dose - .05mcg. I am losing hair like crazy! It is a side effect of the drug. I have read about it. When I was hyperthyroid I took anti thyroid meds. Same thing! Loss of hair by the handfuls. I hate it but what can we do?
Are you also on T3? I am hoping to get put on that as well after my lab test next week. I hear that T3 can decrease hair loss.0 -
Be aware that T3 breaks down quickly in the body and usually has to be taken 4 times a day. In addition, your body quickly down-regulates T4-T3 conversion-enzymes if you take T3, so if you try it more than 3 or 4 days to see if it works for you, you have to have a tapered dose to get off of it. Likewise if you miss a dose you will start to feel the consequences rather quickly.
These are reasons docs hesitate to prescribe T3 if they can manage someone's problem on T4 alone.0 -
BTW, I'm worried I may wind up in the same situation as you....I got on the right dose of T4 in January when I weighed about 196 lbs. Then I ate freely not watching my intake or weight at all for 6 months because I wanted to be sure my body had absolutely everything it could want to do whatever maintenance it had been unable to accomplish while I was so short on available iodine. My weight went up to 219 lbs.
July 2 I started my diet at 219 lbs and I'm down to 202 now. So I should have been slightly hypothyroid at the highest weight, and should be at about the right dose now. I was tested mid-August and my numbers were in-spec. But I'm a little worried on a future visit, seeing that I've lost 20 lbs, my doc may try to down-grade my dosage, forgetting that I had gained that 20+ above the level at which my dose was set and am now back near the weight at which the dose was prescribed.
She really shouldn't consider reducing my dose until I get down into the 170s.
If your numbers are only marginally out-of-spec, consider that they all vary at different times of day. Look up how the numbers cycle and get your blood draw at a time of day most favorable for your numbers to all be in spec. If you are just one increment outside the lab's specs, this will often bring you back into spec and prevent number-centric (contrasted to patient-centric) docs from adjusting your dosage too frequently for your actual biological situation.0 -
I had a total thyroidectomy (developed an allergy to anti-thyroid medication) in June of this year and we're still fine tuning the levo dose. Synthroid has a very long 1/2 life and it's usually weeks before you notice any therapeutic changes good or bad. I would call your endocrinologist. The best thing you can do is have a doctor that listens to you and doesn't just go by industry standard, you're an individual not a statistic. I have Graves Disease, 15 years as hyper. They usually don't want you hyper because of the Levo because of the 1/2 life you'd feel over dosing for longer and hyper stresses your heart, increases blood pressure. Hair loss seems to be the issue as hypo or hyper it seems if dosing of thyroid replacement is too low or anti-thyroids wrong. Don't change your dose by yourself though.0
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Thank you for your replies! I just checked my Rx bottles and they say 110 and 112mcg. I thought that was micrograms, but I may be using the wrong words. It seems to be a common dose around here. My TSH was 0.13 (out of range) and free T4 was 1.6 (mid range). I had to pretty much "go to the mat" with my Dr to get it increased in the past and did see an endocrinologist, who said I was at the right dose. My doc knows I want the Right dose. If I continue to have hair loss, I'll go back sooner. Thanks again. Good info.0
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yes, that is micrograms. I'm just surprised because I didn't know 110 existed.
I think it is good policy to request a retest of your levels any time they indicate your medication should be changed, just to be sure the lab value is correct before doing anything that could affect your health.0 -
I had labs done today and TSH is still 0.02 but T4 has gone from 0.04 to 1.10. T3 is in normal range. I am only on .025 MCG of Levo. I doubt my dose will get increased even with the hair loss because now I am in the normal range. I hope I don't go bald waiting for everything to settle down. At least I feel better physically.0
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Hope you feel better soon.
Please pardon my asking, have they advised another blood test in a month or two or are you being advised to wait for longer? Its so difficult finding ones personal, best level.
I am wondering if there could be a different reason for the hair loss and it is coincidence it happened with the lower dose. I understand your concerns and know what it is to have hair which is not "being normal".
All the very best,0 -
Definitely mention it to the doctor, but no, that small of a difference will be imperceptible. Also, the meds have a cumulative effect on your body, so give it a solid 6 to 8 weeks before really deciding how it is you feel. Also make sure you are taking it according to the directions (that's really important). I'm on a similar schedule with the same dosage (though mine's a little less complicated, I'm 112 mgs for 6 days and cut one in half for the 7th day)0
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I get retested in October. Am I the only person who collects fallen hair in baggies to show the doctor? Weird. Maybe it's just the change in seasons. I'm hopeful it will settle down soon. Thank you all again!0
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I have been Hyper/Graves and am now Hypo. I have experienced phases to time where I seem to loose a lot of hair even though my dose of levo or synthroid was not adjusted. I think that sometimes your body will change depending on what you are eating, etc. Luckily, my hair has grown back each time I've experienced this "over shedding" of hair.
I have upped my multivitamin intake. For some reason, I can remember to take my thyroid meds every day, but don't always take the multivitamins. I have been taking a hair, skin and nail formula and found when I started taking them regularly, the hair fall has decreased somewhat.
My doctor expected to have to change my dosage of levo based on my weight loss, but when the tests came back, he didn't modify the dosage, but I was switched from synthroid to levo 6 months ago and I don't feel the same on the levo as I do on the synthroid.
I'm going back to the doc next week and will ask to be put back on synthroid.
Best of luck to you and keep on your doctors! We have to sometimes fight for our treatment, but you know your body better than your doctor does!0 -
Ironically, one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is hair loss, but one of the side effects of levo is hair loss. Not sure of your age, but could the hair loss be hormonal? My hair grows super fast, but the thinning is faster.
You might see if your doc will switch you to a natural dessicated thyroid med like Armour or WP.0 -
Do you mean 100 micrograms and 112 micrograms? I don't believe anyone makes a "110" microgram pill.
You should call your doc and let him or her know about this.
Too many docs treat the lab numbers instead of the patient. If you are having symptoms he should restore your dose.
You should also ask him to re-test you to verify that the numbers that prompted him to change the dose were not lab error or the result of normal variation of the laboratory test's accuracy.
add: he may also be driven by "guidelines" which say the dose needs to be re-evaluated whenever your weight changes by >10%. "re-evaluated" doesn't necessarily mean "changed". Docs seem so eager to cut people's thyroid dose when they lose weight but you'll rarely find one so eager to raise it if you gain back pounds. It's an unfair asymmetry we need to fight against.
I'm not sure why the medical establishment seems to fear mild hyperthyroidism so much more than hypo...prolonged hyperthyroidism can thin your bones, but you'd get short-term symptoms of racing heart, sweating, etc. etc. to demand you change dosage long before any long-term damage is done. By contrast hypothyroidism is easily missed as a problem for years, and causes deranged cholesterol and triglycerides with all their associated problems.
Especially for someone actively losing weight, it seems silly to me to cut thyroid dosage for someone who is not suffering any symptoms whatsoever of hyperthyroidism.
Totally agree with this. Call your Doctor if you are having symptoms from the decreased dosage.0 -
Looking into selenium and its action with the thyroid I have discovered too little selenium can cause hair loss. This happens because t4 needs selenium to become t3. egg yoke, whole wheat there were other things. I also read selenium works to tame free radical damage.0
