[mawahit]

#1058673

Hello everybody!

In March of 2011 I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease and was prescribed 20 mg of methimazole daily. I also told my doctor that I was planning to get pregnant as soon as my thyroid is fixed. He said once my thyroid levels stabilize at 20 mg, he will lower the dose to 5 mg/day so I could start getting pregnant. In August he lowered the dose to 5 mg, based on normal levels of T3 and T4, but still low levels of THS (.002). In about a month after I started taking 5 mg I have noticed abnormal hair loss. Went back to my endo and he said that hair loss was not caused by the drug, but by over active thyroid. He told me that my blood work was awful with THS of .001 and therefore 5 mg treatment is not working. He recommended to schedule radioactive iodine treatment and stop taking methimazole 2 weeks before the day of the treatment. I am scheduled for RAI treatment on Oct 17th. I am afraid that I will loose even more hair if I continue taking methimazole for another month.

My question is: why is it when I had Graves disease and didn’t take any medication, I had a full head of hair and now that I am taking the drug, I am loosing hair like crazy? I can literary tell that my head feels lighter than before and I can see my scalp through my hair….If I quit taking methimazole now, will my hair stop falling out?

If anyone was in a similar situation, please share your experience!

[Kimberly]

#1169293

Hello – I have to run, as I’m leading a local support group today, but wanted to provide a quick response. Hopefully, some others will chime in.

Most patients notice hair loss when levels are swinging either *up* or *down*. Giving up on treatment will only make your overall health issues worse, so please don’t do that! I’ve read a story online from one patient who believes she had better luck with PTU vs. Methimazole in terms of hair loss. However, Methimazole has a better track record with liver issues than PTU…so this would be an issue to discuss with your doctor.

[Bobbi]

#1169294

A dermatologist told me that hair (and nails) are considered non-essential by the body. When we are healthy, nutrients will flow to hair and nails. When we are not healthy, nutrients will go to other parts of the body first. If there’s anything left over, the hair and nails will get it last.

It is difficult to tell what is going on with our hair while we are hyper and hypo. When I was hyper, my hair was more brittle, and tended to break. When I was hypo my hair tended to fall out like my collie’s fur — in big clumps. When I was swinging wildly from hyper to hypo I had hair issues, too.

The problem for us is that we must be TOTALLY consistent with the meds prescribed or else our doctors cannot tell what is going on. It may be that you are on slightly too big a dose of the methimazole, in which case when you have your next blood test, your doctor will figure that out. (Provided that you don’t tinker with things, in the meantime.) You will not go bald, unless you have yet another autoimmune disease. So, try to hang in there. It is a process that can be frustrating, but we do get well again.

[mawahit]

#1169295

Thanks, guys! It’s been a difficult journey and hopefully once I undergo the radioactive iodine treatment, things will improve.

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