[ely2009]

#1071936

Janet,

I’m pretty new to this Graves thing, so don’t have much advice to offer you. I do have a 4 yr old daughter though who had a health scare of her own last year, so my heart goes out to you. I’ll be thinking of you and your little girl.

Good luck,
Emily

[catsmum]

#1071937

Hi,

I know how you feel! My daughter is a bit older than yours, at 17, and is on block & replace therapy. She too is having problems with her hair & also her nails are thinning & breaking. Apparently there are 3 types of hair loss, the first is general shedding of hair (you’ll notice more than usual around the plug when washing hair, or on the brush.) From what I undestand this is a common symptom of hypothyroid often seen in patients taking Syntheroid & isn’t permanent.
The second type involves circular patches of hair loss & can be due to either fungal infection or autoimmune alopecia. The last is more assoscited with men & you notice thinning at the temple area. From what you say, I think the first is more likely. If you can speak to your endo I’m sure he/she will be able to advise you on wether they think more blood tests are needed.
Sorry I can’t be of more help. I know how heartbreaking it is to watch your beautiful little girl coping with this illness. Take care of yourself

W x

[hyperm]

#1071938

Hey,
YES I had a massive hair loss. I actually posted on here at the time as I was frightened to wash my hair and when I did or brushed it even gently it was coming out in lumps. I was lucky to have thick hair to begin with. However, thankfully it eventually stopped and is back to a normal loss.

Yes my nails are so brittle too and that is a very common characteristic of the disease. My nails didn’t even get strong or grow in pregnancy which is unusual.

Please try to keep your daughter calm and I am sure you will get much reassurance on here. I was advised that once my levels started to become within range it would settle down. The only problem I have and have had since I was diagnosed 4 years ago is very dry hair – I have had numerous treatments at my hairdressers and try everything at home to no avail ” title=”Wink” />

lots of love to your daughter and her caring mum ” title=”Wink” />

M x

[Ski]

#1071939

The hair loss has to do with the imbalance in her thyroid levels ~ the body removes resources from the hair and nails while the body is undergoing this "emergency condition," in order to preserve resources for the rest of her body. It’s true, once her levels get into the normal range and stay there, the hair loss should stop. The body will react this way when the levels are imbalanced AND when the levels are rapidly changing up or down, whether they’re heading toward or away from a healthy level. It doesn’t indicate that she is sicker, by any means.

For now, figure out a way to give her a haircut that does not require lots of brushing. A short, layered cut can be good, if she’s got some natural curl/wave. The more you have to work with her hair, the more you’ll notice the hair loss. The longer the hair is, the more you’ll notice the hair loss. It will come back, and since she’s in the process of getting the levels right, she’s headed in the right direction. Still, under normal circumstances, thyroid hormone levels would never change so rapidly, so that’s why the body goes into something of a panic.

[sjharner2001]

#1019482

Hi everyone. I have a question/concern. My daughter has Graves. Her hyperthyroid was treated with RAI in mid-Nov. She was 3 at the time. Since, she is now four and taking Synthroid. Her TSH remains high (last one was 22.25 on 3/19 and her dose keeps being upped.
However, my concern is not this — it is regarding hair loss. In the last month, my daughter has been losing lots and LOTS of her hair. Lately, when I comb it, I notice bigger clumps coming out. As of now, she doesn’t have any bald spots however, I’m afraid it is going to turn into that. Does anyone know if this is normal with Graves or post RAI? could this be a side effect of the medicine?
She is on Synthroid. Her ped. endo does not want her on generic. Not sure if I should call her ped. endo with this hair loss or her regular pediatrician?
I’m a very worried mom right now.

Janet

[LisaM]

#1071940

I too am currently experiencing this and I’m sorry to hear. As everyone else has said these are fairly textbook symptoms and thankfully are temporary but nonetheless discouraging at times. I’ve honestly decided just shave my head and save the trouble of having to constantly sweep or vacuum my floors! I’ve decided to start taking Biotin supplements and will increase my diet of vegetables. Apparently Biotin supplements have worked for cancer patients who have lost their hair. However, I’m not sure how high of a dose I should be taking. Has anyone else tried this?

[DianneW]

#1071941

I’ve always been the "long hair" type, and so was distressed during my hair loss times, which for me lasted for five years while I had thyroid fluctuations. My husband got really tired of taking apart the sink and bathtub pipes to unclog the drains, as well as replacing the vacuum cleaner belts that broke from the hairs. The bright side was that my hair actually appeared thicker because the new hairs constantly growing in (all different lengths), which had some natural curl, gave my hair some puff. It got very thin at the ends though, so I had to keep it shoulder length or shorter. Finally 13 years later I’m able to grow it long again.

The point is that I tried EVERYTHING in terms of diet and supplements to help me feel better and keep my hair, including biotin. Nothing worked. As the doctors say about this, I probably had very expensive urine.

[Author]

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