[Ewenme]

#1018381

Hello, Graves’ friends,
My story: Diagnosed in March, being treated with ATD’s. My last TSH ( late July) was 6.29, my free T4 was .40, so Technically now I’m Hypothyroid, I suppose. My endo reduced my Methimazole from 15 to 10 mg a day as of about a week ago. Now I’m noticing increased hair loss, and my hair dresser mentioned to me today that I was losing a lot of hair. so it’s not my imagination. I wonder what gives, since I have not had that much hair loss before this, even while thyrotoxic. Anyone have any opinion about why this would be happening now?
Joy

[Bobbi]

#1064388

Hair and nails are a non-essential, as far as the body is concerned, so they are the first to lose nutrients when we become sick and the last to regain them once we are well. The more essential body parts/organs take what they need — if anything is left over, hair and nails are back to being nourished. When we are hypo, our hair falls from the roots in larger chunks than normal. And we do notice this. We do not go bald. The hair grows back, and once we are stabilized at normal thyroid levels again, we stop losing it as quickly.

What to do? Be gentle with the hair, and get very good nutrition. This won’t stop the process of hair loss, but it might well keep it to a minimum.

[Ewenme]

#1064389

Evidently, hypo is worse than hyper when it comes to hair loss. I haven’t lost any chunks (knocking on wood ” title=”Wink” /> as I say this)– just finding a lot of hair in my hair brush/comb. Incidentally, I had asked to have my endo appt changed to an earlier date, as I had begun also to put on more weight than I thought was warranted judging by what I had been eating, so suspected my dose of MMZ could be reduced. I think my endo was a bit skeptical, so I am a bit smug that I was right about this. The lesson I guess is to be assertive (but not obnoxiously so) when it comes to your care. Only you know how you feel.
Joy

[Kimberly]

#1064390

Joy – Yes, we absolutely need to be assertive when it comes to our own care!

Hopefully, your next follow-up appointment is fairly soon, as you want to make sure your levels start moving into the normal range again. Definitely ask for new labs if you start to notice symptoms of hypO, which can include fatigue, joint pain, weight gain, slow pulse, intolerance to cold, and constipation. Hair/nail changes can also be a sign of hypO. However, I personally notice hair loss when my levels are swinging either up *or* down.

Best of luck!

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