[Bobbi]

#1074944

Out-of-whack thyroid hormone levels can lead to hair loss, especially on the hypo side of things. When we are hyper, the hair tends to get brittle, and break. When we are hypothyroid, hair can fall out in clumps (seemingly). There were weeks when I was losing more hair than my pet collies. We do not go bald, but we do lose more hair than normal. Thyroid levels, therefore, are something to check. I don’t think the medications cause us to lose hair, except insofar as they are in an incorrect dose, thus making us either hyper or perhaps hypo.

The body "feeds" the hair, and the nails, last — they are considered non-essential. So when we are sick, the hair and nails show the effects early and they are the last to recover. It is necessary to be a bit patient. But if your daughter’s levels have been adequately stable for long enough, the hair loss should stop.

One aspect of weight that is often misinterpreted: some, if not most, of our weight loss while we are hyperthyroid comes from lost muscle mass, especially in the large motor muscles of the legs and arms. This is very bad weight loss because having muscle raises our metabolism, allowing us to eat more without gaining weight. A converse of this is that with the muscle gone, if we eat ‘normally’ we can gain weight easier. When we get stabilized at normal levels of thyroid hormone, the muscle starts to come back. This, obviously, appears as weight gain: muscle weighs more than other tissues. But , muscle burns more calories, even at rest, so this is good weight gain. It is very difficult for many of us to get beyond the numbers on the scale, when they are going up particularly, and think about good or bad weight gain. Over time, things will moderate. A key would be clothing size. I regained 15 pound of my lost weight after RAI, but stayed in the same general clothing size. Muscle typically takes up less room than flab.

The returning muscle must be exercised in order to strengthen it. But having it will allow us to eat more without gaining additional weight. I have a friend who still runs marathons (she used to do triathlons, but when she hit 60 years old she gave the other two parts up!) Anyway, she can eat two our three times what I can eat, and she is about a size 1. It is not just that she exercises regularly — it is also that she has lots and lots of muscle tissue compared to me. So, try to encourage your daughter to have patience with the weight issues, to eat properly, and to get as much exercise as she is allowed by her doctors, so that she is strengthening the returning muscle, and her weight issues should become ok again.

[sherry]

#1019908

My 18 year-old daughter was diagnosed with graves disease 1 year ago. She has been through so much with this disease. The main thing that she is dealing with right now is hair loss and weight gain. I would appreciate any advice anyone might have on this. I feel that the hair loss is due to the medication, but I don’t know what to do about it. Thanks!

[Mickey65]

#1074945

That’s one thing I didn’t have any problems with – hair loss. I have very thick and lots of hair too!

I have a co-worker who may be hypo – who I talked into getting an appointment to get things checked out. She mentioned something to me today about her hair loss.

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