# Hair falling out... :(



## Jackajacka42 (Aug 18, 2012)

Hi.

I have Graves' disease, and had an rai ablation July 2012. My levels have "evened out" and I'm currently not on any meds. TSH .7 t4 1.1 last labs 01/09/12. Before then I was on 20 mg daily of methimozole since nov 5. My hair has been falling out the last 3 months. It has gotten so bad that I would definitely say I've lost at least 50% of it. I've told my dr at every visit and he keeps saying its part of such fluctuating hormones and will grow back one my levels more permanently stabilize. Has anyone gone through this? I'm going through hell watching my long locks fall out in chunks everytime I brush my hair or shower. Is the doc right? Does it eventually stop and grow back? I don't think it can take much more. I will be bald if I have to go through this another 3 months :-(


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Jackajacka42 said:


> Hi.
> 
> I have Graves' disease, and had an rai ablation July 2012. My levels have "evened out" and I'm currently not on any meds. TSH .7 t4 1.1 last labs 01/09/12. Before then I was on 20 mg daily of methimozole since nov 5. My hair has been falling out the last 3 months. It has gotten so bad that I would definitely say I've lost at least 50% of it. I've told my dr at every visit and he keeps saying its part of such fluctuating hormones and will grow back one my levels more permanently stabilize. Has anyone gone through this? I'm going through hell watching my long locks fall out in chunks everytime I brush my hair or shower. Is the doc right? Does it eventually stop and grow back? I don't think it can take much more. I will be bald if I have to go through this another 3 months :-(


Is that a Total 4 or a FREE T4 test and would you perchance have the range for whichever it is? Different labs use different ranges.

Have you had a Ferritin test as well?

Ferritin (should be 50 to 100; the closer to 100,the better) 
http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm


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## Jackajacka42 (Aug 18, 2012)

It was free t4 with ranges from .71- 1.85. I have never had ferritin checked. I don't even know that is, other than I'm assuming it has to do with iron. Would prenatal vitamins help? I've been trying to take them daily but I forget and it's more like every other day.


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

Everytime I've been under anesthesia for surgery, my hair has fallen out so badly that I'd comb/brush my hair on the patio. I hung a little mirror on an old baker's rack and I'd try to fix my hair outside rather than make such a mess in the bathroom. I live in a warm climate - I was doing this in the summertime, not winter! :winking0014:

When my daughter was born in 1968, the same thing happened. I was told then that it was hormonal. My hair actually fell out the worst at that time.

Both times, miraculously, the problem eventually stopped and my hair is, or appears to be, quite healthy.

My father died unexpectedly in 2004 and my entire world fell apart for awhile and my hair fell out for several months, but eventually stopped.

My husband had emergency open heart surgery and my hair fell out for awhile.

For me, I've almost come to expect anesthesia, stress, or hormonal changes to trigger excessive hair loss but, so far, it has always come back.

I've been hearing about a "vitamin" available at ULTA (Visacal, I think) that some people think is a miracle hair supplement. I believe it contains shark cartilage or something like that but supposedly it is flying off the shelves. At $40 a month, it'll have to fly right past me but it might be worth researching.


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## sleepylady (Mar 18, 2012)

I DCLAIRE-

Mary Shomon recommends Evening Primrose Oil. I have no idea if it works, but the other people on her boards seem to agree. I see it listed at CVS Pharmacy under $12.

Just a suggestion. When I tell my docs that my hair falls out they don't believe me. They say it looks so full! Yes, well so is the vacuum cleaner and dryer from my hair. My husband says he wakes up choking on it, and I found it in my daughter's clean underwear. LOL!


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

> I've been hearing about a "vitamin" available at ULTA (Visacal, I think) that some people think is a miracle hair supplement. I believe it contains shark cartilage or something like that but supposedly it is flying off the shelves. At $40 a month, it'll have to fly right past me but it might be worth researching.


 This is what I've been taking and even though it's freaking expensive, it's the ONLY thing that stopped my hair loss and started regrowth. I tried everything--biotin, Maxi Hair, evening primrose oil, etc.--and nothing helped. This started working for me within 2 weeks.


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## Jackajacka42 (Aug 18, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions! I really need some good ideas, I appreciate all your help!


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## nikkij0814 (Jul 13, 2011)

Jackajacka42 said:


> Hi.
> 
> I have Graves' disease, and had an rai ablation July 2012. My levels have "evened out" and I'm currently not on any meds. TSH .7 t4 1.1 last labs 01/09/12. Before then I was on 20 mg daily of methimozole since nov 5. My hair has been falling out the last 3 months. It has gotten so bad that I would definitely say I've lost at least 50% of it. I've told my dr at every visit and he keeps saying its part of such fluctuating hormones and will grow back one my levels more permanently stabilize. Has anyone gone through this? I'm going through hell watching my long locks fall out in chunks everytime I brush my hair or shower. Is the doc right? Does it eventually stop and grow back? I don't think it can take much more. I will be bald if I have to go through this another 3 months :-(


Hi there -- Whenever I had changes in my thyroid meds/changes in hormones, I had hair loss. Mine has now stopped falling out since I've been on the same dose for about 5 months. Good luck, I hope it gets straightened out soon!


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## midgetmaid (Jul 22, 2010)

I lost so much hair with every shower that the drain would be stopped and I'd be standing in a wading pool even though I had just cleaned it off. Then I'd lose more in the brush and on the floor.

It eventually returned to normal and has thickened back up.

Renee


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## surge (Aug 15, 2012)

It totally sucks and I felt I was going bald myself-- I lost hair for about 9 months. I went to see a dermatologist at one point, too. He told me to get on a multivitamin with iron immediately since the body won't choose to make new hair if it has lower levels of iron. It'll reserve that iron for red blood cells. So, I started on floradix-- it's a liquid, so easily absorbed, and then moved to bluebonnet, 2x a day with vitamin C.

The derm also told me that whenever there is a change in the thyroid hormones, it's like the system resets itself and you lose more hair. It takes awhile but it does eventually stabilize for most people.

EPO is great if your hairloss is diffuse but particularly visible at the temples and the front. It took about 6-8 weeks for this to build up and work in my system.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Jackajacka42 said:


> It was free t4 with ranges from .71- 1.85. I have never had ferritin checked. I don't even know that is, other than I'm assuming it has to do with iron. Would prenatal vitamins help? I've been trying to take them daily but I forget and it's more like every other day.


The link I provided would explain ferritin very well.


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