When can I expect my hair loss to stop and my hair to start growing back?

Posted , 6 users are following.

I started levothyroxine a month ago and my hair loss has only gotten worse, I read that that is a normal side effect and is temporary. When can I expect it to stop and my hair to begin growing back?

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Sasha,

    As per my previous comment the hair loss can be caused by a number of factors:

    Temporary hair loss due to starting levothyroxine

    Too much medication

    Hormonal imbalances

    Other deficiencies such as vitamin b12, D etc.

    I would imagine probably one of the top two causes as it has suddenly got worse.

    Once the hair has stopped shedding, it can take up to six months to see any noticeable differences in regrowth.

    I've only experienced hair loss due to too much medication rather than at the initial stages of taking levothyroxine. I dont remember hair loss being particularly noticeable when I started it.

    Get the vitamin levels and thryoid function tests done and this may present the cause making it easier to stop the hair loss (or at least reduce it).

    There are various things that can be done for hair loss. My Gp prescribed steroid ointment to put on my hair, but these remedies are unlikely to have any effect if the cause is hormonal or due to deficiency.

    I feel for you and it can be scary losing hair - it broke me when it first happened. But when they reduced my medication levels, the hair loss went back to a normal level, so don't lose hope. Things can be out of balance initially when you start treatment.

    • Posted

      Also try not to focus on it too much as stress can make things worse. It is normal to lose around 70-100 hairs a day.
  • Posted

    I agree with Sayhitocaz and from my limited experience with this is that the level of medication you have to be at in order for you hair grow back is a very fine balance. You have to first get the major symptoms sorted out (i.e. eliminated) and then fine tune to the point where your hair starts to grow back. At least that has been my experience. It is not easy to do this because it takes about 6 weeks per change in meds - and you cannot get meds with tiny amounts, you will have to work that out - your doctor should know how to do this. I can PM you how to do this if you want, it's basically a "rounding down or up" algorithm.
  • Posted

    Hello Sasha:

    My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.   Back in 1987 when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease, my hair had been falling out also, it took me 6 months or so before it started to come back.  Your TSH and blood levels have to be good and with in the scale of 0.45 to 4.20.  Also your iron levels like Ferritin have to be good.  So make sure your Ferritin which is a component of iron is 70+. B-12 and cortisol levels should be checked also.

    So it can take a while, let us know how your TSH and T4 and T3 levels are and that will help us know where you are at with your thyroid.

    It can vary from person to person. My eyebrows became thin and for some weird reason it was never the same.  If your are menopausal age it can be effected by that.

    Keep us posted on how you do.   Any questions just ask,

    Shelly

     

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