androgenic alopecia or ferritin hair loss, how do I know help help - Hair Loss / Alopecia Message Board

tropicalglow · 07-17-2008, 06:44 PM

hi ladies I need some help, I have had bad hair loss over the last 2 years or so. I had a ferritin level of about 13 and a free t3 level of 2.3, I am now on armour thyroid and iron supplements and spironolactone, and my hair loss is still bad. How do I know what is causing it. My main concern is that its on the top of my head so its really really noticible I can see my scalp. I just want to cry everytime I see it or think about it. If it is from my thyroid and ferrritin level, would it be on top of my head or all over? help

Audrey-B · 07-18-2008, 02:00 AM

I went through years of hair shedding and finally found out i had anemia and then later found out i had a thyroid condition called Hashimoto's. I have battled for two years to get my ferretin up to 61. Low ferretin or difficult to raise ferretin appears to go hand in hand with thyroid issues. I was also found to be very low in vitamin D and iodine. Has your doctor checked those levels?

I once went on an iodine supplement for a few months and later down the track i experience zero hair loss for a whole month. It then began shedding again and i couldn't understand why. It wasn't until i had further tests done with my thyroid doctor that we found out that my body can't retain iodine. I've been back on iodine drops for about 2 months now and my hair 'appears' to be getting better again.

I visited a Trichologist for my hair shedding, prior to getting diagnosed with Hashimoto's and he did say that low ferretin and thyroid problems can lead to early onset of alopecia in females. Once everything is corrected your hair should get back to normal or closer to normal than what you are experiencing now.

If your ferretin is 13 still now, that is way too low. I'm up to 61 and my previous and current doctors want me at around 125 or at least at 100. It's such hard work. I can't miss a day of taking my iron supplement. You should visit the anemia board and you will get lots of tips and help with ferretin issues. The thyroid board is a great place for additional thyroid help. It has helped me a lot, but it's a difficult topic to learn about, but i'm getting there slowly.

With your thyroid, how long have you been on medication? That can have a bearing too. Your system might need to get used to the medication. If the medication dosage is too low or too high, that can affect your hair getting back to normal too. Some people who have been on only T4 med's have found it beneficial to be on a combo of T4 and T3.

I have also read that a lot of people find evening primrose oil to be a great help. ( removed )

I hope you get some answers soon, but i'd advise you to check out the thyroid board and post a thread on there with your latest results and there are some experts on there who will help you out and maybe give some tips. Take care

moderator2 · 07-18-2008, 06:13 AM

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tropicalglow · 07-18-2008, 11:18 AM

thank you for your help, how do you get a iodine test is it a blood test. How is your hair now, has it grown back, stopped shedding?

Audrey-B · 07-20-2008, 05:07 PM

Iodine tests can be done via a blood or urine test. A urine test is the best, but a blood test will show up if you are low in iodine. Have they tested your vitamin D and even gluten intolerance test? A lot of people with either underactive thyroid or with Hashimoto's seem to experience malabsorbtion of iodine, iron, vitamin D and a lot of them also seem to suffer with gluten intolerance.

Everybody is individual and with thyroid condtions we're also all individuals. What works for one wont necessarily work for another. I'm on a T3 medication and now my doctor is adding a little T4 also. A lot of people are either on T4 or T3 only and some find it works for them, but others dont feel too good, but once they are taking a bit of both T4 and T3 they feel better and see better results. Not all doctors believe this theory though.

My shedding has slowed, but it's a long process. Hair doesn't simply grow back or stop shedding within a few weeks of starting medication. In my case, my hormones were badly messed up courtesy of my thyroid. I think my hair shedding was due to various things, not just one. I think it was partly due to the low iron, partly due to me not being able to digest protein and partly due to the hormonal/thyroid issue.

I'm not sure whether there is a process with thyroid correction eg: with ferretin it first goes to your bone marrow, then your muscles and then onto other vital organs and your hair gets it last or whatever is left over. That is why higher ferretin levels are very necessary. Higher ferretin levels benefit the thyroid too as anemia or very low long term iron stores will affect the thyroid. It's important to get your ferretin levels raised from 13 and to get your ferretin retested every 3 months.

You mentioned that you are on spironolactone. I don't know what that is. What are you taking that for and are you sure that it's not something which has a side effect of hair loss?

I just remembered that being defficient in selenium can cause hair loss, but do a blood test first as too much selenium can cause hair loss too.