Official answer. Yes, levothyroxine, the main treatment for a sluggish thyroid gland, may cause hair loss in addition to other side effects. You may experience partial hair loss in the first few months of treatment, but this usually resolves and hair growth goes back to normal within a short time.
Most people who notice more hair loss after starting levothyroxine find that it lasts only a month or two. Additional shedding sometimes happens because the hormones need time to stabilize. The hair growth cycle takes time to adjust to changes in your system.
Thyroid-related hair loss will usually improve once a doctor treats the underlying health condition. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, hair shedding decreases 6 to 8 months after treatment.
What Does Thyroid Hair Loss Look Like? Thyroid hair loss often looks like a general thinning across your scalp or eyebrows. Thyroid hair loss might develop slowly; patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism notice a gradual thinning of their hair rather than localized bald spots or missing patches.
To conclude, levothyroxine overdose may lead to hair loss and should be watched for.
The TSH test
When the body produces too much or too little thyroid hormone this may lead to hair shedding. The single best test for thyroid problems is a blood test for “TSH” or thyroid stimulating hormone. If the TSH is abnormal, several additional thyroid tests can be ordered, including a "free T4".
Official answer. Yes, levothyroxine, the main treatment for a sluggish thyroid gland, may cause hair loss in addition to other side effects. You may experience partial hair loss in the first few months of treatment, but this usually resolves and hair growth goes back to normal within a short time.
While prolonged thyroid disease may cause diffuse hair loss, it's important to note that with treatment of your thyroid dysfunction, regrowth will typically occur (although it may take months and it may be incomplete).
Ironically, taking the hormone levothyroxine to treat an underactive thyroid can contribute to some hair loss, among other side effects, but this seems to be more common within the first month of treatment and more often in children than adults.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is a component of two important coenzymes: flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) [22].
Sensitive Skin and Skin Discoloration
Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in various ways. For example, with hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips.
The half-life of levothyroxine is 6-7 days, which means it takes about 4-5 weeks for your body to rid itself of levothyroxine. Nonetheless, as synthetic T4 levels start to wane, you can begin to experience symptoms within the first week of not taking your medication.
Levothyroxine will stay in your system for around 4 to 6 weeks. It takes longer for people with hypothyroidism to eliminate levothyroxine (closer to 6 weeks) than those with normal thyroid function. Levothyroxine contains a synthetic version of T4, one of two hormones produced by the thyroid.
It takes 4–6 weeks for thyroid medication to fully leave the body and for TSH levels to rise to the level they will be without levothyroxine. Most guidelines recommend adjusting the dose according to lab results every 4 to 6 weeks.
Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles to grow, and so when the body does not have enough, the hair may be affected. A vitamin D deficiency may also be linked to alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss.
One of the symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland is weight gain. So, once you start taking levothyroxine, you may lose weight as your body's hormones rebalance. Losing weight can also be a sign that your dose of levothyroxine is too high.
What can happen if I stop taking my thyroid medication? If you stop your thyroid medication abruptly, symptoms of hypothyroidism will likely return. If hypothyroidism is left untreated, it can lead to serious health problems. You may experience mood swings, irritability, and slowed thoughts.
The more commonly reported adverse events have included those of hyperthyroidism due to therapeutic overdose including arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, dyspnea, muscle spasm, headache, nervousness, irritability, insomnia, tremors, muscle weakness, increased appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, heat intolerance, ...
Testosterone Blood Test
Since elevated DHT is the main culprit for pattern hair loss, it only makes sense that increased testosterone influences alopecia. After all, DHT is an offshoot of testosterone. You can check the levels of this hormone through the appropriate blood test.
An underactive thyroid is a lifelong condition, so you'll usually need to take levothyroxine for the rest of your life.
Minoxidil: According to King, minoxidil is the most proven treatment for both men and women. Used in shampoos and popular products like Rogaine (more below), it essentially widens the blood cells, allowing “more oxygen, blood and nutrients to reach the follicles,” said King.