April 24 2006, 11:32 am PT | Posted in: Drugs (Cause Hair Loss) + Female Hair Loss
I had thick and fast growing hair until I started taking syntrhoid for an underactive thyroid. The doctor says the medicine is not to blame but it just seems too coincidental to me. But, I am losing most of my hair in the front part of my scalp and I feel these tiny pimple like bumps on my scalp. I do not have dandruff but am wondering if this could be something else. I take no other medications and I am 56 years old, female. MY Mother and Grandmother both had and have thinning hair but it is in the back and they were both on all sorts of heart and blood pressure medicine. My 58 year old sister and brother are having no hair problems. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Patients with hypothyroidism tends to have hair loss, and hair loss is a known side effect of Synthroid. I would certainly take this up with your doctor. There are many other causes for female hair loss as well, such as stress, crash diets, oral contraceptive pills, beta blockers, coumadin, psoriasis, and inflammatory diseases.
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I was also put on Synthroid almost 2 years ago. I am a 49 year old female. I have baby fine blond hair, but I had alot of it! My blood tests had shown that I was borderline hypothyroid, and was put on Synthroid anyway. I was put on the generic for a little while due to the insurance companies preference, then put back on Synthroid. My hair became very brittle, and broke off easily. I went to a dermatologists for three visits…he gave me a ph balance shampoo, and told me that I had “blocked follicles”, and said that it was genetic. My mother and father both have all of their hair, and so did their parents, and my sister and brother!In the meantime, I’ve collected clumps of hair after washings in baggies! I had posted a question in Feb. 06′, of which Dr. Rassman kindly answered. I went ahead and had a transplant, and was told to use minoxidil while waiting for the grafts to grow. I had it done the beginning of Dec. 05′, and only have seen a partial comeback of the hair that was shocked, but have not yet seen any new growth. My primary doctor said that Synthroid does not cause hair loss! My hair was breaking off here and there, but it was thinning above my bangs, on the crown. I was on verapamil since 1996 to lessen migraines…but I didn’t see any hair breakage and loss till I was put on Synthroid in 2004. She looked in her big medical book, and insisted that it is the verapamil. I am off of that now, and she still insists that it isn’t the Synthroid. I feel like the medical community has let me down here in a way. I was also told by the dermatologist, and the transplants doctors nurse, that I should cut my hair short. My hair is shoulder length, and I want to keep all that I can get! I believe that being hypothyroid can cause hair loss…but medications like Synthroid can cause it also! Thanks for letting me “rant”!
Synthroid does cause hair loss!!! I am a nursing student and have a best friend with hypothyroidism and she is only 25. She has been taking Synthroid for the past 2 years and has lost much of her hair. She is devidstated. It can also be your body telling you that you are receiving to much or to little TSH, and your medication may need to be adjusted.
I am only 19 years old and I have been on Levothyroxine/Synthroid for about a year. I was switched to synthroid a couple of months ago after being on Levothyroxine and getting no results. My hair is coming out in handfulls! I do think Synthroid causes hair loss.