Synthroid and hair loss

jesus its really comforting to explore the possibility that all this unnecessary havoc is the synthroid! i have wasted the last four years in complete confusion, and utter weirdness .and frankly feel old as hell ..
ive always felt up until 5th grade, the times would never be so jolly, but the last four have been dead since my diagnosis at .75 mg; i feel like a numb, lifeless, terrified kid trying to feel something, if anything at all. I have experienced many of the symptoms below, hair loss, anxiety, extreme bipolar moods, and depression. I want to cry for keeping my mouth shut for so long and i constantly fret and worry that age twenty is killing me faster than other people for no apparent reason- im done and would be thrilled to cash in my manic depressive cynicism for a sleepy and happy soul. now i have to figure what to do next...any suggestions other than throwing the shits in a fire?

this is insane! I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been taking the synthroid for four years; starting at sixteen after gaining weight and losing energy- which probably resulted in teenage move- and introduction to alcohol and reefer for social acceptance. I noticed the synthroid helped with my sleepiness, but now im crying bc ive realized ive been slowly killing myself by doing what ive been told and keeping my mouth shut. I used to be more outgoing, and embraced my creativity when alone, now to find myself in a never ending cycle of anxiety, and depression triggered when solo and am def. more of a sociophobic hermit with drunk friends i see once every 2 weeks. I have noticed the hair loss, and have been getting progressively worse over the years and feel ancient. After reading this i am willing to sacrifice my energy for any extra feeling i can get out of this numb lifeless being ive digressed into to- i need to find a more natural solution for this hypothyroidism- any suggestions- we need a revolution on this, fuck synthroid!

I've had my thyroid removed in 2006 and since then I've been on medication, i was ok first and i thought i was ok until now. i had leg pains that woke me up from my sleep and i went to doctor and couldn't figure out why i was having this pain, i thought i had restless leg syndrome or sciatic but doctor said no. now i'm reading all your side effects and I'm in shock, i had no idea that it can cause to leg pain. also I've change my medication to generic (because of insurance issues) since then i guess my itching started. i thought i had allergic reaction to food or bugs or something and i went to allergist of course nothing came out. now I'm reading the side effects of this medication, it can cause hives, rashes, itching and even urticaria which i have right now. i went crazy to find anything in my house to find a bed bug, spider, flea or anything that can make me itch like this. the other side effects that I'm having are hair loss, red/hot face. i can not believe all these symptoms are actually side effects to a medication supposed to make me feel better. whoever says that's they find it weird that this medication has this many side effects, we are not crazy. this effects are real and so many of us has them.

Synthroid saved my mental well being and my life. When you first go on this medication, you can absolutely feel out of whack. First of all your body has to increase it's metabolism and is too tired to do it. It takes time for the hormone to be absorbed and then get the body back to functioning. Hair loss was not something that I had. But felt severely depressed after taking it. My doc told me that it was because my body was totally in a stress mode as it was trying to heal itself from being hypo. Went on paxil to ride out the storm, and have been totally find for over 6 years on both meds. My thyroid was so low it ran off the chart. A lot of women when discovering low thyroid are also simultaneously going through menopause or perimenopause. That is why the thyroid craps out. A lot of symptoms described in the other experiences here are menopause as well. Don't blame the synthroid. It will work and the hair loss is very temporary.

Everyone out there, try Armour Thyroid!!! I was changed to Synthroid (because my endo only believed in it) a few years ago, and put on 15 pounds and lost half of my hair. I work out at least 6 days a week, run 3-4 miles a day, and live on salad. I asked my regular MD to switch me to Armour, and in three weeks, my hair stopped falling out, and I'm losing weight. I was losing, yes, I counted, at least 45 hairs a day when I combed my hair after my shower (and I'm not counting the clumps that came out in the shower). Now, maybe when I wring my hair out in the shower, only one will come out and less than 15 in my comb. Ask you doctor to just try it, and if it doesn't work, you can always go back. I swear by it. I'm happy all the time again, where I have just been monotone for the last few years, and I'm thrilled. Good luck!!!

edrogers, sorry to hear about all your difficulties. Hair loss is a hallmark of Synthroid and any doc that tells you it isn't, is simply incompetent! I too am 110 and can't gain weight. After years of having tests, incl thyroid (I figured I had Graves), tests always came back normal. A year ago I had a large goiter that turned out to be non-cancerous but I had to have half my thyroid removed. I ended up on 50 mcg and now 75 mcg of Synthroid. Since the dosage increased 2 mos ago, I have had SEVERE leg and foot cramps that wake me up several times during the night. Plus when I wake up, I feel an aching in my legs and wonder if that is not "restless leg syndrome". I am not sure if that syndrome is related to thyroid disease or Synthroid. I have not read about that one anywhere so far. I hate the idea of being on this med from what I have read and am considering Armour.

Two things I have learned though are: 1. If you have thyroid disease, you MUST have your adrenal levels checked. Even the drug info states this must be done before any thyroid treatment and 2. if your doc doesn't listen to you, find a new one. The best article I have read for thyroid disease is Gail's Thyroid Tips. it is a real eye opener.

Here' what it says..

10/28/2008 7/1/2008 2007 2006
TSH 1.41 1.71 4.08 4.28

TUP 36.1

FTI 9.96

T4 11.02

Am I still low enough to have the dry brittel hair and al the hair loss and wieght gain?

I have hypothyroid. Have been taking Synthroid for about a year, 0.075MG a day. Had my levels checked 3 times since on the meds and still have never gotten to normal, but a lot closer. I have gained 20 pounds that I can't get rid of, which for me, is crazy. I have never had a problem dropping weight, and for the past month or so, I have started losing my hair. Not just losing it, but the texture and everything has changed. No matter what I do it looks dry and flat, and even when I condition it and also use a leave in conditioner, it still knots up and tangles. I have NEVER had a problem with tangles. It's coming out in handfuls. Im not taking any other meds, so I imagine it has to be the Synthroid. My problem is..What else can I take? I mean, I have Hypothyroid, so I can,t just leave it untreated, But I have no wish to be fat and bald either. Please...anyone know of others meds without these side effects?

1990 - 2003 synthroid
Major bone loss
Complete hair loss

This medicine is horrible for me! I gave it a long while to give it a chance. Rapid weight gain, hair loss (ongoing), terrible aches and pains, hives, dead tired, terribly hot, irritable...the list goes on and on. After getting pro-active with my health care provider, I have now changed to Armour and now I'm remembering what 'normal' feels like again. I've lost all the weight I gained, my hair and skin feel much softer. I can't believe the amount of people that feel bad on this drug. It seems to be bad-mouthed all over the internet. I guess as long as the major drug companies retain it as the 2nd or 3rd best selling drug in the States and continue to fund, wine and dine and court physicians, we're never going to get rid of it. I chose to dispose of every single one of those evil pills. Armour stepped in to change my life for the better as Synthroid was slowly destroying me.

I have been on Synthroid for 12 weeks now. I have been experience extreme leg pain and knee pain on one side. Now my ankles ache in the morning and my elbow is starting to hurt. My doctor thinks there is no relationship of the synthroid and my joint pain.

I was diagnosed as having Hypothyroidism in 1-07. My TSH was 83 and I was sleepy all the time, moody and anxious, hair falling out, gaining weight, heavy clotting peiods, etc. I was 51 and it was all blamed for a while in perimenopause. I have been on Synthroid .50 since then and some things are better like hair loss and sleepiness. My last check a few months ago was 1.3. What I hate most of all is waking up after a few hours of sleep and I feeing like I am on some kind of speed. My mind is wide awake and jumping from one thought to another, sometimes sweating heavily with my heart racing. I was diagnosed 10 years ago with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia and was on Beta blockers for a while. I have a new doctor now and never discussed this with her. The anxiety is awful sometimes too . I start to get fears of not being able to swallow or breathe but can keep it under control. An average night of sleep is five broken up hours of sleep and every now and then from exhaustion I will get close to seven hours. I am foggy headed a lot but I never hardly yawn or feel sleepy in the daytime.

I was diagnoed back in november with Hashimoto Disease and had a complete thyroidectomy in December. I have been switched three times since Dec. 07 (only April 6 '08) to different doses of Synthroid. I still experienced weight gain and cannot lose weight, irritability, depression, hair loss, exhaustion... I decided last month to stop taking it all together and was wondering what effects this may have on me. Any clues as to the effects of NOT taking the medication after having a my thyroid completly removed?? I feel the same (depressed, irritable, still losing hair, exhausted...) but am sure this is probably not a good thing to not take any medication when I don't have a thyroid anymore.

My thyroid troubles started in 1993. I am not sure how long before the discovery I had the problem. Mine started as a nodule on one side. I was immediately put on Synthroid and had to go see the Endo every 6 months for a biopsy. In 1995 I became pregnant. I had one more biopsy until after the birth of my daughter. The Endo told me he wanted to see me right away after she was born to do another biopsy. I had my suspisions, but didn't think anyhing until after she was born and went for my biopsy. Well, I had cancer. I went through the whole thyroidectomy, the 3 days isolation with radio-iodine, and every year to every few years after I had to go back and get the radio-iodine treatment, while not the high dose as the first time, it went with the complete body scan. In fact, I am due now, but don't have health insurance. My dose has been switched a lot, I have probably been on every dose from the lowest up to .200mcg, which has been the highest for myself.

Symptoms: pre-thyroid disease, I am 5'2. I was always 110-115 lbs, I was 22 yrs old and 120 lbs. when I married in 1993. I did notice gradual weight gain, probably because of my thyroid problems. I am sad to say that now I am around 180 lbs. I cannot seem to lose the weight unless I go on a total starvation diet. I managed to lose 10-15 lbs over the past summer, but unfortunately for me it has come back over the winter. I tried to stay as active as possible by going to stores and malls to walk around. I do for a fact notice that when my dosage for Synthroid goes higher, so does my weight gain. I was on .137mcg over the summer, and I think that was a good dose for me, that was through the regular dr. The Endo is the one who put me back up to .150mcg. My Endo told me the thyroid is a regenerative organ, so it CAN grow back. I guess they don't want that in case of cancer again, and I guess that is why he keeps me on higher doses.

I personally cannot stand it. I feel it is a horrible curse. I feel very robbed of my previous active life. I have been dealing with this now for 12 years not having a thyroid and being on this medication. I feel angry that I do not have the energy to do things with my 12 yr old and 3 yr old. I miss the way I was before having thyroid disease. I feel very sad when they come up to me asking to do certain things and they (nor anyone else I know for that fact) can understand that I just feel so whooped, and no energy. All I ever seem to want to do is take a nap. I have migraine headaches constantly, I am constantly tired. I cannot concentrate, I have some memory loss. My ex-husband, and my current husband too for that fact think I am just being lazy. Well, that is not so. There are moments when I do feel a burst of energy, but then, I have to use that burst to do the things I need to do around the house.

Pre thyroid disease I was always active, never tired, could do anything. After: TIRED, I was 24 in 1996 and felt like an old lady, dry skin, no matter how much lotion I put on. The tub is full of hair, while it doesn't come out in clumps and I still have thick hair, I have hair all over the place. Irritable, mood swings, happy to angry and the snap of a finger. I can have insomnia some nights, constipation, lots of the same stuff others have listed on this forum. Those side affects are the same no matter what dose I am on. And like I said the higher the dose for me, the more weight I pack on. It is instantanious. Over Christmas, and no, it wasn't from eating all the goodies, I gained a lot of the weight I had lost over summer back, and that was because a few weeks before, the Endo had put me on the .150 mcg.

I have been on Synthroid for about 15 years for hypothyroidism. A few months after starting on it, I became sluggish with just no energy and my once thick hair was getting thinner and thinner. I told my doctor but she shrugged it off saying it was just my age (which at the time I was 45). She being the doctor, I assumed she was right. But awhile ago I started doing research and found in The New England Journal of Medicine that they were finding that Synthroid caused hair loss "in some people". It suggested using a thyroid hormone that used both T3 and T4 rather than the single one that Synthroid is. I went back to the doctor and she put me on Armour Thyroid. I have been on it now for 3 months, and my energy levels are way up, no longer sleeping my life away. My hair has not started growing back in yet, maybe it never will after all this time, but just feeling better is such a plus! (Of course I would feel a LOT better if my hair would thicken up again).

I have been on synthroid for about 6 months now. Some of the side effects I have been experiencing are numerous.I have hair loss, sometimes I get so ill that no one can stand to be around me, my weight has gone up about 30 pounds, my cholesterol levels went sky high so now I'm taking Crestor, I'm bloated most times, I have episodes where my face flushes and gets so red that it feels like its on fire, and now I've just started experiencing burning and aching of the legs, I'm tired a lot too! My doctor said I would lose the weight but every time I go for check ups and get on the scale it just keeps going up. I would like to know if anyone else out there is experiencing the burning and achy legs because I have been tested for everything and they can't find out what is going on. They of course say it's not the medication.It seems to never be. Does anyone feel me??

I must say that I HATE this medicine. I have been on it for about 30 years. Constantly like playing a game. Too much then too little. It is driving me crazy. I swear that I have tremors from it. I also have gain lots of weight and my hair falls out everyday. Surprised I am not bald yet. I use to be able to go to the gym for 5-6 days a week and now it is soooo hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I truly wish that there was something that I could do. I have had one side of my thyroid taken out and now have to go and get a ultra sound of the other side. Still cant figure out why the doctor took one side and not the other when the other side had nodules too.

I am so tired of it and just don't know what to do.

I do know that I will be definitely speaking with my endo and even if my levels are okay she has to do something to help me.

hello everyone
i am a full time college student and I believe that i have some side effects from synthroid. As i was reading everyones blog i notice that some people feel the same way that i do. At times i feel that i'm normal but if something upsetting happens i get really tired, depress, and I have a never time concentrating at school and home. My body hurts all the time. especially my joints and i feel that i don't want to do anything. I have about a year left until i graduate and its the going to be hard. I cry sometimes for no reason. help! i'm going to talk to my doctor but if any body else feels the same way please reply.

Through relentless pursuits in trying to stop my hairloss, tiredness, inability to lose weight and increase metabolism, my doctor agreed to allow me for 6 months to take a natural T3 supplement from a local apothecary. I FELT GREAT. The hair loss and tiredness stopped. However my body temperature still was low. 6 months later I agreed to a blood test and the "numbers" revealed I was out balance. Mr Dr. would not OK another Rx for the T3 supplement. Now that a few months have passed, again the hair loss and tiredness is returning. I am going to transfer to a Dr. who supports the T3 supplement. Did you know that there is no T3 in synthroid. However Armour has both T3 and T4.
There is a syndrome called Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. Search it out. A small group of endocrinologists are treating the body temperature (symptoms) rather than the numbers.

I started synthroid about 6 months ago and I am unhappy. I complained to my OB about my lack on sex drive. He tested my thryroid and said it was the cause. I have always struggled w/ my weight but had it under control. Since I started a low dose of synthroid, I have gained 4 lbs (I am only 5' tall so this means none of my clothes fit) despite running 30 miles per week and watching my diet. My once thick hair is getting thin and my sex drive is no better. Also, my stomache is often bloated.

I've been on synthroid since October 1996. My ankles are always swollen. That didn't start til I started the medication. My Endocrinologist keeps telling me that it has nothing to do with the meds. My TSH levels are constantly being taken. He says to cut down on salt. I don't eat much salt and besides, I know people that practically eat whole pigs and they don't have swollen ankles. Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions, I'm desperate!!!

I took 75 cmg of Synthroid after having my thyroid destroyed by radiation, then two months later dropped to 50 cmg. Within a month I was hospitalized for atrial fibrillation. The Synthroid was reduced to 37 cmg by my physician. I am experiencing dramatic hair loss and want an alternative to this poison that has ruined my heart as well as my appearance. In less than two weeks, I have gained 3 pounds. I should have left the thyoid alone but three "experts" said the hyperthyroidism would kill me. I had lost 14 pounds and had a thick gorgeous head of hair. Thanks to Synthroid, I am fatter and have gross hair loss. What hair I have is dry and thinning.

I was taking sythroid for enlarge thyroid. I begin to feel irritable, and experinced extreme hair loss. I'm drinking tahitian Noni juice and it has been great for me. My doctor can't believe how my tsh and t3 levels has changed for the better.

I have been a low dose of synthroid for 6 months now. My symptoms before syntrhoid were dizzy feeling - almost passing out - very light headed all the time - forgetful - heart palpitations - extreme foot pain - fatigue - moodiness - wanting to jump out of my skin. Finally, after 2 years found a Dr that wanted to check my thyroid. It's changed my life. Now the only feelings I'm having after starting synthroid - extreme hair loss and a terrible cough. That's really my question - has anybody developed a cough after taking this medicine. It only will last a little bit in the morning after taking it.

Well....I had missed a few days of my synthroid because I was on vacation, and started to feel really sluggish and just "off". I had a thyroidectomy a few years ago due to a growth in my thyroid that was only getting bigger. So...after reading all of these, the few problems I have been having over the years (hair loss, insomnia, horrible leg cramps), have gotten me worried. What are the options for someone like me? Who doesnt have a thyroid? What happens if I totally STOP taking this?

melasma (i'm pale skinned caucasian who uses tons of sunscreen) above my upper lip. laser does not get rid of it. i'm not pregnant or nursing.

also, hair loss could be due to overmedicating with synthroid or just plain hypO-thyroidism. just learned that sometimes low calcium (take premcal ONLY) or calcium without the correct ratio of vitamin D and magnesium, could be the reason one gets overmedicated on synthroid, then follows hairloss.

I have been taking synthroid for 20 years due to a nodule. It shrunk the nodule almost imediately but my eye, ear, nose and throat dr. insisted I continue to take sythroid. Today I had an regular appointment to check levels and he said that we are going to take me off synthroid. That a recent school of thought is that Synthroid doesn't need to be continued after the nodule is reduced!! I inquired several times about going off synthroid thru the years because I had alot of side effects. Hair loss, anxiety, heart palpitations, chest pain, sweating constantly, insomnia....all of the symptoms described by others on this page. I am kinda pissed but relieved to finally get to STOP TAKING IT!! Ask your Drs. about this if you just had a nodule and take synthroid for shrinking the nodule!!

I have been taken 100 mcg of Synthroid for a year now and I have had weight gain, sleepless nights, and hair loss on my left-side of my head. Once, it stopped my menstrual cycle for two months. So, I decided to decrease on my own from 100 mcg to 50 mcg. Afterward, my hair loss started to increase. So, I started taking 100 mcg instead of the 50 mcg. Did I do something wrong? I want to have children.

I started taking Synthroid 0.25mcg 4 month ago, for a thyroid that was a little under active. Last month I moved up to 0.50mcg. I have never felt better. Since I've been on the Synthroid I feel better than I have in 15 years, I'm 45. I have no hair loss, no leg cramps and my weight is fine. My period has become very normal again. The only thing that I notice is, my eye sight is changing. I had LASIK surgery a year ago and I'm noticing that my eye sight has gotten worse since I went to 0.50mcg. I go to the eye doctor in a week, it could just be aging. But I hope this helps someone to feel better. I did read that it take time to regulate the correct dosage to your needs, so just keep working with your doctor. And if your doctor doesn't seem to be working with you to make you feel better, then go to another doctor, I did.

I have been taking Synthroid for many years and I think I've had all of the side effects. Hair loss, lack of restful sleep, dried, itchy skin, tiredness, fast heart at times. It went hyper for a while and I felt good then but I did sweat a bit.
My condition is now hypo and I am having a lot of stiffness as well as the other symtoms.

Diagnosed hyperthyroid about 3 yrs ago. So extreme they deemed it necessary to not mess around with supression therapy and gave me radioactive iodine. Was all done so fast I didn't have time to think if I was doing what was best. Anyway.....1 mg of synthroid. When I am on it hair loss, thinner nails, calf cramps that kill, anxiety and depression...because of the depression I don't take care of myself therefore I don't take my meds. ta da...i feel better when I don't and all the other symptoms go away too. After a few months I freak myself out that I dont have a functioning thyroid and need to take my meds. So I restart the synthroid and bam....here the bad things all start again. And the cycle goes round and round.

Hi everyone,
Just some info concerning Levothyroxine:
1/ Starting doses vary depending on your doctor's method,
I give 150ug then bring it down if necessary
2/ Anxiety problems are due to pre-existing psychological problems and not the molecule; if you're feeling over anxious you need to consult a therapist, the fact that the drug increases basal rate brings this out more manifestly
3/Hair loss is a symptom uniqueley of Hypothyroidism and not of the drug, as is weight gain

Take Care all

Docteur Jones

I've taken Synthroid since 1969. The only time I had side affects was when the drug was reformulated (without my knowledge) and the dosage I was taking became Toxic to my liver. My hair started falling out, my leg muscles became enflamed and I didn't feel well.

Most of the symptoms I've read here indicate incorrect dosages. Today's doctors treat lab tests more than patients' symptoms and the lab tests most doctors use don't reveal whether T4 properly converts to T3. Typically, they run a TSH and if you're lucky, they might throw in a T4. There are many other drugs on the market that block T4-T3 conversion (i.e. birth control and anti depressentants type medications are two of the big ones) as well as other environmental factors. Clinical studies have proven that soy protein blocks thyroid hormone production/obsorption at the cellular level. It's hard to find food products today that aren't loaded with soy. Don't take my word for it though. Research for yourselves. Hair loss can be caused by too much, too little or Synthroid not actually working at all due to other factors.

Good Luck! At least everyone here was diagnosed as having a problem. There are millions out there that go undiagnosed who are suffering from much worse symptoms than us.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED A PERVASIVE, SHOCKING AMMOUNT OF HAIR LOSS DUE TO TAKING SYNTHROID.. MY TSH LEVELS ARE NORMAL RANGE YET HAIR LOSS PREVAILED

I have been taking synthroid for about 6 years...I still dont feel quite like my old self...but better.........Sometimes my coroited artery in my neck hurts....Doc didnt seem too bothered....I didnt notice hair loss when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but other people did...I just felt so tired, and my skin around my eyes was so sensitive to the usual creams I used on my face....

Hair loss was drastic patches before I was diagnosed. Thyroid was not working 0. It's only been a month and the hair is still falling. I've been told it will come back. Other than that I could jump through hoops just having put a name on it.
******

I have been on Synnthroid for 12yrs now. I have not had any side effects directly from the medication. Several people I know have experienced minimal weight loss from first starting it. As for hair loss, my hair loss was from the actual hypothyroidism, not from the medicine.

Is hair loss due to synthroid?