I have since quit all birth control which is probably part of the problem. I was on a high androgen BC until March 2007 when I switched to a progesterone only pill. (I had melasma on my upper lip which I thought was estrogen related but now I wonder). I have since stopped the progesterone only pills when I was dx as hypothyroid. I had no idea I was on a high androgen BC until I started losing my hair in August and was researching hair loss and BC. They sure don’t tell you that when you are sitting in your university health clinic thinking you are making smart choices.

I am given my hair shedding until Christmas then I will search for a new doctor or a new medication regime. I appreciated this site so much and all the stories that are shared. I am headed to the dermatologist and endocrinologist next week. Maybe they will be helpful but it will make for a fun week (I have never had so much blood taking for me in all my life!!).

Thanks again!

Marianne - I read that for some people there is “temporary” shedding that is caused when you first begin synthroid. I think it is too early to tell what is causing the shedding since you’ve just been diagnosed and started taking the medication. I think it is important to give the medications a fair chance before changing anything. I can also confirm again that it is definitely slowing down because today I lost 42 hairs in the comb, I also didn’t wash my hair yesterday and kept it tied in a ponytail, so 42 hairs is awesome! Regarding my bloodwork levels and synthroid dosage. It reads like chinese to me but here it is anyways. It is also important to note for people reading this that I realize that according to the “chart” my thyroid level was within the normal range at my last blood test so that would indicate my prescribed dosage of synthroid was appropriate, but regardless of what the numbers said I felt it was too high for me. I’ll have to do a post about my thyroid phone consultation I had and what the physician said about everything. Okay here is my bloodwork results all the way back from 2003.

Date: 7/10/03 FT4 - 1.0; FT3 - 2.6; TSH 3.3 Synthroid first prescribed at the dosage of 88mcg.

Date: 8/27/03 (one month recheck) FT4 -1.2; FT3 - 2.2; TSH 1.0 (Come Back In 6 Months)

Date: 2/12/04 FT4 -1.3; FT3 - 2.1; TSH 1.6 (Told Everything Is Good, Keep Same Dosage of 88mcg, come back 6 months)

Date: 10/13/04 FT4 - 1.4; FT3 - 2.5; TSH 0.47 (Told Everything Is Good, Keep Same Dosage, come back 6 months)

Date: 5/14/05 FT4 - 1.3; FT3 - 2.3; TSH 1.6 ( Told Everything is Good, Keep same dosage of 88mcg, come back 1 year)

Date: 2/2/06 FT4 - 1.1 FT3 - 2.1; TSH 2.2 (Told my dosage need to be raised to 100mcg, come 1 month)

Date: 3/1/06 FT4 - 1.2; FT3 - 2.0; TSH - 1.5 (Told Everything is good at 100mcg, come back one year)

Date: 5/15/07 FT4 - 1.6; FT3 - 2.2; TSH 2.0 (Told my dosage need to be Raised AGAIN to 112mcg, come back in about a month)

Date: 7/16/07 FT4 - 2.0; FT3 - 2.2; TSH 0.96 (Told everything is good at 112mcg)

So that is my thyroid bloodwork history, I had given my test results to the doctor I did a phone consult with and he said according to the results I could either take more or less there is a lot of room there for what would be considered normal, so my doctor didn’t do anything wrong. But he agreed that lowering the dosage back down to where it was prior to experiencing the unusual extremely increased shedding was a good idea. So now I am back on 88mcg.

HI Gretchen - Thanks so much for your support, and I’m so happy that the blog has become a positive thing for the women who read it. It is what I had hoped it would be, women with hair loss supporting one another, offering words of comfort, knowledge or just listening. My fingers are crossed that my slowed down shedding continues. I feel pretty good about and am very optimistic that things are definitely getting better. Of course I’ll keep everyone updated, good, bad or indifferent

I was dx with hypothyroidism 7 weeks ago. My only major symptom had been hair loss. I knew I had been losing my hair steadily for about a month or more prior to my diagnosis. Once the doctors put me on synthroid (100 mcg) my hair loss sped up significantly (I know this because I make daily hair piles!!) My thyroid levels have been normal since Oct 5. I don’t know if the increase in hair loss is because my thyroid levels are improving and my hair follicles are going back into the growth phase or if it is the synthroid. It is all very confusing and the endocrinologist won’t even consider synthroid being the culprit and told me to go back to the dermatologist.

What are you thryoid levels like and what is you dosage of synthroid? If my hair loss doesn’t improve I am going to consider a new doctor and new meds.

Again, that is great that it is slowing down!! I keep saying to myself if it just stops I can handle having thin hair but it doesn’t seem to slow down…but now I have a little hope!!