Would low FT4 result in hairloss?

[SWorth]

A bit of background:
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism while pregnant with my first son in 2008 at the age of 32. I was put on synthroid for many years by an endo. and was given Cytomel to add to it after my insistence that I wanted to try t3 & t4 support, and the Endo would NOT let me try Armour.  Was then taken off of Cytomel when became pregnant in 2011 as she felt it would hurt my pregnancy...ridiculous I know.   In 2012 I paid out of pocket to see a D.O. as it was the only Dr. I could find to let me try Armour, but each year I would have to pay that large sum to renew my Rx.  I then found a local PCP in 2013 that would prescribe Armour for me, but he does not really know how to dose based on the test results. He is relying on me for that. If I could find a true Endo. that would work with me using Armour and test Adrenals I would be ecstatic...but have yet to find the Holy Grail locally.

My question:  
Can a lower range T4 result in hairloss?

I would battle bouts of hairloss when I needed to adjust or ran out of my Armour, however, this is going on 5 months straight now and i am afraid of just how much I will loose. I have very thin/fine hair anyway and can not afford too much more loss.  I have started using Nioxin to help, but it continues to fall out.

My test result taken 4 days ago:  

TSH          .01 (.27-4.2)
Free T4     .9   (.9-1.8)
Free T3   3.7   (2.3-4.2)

Current Armour dosage is 120mg 1x/day

I know my TSH is suppressed due to the Armour and my Free T3 is in the upper 25%, which should be optimal, but the Free T4  should be around 1.5 to be optimal.  If this is contributing to my hair loss (still many other problems I thought would have been alleviated, but most pressing) are there any suggestions to help raise the FT4?

Sorry for the long post but wanted to give the background.  Thanks for any help.

[Red_Star]

In that example above she started T4 medication which is adding to her existing medication she is already on (natural desiccated thyroid).

If you are already on T4 medication you aren't going to be adding T4 since you are already taking it.  What you may need to do is increase or decrease your dosage depending on symptoms.

You may need to add T3 medication to your existing T4 medication. Some prefer natural desiccated thyroid (pig's thyroid gland that contains both T4 and T3).

The goal is getting rid of symptoms so it might be can be a bit of trial and error to find the right dosage and the right medication/s for you. I personally only need T4 medication.

[rk484]

Could you tell how can we add t4? I mean what should i ask the doc? and does it mean that we should increase the levo? or we need some other medicine that will provide t4?

[SWorth]

Thanks your for your reply as well!!

I do have a history of Low Vit.D.  I am not sure about the others being tested before.  I will check into having them done.  I do try to keep up with taking B-12 to help with my low energy.  I will have to ask about ferritin.

I am having surgery in 2 weeks that will be really hard on my system (12 Hrs) so I would like to get something straightened out before that stress is dumped on my system if I can.   They did just do a CBC and few other tests, I will check to see what was included in those panels.

Again, thanks for giving me something else to look at.

[SWorth]

Thank you for your reply!

So...It could be that my Armour dose is too high, even though my FT3 is good?  and that I should add a T4 like Synthroid to help balance it out?
i'm just pondering here, not that I am asking for an answer.  I just wish I had a Dr. that could tell me the answer.

[gimel]

I would also add that if not tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin those should be done.  Deficiency in either can cause symptoms that mimic hypothyroidism.  Low D or ferritin can adversely affect metabolism of thyroid hormone.  Also, note the following quote.

"Research has shown that a large proportion of women reporting hair loss had low ferritin levels, compared with the levels generally found in women without hair loss, and interestingly in men."

Also, note the symptoms that can be due to low ferritin.

    Minor aches
    Fatigue
    Weakness
    Heart palpitations
    Increased pulse
    Loss of energy
    Loss of libido
    Confusion
    Irritability
    Shortness of breath

[Red_Star]

Excerpt from Tired Thyroid - T4's role in the body...

"Hair needs T4, because it lengthens the hair growth phase. [26]  My Free T3 has been below range, mid-range, and over-range, but my hair was still not right at any of those levels. Only since adding T4 to get my Free T4 above mid-range (and lowering my desiccated dose) has both my hair texture and volume improved.  It should be noted that hair loss is a symptom of both too much and too little thyroid."