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What Causes Itchy Eyes And Hair Loss While On Birth Control?
Question: I'm a female, 39 yrs, 5' 8" and 125 lbs. Had bad hair loss end of last year paired with itchiness in the inner corners of my eyes, constipation, was always cold, severe mood swings and uncontrolable emotions (crying for no reason). Hair came out each time I brushed and washed. Went online and read about thyroid problems. Long story short, had TSH tested Dec 7, results: 4.64 (high). Dr. prescribed .25 levothyroxine. Took it for one month, but moods remained bad and emotions got worse. TSH tested was 6.39 this time (even higher). Other blood works showed that I'm not anemic. Itchy eye and hairloss remained. Dr. upped me to .50 levothyroxine, which I've been taking for 11 days now. Felt almost euphoric the first two days and good thereafter. Love life again. No more moodiness, constipation or crying, but the itchy eyes and hair loss remain. I'm taking birth control (trinordiol) (have been since 16 to control heavy period). Went off the pill and had a baby 6 years ago, and am now back on the pill for 9 months or so. My question...When will the hair loss stop. Could the hair loss and itchy eyes be caused by the birth control? Should I stop taking the birth control to see if this is the problem? Oh on top of all this, my libido is non-existed (no sex drive whatsoever). Please let me know what you think I should do. I'm afraid I'll mess up my hormones even more by stopping the pill. Look forward to your answer.
Brief Answer:
Hair fall + itchy eyes due to underactive thyroid
Detailed Answer:
Hi Ms. XXXXXXX
Thanks for your query.
1. Firstly, Thyroid hormone (Levothyroxine) is a slow acting hormone. Hence, improvement will be noticed ONLY after several weeks after starting Levothyroxine. THE TARGET SHOULD BE TO REDUCE TSH LEVEL TO 1 OR LESS THAN 1 and maintain it around these levels.
2. Your problem of hair fall should begin showing improvement after 10-12 weeks of starting treatment.
3. Libido is a common symptom of thyroid under-activity. Hence, it too will gradually increase as the thyroid deficiency is corrected.
4. Itchy eyes too is a symptom of underactive thyroid. It too will improve with restoration of thyroid hormone levels in the blood.
5. Contraceptive pills do not interact with Levothyroxine. Neither is it responsible for hair fall or itchy eyes. There is no requirement of stopping the pills.
Consult your doctor and apprise him of my opinion. I am certain that he will agree with my opinion; order required tests, and- based on the reports- will arrive at a certain diagnosis and prescribe suitable treatment as advised.
Hope I have addressed to your concerns to your complete satisfaction and you find my response helpful and informative. I will be happy to answer further queries, if any.
Fond regards and have a nice day,
Col (Dr.) Rakesh Karanwal
Note: For more information on hormonal imbalance symptoms or unmanaged diabetes with other comorbid conditions, get back to us & Consult with an Endocrinologist. Click here to book an appointment.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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