Weight Gain and Hair Loss: My Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

In addition to my five and a half year consecutive migraine (and counting!) I also have other chronic health conditions that cause numerous problems. One of these problems is Hashimoto’s disease.

This condition is an autoimmune thyroid disease. It causes thyroid dysfunction due to the thyroid being attacked by the body’s immune system. The thyroid stops producing the hormones to control metabolism due to the tissue damage. This can lead to weight gain, fluid retention, pitting edema, nausea, hair loss, mood swings, and chronic fatigue among other symptoms. I listed the symptoms I experienced the most severely because they were most fresh in my mind.

The first symptom I noticed was worsening depression and anxiety, which I thought was just part of my mental illness symptoms cyclical changes. Then I noticed thinning hair and bald spots. Within months I began to gain weight rapidly, feel more fatigued than usual, have swelling that left dimples and impressions in my skin, and have bigger bald patches and thin spots in my hair.

My primary care doctor was able to test my thyroid and see that my levels were much different than they had been the year before. After struggling to lose any weight at all despite diet and exercise and still having hair loss I was referred to an endocrinologist. He confirmed that I have Hashimoto’s disease.

Unfortunately my hair loss hasn’t gotten better with replacement thyroid hormone. The least expensive and invasive thing that I’ve found to help with hair loss has been biotin supplements.

My endocrinologist and primary care doctor told me to take at least 5000 mcg, but that I could safely go up to 50,000 mcg a day to see improvement. It takes about three months to work. It can feel discouraging, but I’ve seen consistent results. I take 20,000 mcg a day because 5000 wasn’t helping as much as I’d hoped.

Here are some before and after photos of my experience with biotin:

I found that I can get a better deal on amazon than at local stores:

If you would like to help support my family and me, you can use my Amazon link below. I’m currently unable to work due to my migraine and other chronic illnesses. My adult twin daughters with autism and intellectual disabilities also live with me and need my support. You won’t pay any extra on your purchases; it’s an affiliate link that may give me a small percentage if you make a purchase.