Side effects of both drugs include rash, joint pain, liver failure or a decrease in disease-fighting white blood cells. Anti-thyroid drugs may also be used before or after radioiodine therapy as a supplemental treatment. Taking either drug for longer than a year may result in better long-term results. When these two drugs are used alone without other treatments, a relapse of hyperthyroidism may occur at a later time. Pregnant women will generally go back to taking methimazole after the first trimester. However, propylthiouracil is the preferred anti-thyroid drug during the first trimester of pregnancy, as methimazole has a slight risk of birth defects. These prescription medications include propylthiouracil and methimazole (Tapazole).īecause the risk of liver disease is more common with propylthiouracil, methimazole is considered the first choice when doctors prescribe medication. Anti-thyroid medicationsĪnti-thyroid medications interfere with the thyroid's use of iodine to produce hormones. Radioiodine therapy isn't used for treating pregnant women or women who are breast-feeding.īecause this treatment causes thyroid activity to decline, you'll likely need treatment later to supply your body with normal amounts of thyroid hormones. Other side effects may include tenderness in the neck and a temporary increase in thyroid hormones. This side effect is usually mild and temporary, but the therapy may not be recommended if you already have moderate to severe eye problems. Radioiodine therapy may increase your risk of new or worsened symptoms of Graves' ophthalmopathy. This causes your thyroid gland to shrink, and symptoms lessen gradually, usually over several weeks to several months. Because the thyroid needs iodine to produce hormones, the thyroid takes the radioiodine into the thyroid cells and the radiation destroys the overactive thyroid cells over time. With this therapy, you take radioactive iodine (radioiodine) by mouth. Some treatments include: Radioactive iodine therapy The treatment goals for Graves' disease are to stop the production of thyroid hormones and to block the effect of the hormones on the body. If the diagnosis of Graves' disease isn't clear from a clinical assessment, your doctor may order special imaging tests, such as a CT scan or MRI. It's most useful in people who can't undergo radioactive iodine uptake, such as pregnant women. It can show if the thyroid gland is enlarged. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. This test may be combined with a radioactive iodine scan to show a visual image of the uptake pattern. The amount of radioactive iodine taken up by the thyroid gland helps determine if Graves' disease or another condition is the cause of the hyperthyroidism. By giving you a small amount of radioactive iodine and later measuring the amount of it in your thyroid gland with a specialized scanning camera, your doctor can determine the rate at which your thyroid gland takes up iodine. Your body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. It's usually not needed to diagnose the disease, but results that don't show antibodies might suggest another cause of hyperthyroidism. Your doctor may order another lab test to measure the levels of the antibody known to cause Graves' disease.
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