Radioactive iodine to shrink thyroid?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2004
Radioactive iodine to shrink thyroid?
3
Mon, 12-20-2004 - 10:47pm


Hi all,
I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism this month and got lucky enough to see an endocrinologist last week. I have all of the symptoms of graves disease and he gave me some options to treat this condition. I opted for the radioactive iodine drink and wondered if anyone has used this treatment and knows what I can expect? Will I need to do anything special after this process? Your input is greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays to all!

Becky

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Tue, 12-21-2004 - 8:45am

Have you tried the anti-thyroid meds??

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
Wed, 12-22-2004 - 11:23pm

I agree with April. Endocrinologists have different opinions about that--some want to try meds first, others think it's safer to do RAI right away. My endocrinologist says RAI is a drastic solution and he only recommends it as a last resort. PTU didn't work very well for me, but I'm doing just fine on Tapezole.

Diane

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 11:33pm
Hi Becky and welcome! I'm wondering if there was a reason why you thought you'd try RAI first? Most people do take medication first, over the course of a year, to see if the hyper is controlled that way. If not, then the next course of action is RAI. But you might feel that's the best thing for you to do right now! That's why I'm wondering. Cathy :)