When should you use antithyroid medicine to treat hyperthyroidism?
Antithyroid medicine works best if:
- You have mild hyperthyroidism.
- This is the first time you're being treated for Graves' disease.
- You are younger than 50.
- Your thyroid gland is only swollen a little bit (small goiter).
The medicine is used instead of radioactive iodine if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant.
Children are treated with antithyroid medicine. That's because experts don't know if radioactive iodine treatment is safe for children.
The medicine works much better in people who have mild disease. Up to 30 out of 100 people in the United States will have their hyperthyroidism go away after they take the medicine for 12 to 18 months.
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