Treatments for graves' disease: Letting the Thyroid Rest

ALL three current treatments for hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease are remarkably effective. When prescribed properly and taken faithfully, the thionamide antithyroid drugs control hyperthyroidism in almost all patients. Radioactive-iodine therapy and surgical thyroidectomy are both extremely effective and usually result in permanent cure. Nonetheless, it is often difficult for patients with Graves' disease and their physicians to choose among these options, not because of major differences in efficacy, but because of concern about the demonstrated and conceivable side effects associated with each type of therapy. Antithyroid drug treatment is occasionally complicated by troublesome hypersensitivity reactions and, very rarely, by.