How to treat hyperthyroidism?

Answer 1

you know what, its funny your asking this question, cuz i was watchin an episode of Home Improvement JUST today, that had this VERY same, topic, the son(Jonathan Taylor Thomas) had a lump on his neck that a doctor found during a physical, and they thought it could be cancer at first, but it turned out to be a hyperthyroidism, but basically you have to take a pill everyday. no biggie.

Answer 2

Anti-Thyroid Drugs


For patients with sustained forms of hyperthyroidism, such as Graves' disease or toxic nodular goiter, antithyroid medications are often used. The goal with this form of drug therapy is to prevent the thyroid from producing hormones. Two common drugs in this category are methimazole and propylthiouracil (PTU) both of which actually interfere with the thyroid gland's ability to make its hormones. The illustration shows that some hormone is made, but the thyroid becomes much less efficient. When taken faithfully, these drugs are usually very effective in controlling hyperthyroidism within a few weeks. Antithyroid drugs can have side effects such as rash, itching, or fever, but these are uncommon. Very rarely, patients treated with these medications can develop liver inflammation or a deficiency of white blood cells therefore, patients taking antithyroid drugs should be aware that they must stop their medication and call their doctor promptly if they develop yellowing of the skin, a high fever, or severe sore throat. The main shortcoming of antithyroid drugs is that the underlying hyperthyroidism often comes back after they are discontinued. For this reason, many patients with hyperthyroidism are advised to consider a treatment that permanently prevents the thyroid gland from producing too much thyroid hormone.



Radioactive Iodine Treatment

Radioactive iodine is the most widely recommended permanent treatment of hyperthyroidism. This treatment takes advantage of the fact that thyroid cells are the only cells in the body which have the ability to absorb iodine. In fact, thyroid hormones are experts at doing just that. By giving a radioactive form of iodine gives off a poisonous type of radiation, the thyroid cells which absorb it will be damaged or killed. Because iodine is not concentrated by any other cells in the body, there is very little radiation exposure (or side effects!) for the rest of the body. Radioiodine can be taken by mouth without the need to be hospitalized. This form of therapy often takes one to two months before the thyroid has been killed, but the radioactivity medicine is completely gone from the body within a few days. The majority of patients are cured with a single dose of radioactive iodine. The only common side effect of radioactive iodine treatment is underactivity of the thyroid gland. The problem here, is that the amount of radioactive iodine given kills too many of the thyroid cells so that the remaining thyroid does not produce enough hormone, a condition called hypothyroidism. There is no evidence that radioactive iodine treatment of hyperthyroidism causes cancer of the thyroid gland or other parts of the body, or that it interferes with a woman's chances of becoming pregnant and delivering a healthy baby in the future. It is also important to realize that there are different types of radioactive iodine (isotopes). The type used for thyroid scans (iodine scans) as shown in the picture below give up a much milder type of radioactivity which does NOT kill thyroid cells.



Surgical Removal of the Gland or Nodule

Another permanent cure for hyperthyroidism is to surgically remove all or part. Surgery is not used as frequently as the other treatments for this disease. The biggest reason for this is that the most common forms of hyperthyroidism are a result of overproduction from the entire gland (Graves' Disease) and the methods described above work quite well in the vast majority of cases. Although there are some Graves' Disease patients who will need to have surgical removal of their thyroid (cannot tolerate medicines for one reason or another, or who refuse radioactive iodine), other causes of hyperthyroidism can be better suited for surgical treatment earlier in the disease. One such case is illustrated here where a patient has hyperthyroidism due to a hot nodule in the lower aspect of the right thyroid lobe. Depending on the location of the nodule, the surgeon can remove the lower portion of the lobe as illustrated on the left, or he/she may need to remove the entire lobe which contains the hot nodule as shown in the second picture. This should provide a long term cure.

Answer 3

Hyperthyroidism may be treated: 1) by first killing off some or all of the thyroid gland with radiation or surgical removal and then taking appropriate levels of synthetic thyroid hormone (thyroxine), usually in a tablet. 2) by taking Methimazole a drug that inhibits the production of thyroxine.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Making dietary changes is your first line of defense in treating hypothyroidism. Learn here https://tr.im/gJvLV

Many people with hypothyroidism experience crippling fatigue and brain fog, which prompts reaching for non-nutritional forms of energy like sugar and caffeine. I’ve dubbed these rascals the terrible twosome, as they can burn out your thyroid (and destabilize blood sugar).

1. Just say no to the dietary bungee cord. Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine and sugar, including refined carbohydrates like flour, which the body treats like sugar. Make grain-based carbohydrates lesser of a focus, eating non-starchy vegetables to your heart’s content.

2. Up the protein. Protein transports thyroid hormone to all your tissues and enjoying it at each meal can help normalize thyroid function. Proteins include nuts and nut butters; quinoa; hormone- and antibiotic-free animal products (organic, grass-fed meats, eggs, and sustainably-farmed fish); and legumes.

Answer 6

See billie's answer: he has it all in a nutshell.