May 12, 2004
Thyroid
Question from Kingsport, Tennessee, USA:
My daughter was misdiagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease four years ago and was put on Synthroid. About six months later, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and we were told then that she had Graves’ disease. Her thyroid numbers were really out of whack since she was on the wrong medicine. I have always wondered if taking the wrong drug brought on the diabetes. She has taken Tapezole for the Graves and, lately, has been taking a combination of Tapezole and Synthroid to get the balance correct. Now, her endocrinologist has taken her off her thyroid medications to see if her Graves’ is in remission. If she is not in remission, her doctor wants to kill off the thyroid. Another friend of mine who also had Graves’ and had her thyroid killed off has not adjusted to the Synthroid. Her body doesn’t absorb it like it should and she continues to have medical problems. I worry that my daughter may have problems since she also has the complications of type 1 diabetes. What are the long term implications of killing the thyroid and taking Synthroid the rest of your life? Would this impact her ever being able to have children? Do most people adjust to taking the Synthroid?
Answer:
Please be reassured that radioactive iodine therapy is the usual treatment for most people with Graves’ disease. In the U.S., we are a little more liberal with radioactive iodine. In Europe, patients of reproductive age are usually treated with oral medications like Tapazole until they are finished having children. There is no evidence to suggest that children of women who have received radioactive iodine for Graves’ disease have an increased risk of birth defects. The thyroid hormone preparations, such as Synthroid, are identical to what the body makes. It is unlikely that her doctor cannot find an appropriate dose for her.
JTL
