KimberlyHello – We already had a user named “Meredith”, so I switched it to “Meredith2021”. Not sure why the registration date is being glitchy – I don’t think I can change that on my end.
With Graves’, some issues have wide agreement among doctors, such as no RAI if you are pregnant. However, there are a lot of other issues that aren’t fully settled, such as pretreatment with ATDs prior to RAI. The American Thyroid Association guidelines that I mentioned earlier do recommend pretreatment for patients who are at risk of a worsening of hyperthyroidism – specifically the elderly and those with conditions like heart issues. However, they rank their recommendations according to the amount of evidence available, and this one was noted as “weak”. Ultimately, this is a decision that you and your doctor will need to make.
This is a presentation from a GDATF conference from around 10 years ago, but the basics should still be the same. (Other than we have more specific guidelines on when RAI should be used in patients with existing eye involvement.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNejWQCwB10
Dr. Cooper notes in his presentation on long-term use of ATDs that the shift in the USA is largely patient-driven, from those who wish to make an effort to keep their thyroid. I also suspect that it has to do with heightened awareness of potential eye issues.
Again, ultimately, this is a choice that you and your doctor need to make. As the American Thyroid Association notes, “Once it has been established that the patient is hyperthyroid and the cause is GD, the patient and physician must choose between three effective and relatively safe initial treatment options: RAI therapy, ATDs, or thyroidectomy…the treating physician and patient should discuss each of the treatment options, including the logistics, benefits, expected speed of recovery, drawbacks, potential side effects, and costs. This sets the stage for the physician to make recommendations based on best clinical judgment and allows the final decision to incorporate the personal values and preferences of the patient.”