“Remission” is defined as being able to go completely off the antithyroid drugs for a year without hyper symptoms redeveloping. We have our own thyroids, functioning at the proper levels during remission. It is called “remission” because at some future time it is likely that we will, once again, be hyperthyroid . We still have the Graves’ antibodies, able to cause problems for our thyroids. But that can be years away. In many cases, however, the antithyroid drugs do not bring about remission. They effectively work to block our thyroids from taking in too much thyroid hormone, but we cannot go off them and remain euthyroid. If this turns out to be the case, then a decision has to be made about staying on the ATDs or trying one of the more permanent cures for hyperthyroidism. Please note: I said cure for HYPERTHYROIDISM, not cure for Graves. RAI and surgery eliminate the possibility of a recurrence of hyperthyroidism in the vast majority of patients by eliminating the thyroid, or leaving so little of it remaining that even in a hyperactive state it cannot cause health problems. You might, in fact,still have functioning thyroid tissue left after RAI, or after surgery, even if you go hypothyroid. Because the potential side effects of taking the appropriate dose of replacement hormone once a day are significantly less than the potential side effects for the ATDs, many doctors prefer to move on to another treatment if the ATDs do not bring about remission, or if our own particular medical situation leaves it unlikely that we will gain remission. It involves a risk vs. benefit judgment on their parts.
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