Dear Dr. Hibberd:
What is the best option for treating hyperthyroidism? What are the implications of having surgery to cure it?


Answer: Hyperthyroidism is a condition when there is too much of thyroid hormone being produced by the thyroid gland. Treatment with antithyroid medications, such as Tapazole, is prescribed if you have mild hyperthyroidism. Radioactive iodine is also another form of treatment where the radioactivity in the iodine destroys most or all of the tissue in the thyroid gland.
Surgery for hyperthyroidism is called thyroidectomy in which a part or all of the thyroid gland is removed. Doctors rarely use this surgery but it may become necessary if your thyroid gland is so big that it is hard for you to swallow or breathe, or you have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, or radioactive iodine treatment did not work. If you are having surgery, your doctor will prescribe anti-thyroid medicines before surgery to bring your thyroid hormone levels as close to normal as possible. It is also important to be checked up regularly after surgery because you may develop hypothyroidism, when there is too little of thyroid hormone, and then you will need medication to raise your hormone levels once again to be normal. Although surgery is the fastest way to treat your hyperthyroidism, it is not used very often and is more risky, and of course, more expensive than other treatments.