Graves' Disease Support Group
Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...
Hi I've been reading that 18 months is sort of the golden standard if remission is going to happen, well I'm at that point and am pretty sure I'm not ready to stop ATD's, because I did stop three days ago and am already feeling hyper. So my question is, is remission still possible after that 18 month mark? Thanks.
It's not uncommon for remission to take longer....4 or more years.
Worst case, the patient takes ATD's for life.....
You might be interested to read this:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Graves_Disease/forum/16396728-longterm-methimazole-safe
Just so you know, it's not uncommon to have transient hyper symptoms after going off ATD's....some people fluctuate for as much as a year or slightly longer.
Anyone who *does* go off ATD's should really have the labs to warrant that decision.
The patient should be on the lowest possible dose (1.25 MMI or 12.5 PTU possibly taken every 3 days). In ideal situations, TSH would be .3 or slightly higher AND FT4 level is in the upper part of the range.
Some people go into remission even when their TSH is suppressed....it can take as long as 4 yrs. to return.
ATD means antithyroid drug, so any ATD. :-)
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