Currently, there is no way to prevent the development of autoantibodies in Graves’ disease. Instead, treatment for Graves’ disease is aimed at decreasing the production of thyroid hormones or blocking their actions. Medications called anti-thyroid drugs can lower the amount of thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid and return them to normal levels. Examples of these drugs include propylthiouracil and methimazole (Tapazole). The drugs are often taken for one to two years and in some people with Graves’ disease this can cause a long-term remission of the disease. There are several other drugs used to treat Graves’ disease and these are prescribed based on your symptoms, the results of your diagnostic tests, and sometimes your response to other medicines.

Other treatments for Graves’ disease attempt to remove or destroy a portion of the overactive thyroid gland, lessening its ability to produce thyroid hormones. Radioactive iodine treatments involve injecting radioactive iodine in amounts large enough to damage or destroy the thyroid in order to reduce hormone levels. Thyroid surgery that removes all or part of the thyroid gland (throidectomy) can be a permanent solution for Graves’ disease because it removes the source of the excess thyroid hormones that cause all the symptoms. Thyroid surgery is no longer a common treatment for Graves’.

Both radioactive iodine and surgery are highly effective but because they destroy or remove the thyroid gland, they can lead to abnormally low levels of thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. Living without a thyroid gland requires taking replacement thyroid hormones (e.g. levothyroxine) for the rest of your life. People on such replacement thyroid medications can live long full lives with little or no noticeable symptoms. Patients diagnosed with Graves’ disease need to monitor their intake of iodine rich foods.