Although I didn’t take antithyroid medication when I dealt with Graves disease, some people with hyperthyroidism need them. And while my goal is to help people restore their health so that they no longer need medication, not everyone with hyperthyroidism chooses to or can take a solely natural treatment approach.

Unfortunately, many endocrinologists tell hyperthyroidism patients that they can only take methimazole for 18 to 24 months. At that point, if they’re not in remission, they’ll push them to either get radioactive iodine or thyroid surgery.

In most cases, this is an entirely bogus timeline, and if someone is tolerating the medication well, there’s no reason they can’t take it longer.

Today I’m sharing what research studies show about long-term methimazole use so that you can arm yourself with data to show your endocrinologist if they’re pressuring you into radioactive iodine treatment or thyroid surgery.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What research shows about the rate of remission of Graves' hyperthyroidism with long-term administration of low-dose methimazole
When long-term methimazole treatment might be appropriate in pediatric Graves' disease
The difference in the chances of relapse between long-term and short-term courses of methimazole
Why I always recommend addressing the root of the problem
The potential for using low-dose methimazole as a lifelong therapeutic modality

As always, I hope you found this episode valuable, and I look forward to catching you in the next episode!

To learn more, visit the show notes at https://savemythyroid.com/podcast/how-long-can-i-safely-take-methimazole-for/.

Do You Want Help Saving Your Thyroid?

Click Here to access hundreds of free articles and blog posts.

Click Here for Dr. Eric’s YouTube channel

Click Here to join Dr. Eric’s Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s group

Click Here to take the Thyroid Saving Score Quiz

Click Here to get all of Dr. Eric’s published books

Click Here to work with Dr. Eric

How Long Can I Safely Take Methimazole For?