Thyroid Treatment

About 20 million Americans have a thyroid disease today. At Pavilion Family Medicine, experienced thyroid specialists John Ribadeneyra, MD, and Kate Wogan, FNP, offer personalized thyroid treatment plans in their Montrose, Colorado, office. Your thyroid controls metabolism throughout your body, so the right treatment approach can dramatically improve the way you feel and look. Call the office or book your appointment online now. 

When might I need thyroid treatment?

You might need thyroid treatment if you have a thyroid disorder, a condition in which the thyroid gland in your neck doesn’t work properly. Your thyroid gland makes hormones called triiodothyronine(T3) and thyroxine (T4). 

With thyroid disorders, you don’t have the right amount of thyroid hormones, and this can cause bodywide problems with your energy level, mood, weight, and many other aspects of your health. 

There are several types of thyroid disorders, including: 

• Hypothyroidism: making too little thyroid hormone
• Hyperthyroidism: making too much thyroid hormone
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: thyroid inflammation, often causing hypothyroidism
• Graves’ disease: immune disorder causing hyperthyroidism
• Goiter: enlarged thyroid gland 
• Thyroid nodule: abnormal thyroid gland mass
• Thyroid cancer

Thyroid disorders of any type require treatment to regulate your thyroid hormones. 

How does thyroid treatment work?

Thyroid treatment starts with the diagnostic process. Pavilion Family Medicine recommends testing approaches based on your situation. Blood testing to check your hormone levels is the first step in most cases. You may also need a thyroid scan or other tests.

Your treatment depends on the condition and your symptoms. 

Hypothyroidism

With hypothyroidism, many patients need daily medication to replace missing thyroid hormones. 

Hyperthyroidism

With hyperthyroidism, it’s usually the opposite approach: antithyroid medications that prevent the thyroid from making new thyroid hormones. Other options include radioiodine that shrinks your thyroid gland and reduces thyroid hormone production or surgical thyroid gland removal that stops thyroid hormone production completely.

Thyroid nodules, goiters, thyroid cancer, and other conditions require treatment on a case-by-case basis. The goal is treating the root cause of the thyroid issue, so treatment usually involves either medication, radioiodine, or surgery. In some cases, a watch-and-wait approach may be recommended.

How long does thyroid treatment take?

Hypothyroidism treatment can help you feel better in as little as a week or two. Hyperthyroidism treatment may require longer to show its effects, varying from several weeks to a few months.

With hypothyroidism, you’ll need to take medication for the rest of your life to prevent symptoms. If you take radioiodine or have thyroid removal surgery for hyperthyroidism, you’ll need to take thyroid hormone replacements afterwards because both treatments put you into a state of hypothyroidism.

Sticking to a thyroid treatment plan prescribed by Pavilion Family Medicine can help you manage your condition very effectively. Book your appointment online or call the office today.