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STUDIES OF THYROID HORMONE AND METHIMAZOLE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH GRAVES' DISEASE ON A STANDARDIZED ANTI‐THYROID DRUG REGIMEN
Author(s) -
DAHLBERG P. A.,
KARLSSON F. A.,
LINDSTROM B.,
WIDE L.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1981.tb02965.x
Subject(s) - carbimazole , medicine , triiodothyronine , regimen , endocrinology , thyroid , hormone , methimazole , graves' disease , drug , antithyroid agent , metabolite , wolff–chaikoff effect , thyroid function , pharmacology
SUMMARY The outcome of a standardized carbimazole (CMI) regimen was evaluated in fifty‐four patients with Graves' disease. Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) serum values were determined before and throughout the first 6–8 months of therapy. Before therapy, decreasing T4/T3 ratios were found with increasing T3 levels, reflecting a relative increase in T3 production compared with T4 in thyrotoxicosis. High pretreatment T3 values were comparatively common among patients in whom a fixed CMI dosage had an insufficient effect. T4 levels were less informative in this respect. Serum levels of methimazole (MMI), the active metabolite of CMI, were dose‐dependent. A 50% reduction in dosage resulted in a similar decrease in the serum values. For a given dose, the MMI levels differed considerably among individuals. The variation was not related to thyroid hormone values. It appears that the response to the anti‐thyroid drug is primarily dependent upon the severity of the disease, which is clearly reflected in serum T3 levels, rather than individual differences in drug handling. A routine CMI regimen for the treatment of thyrotoxicosis is suggested.