Are there any side effects to antithyroid drugs?
In about 5% of cases, antithyroid drugs cause allergic reactions such as skin rashes, hives, and sometimes fever and joint pains. A much more serious potential side effect is a decrease in the white blood cells that are a part of the immune system – thereby resulting in a decrease in your resistance to infection. In very rare cases, these cells may disappear entirely (a condition called agranulocytosis) – which can be potentially fatal if there is a serious infection. If, while taking these drugs, you experience an infection, stop taking the drug immediately and get a white blood count that same day. If the white count has been lowered and you continue taking the drug, the infection could become fatal. However, a lowered white count will return to normal once you have stopped taking the drug. Hypothyroidism can result from the use of antithyroid drugs, although it is far less likely to result from this treatment than from surgery or radiation. If the drugs don’t work, what is the next
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