Medication for Graves’ Disease in Children

source: NYU Langone Hospitals

Doctors at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone prescribe medications to treat children with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder. That means the immune system attacks the thyroid and makes it produce too much thyroid hormone. Our doctors often recommend medication to decrease the production of these hormones and to diminish their effects on the body.

Doctors may prescribe an antithyroid medication called methimazole to slow the production of thyroid hormones. Methimazole is often effective in children who have mild symptoms of Graves’ disease. Your child takes this medication daily, by mouth.

Your child may begin to notice improvements in symptoms, such as reduced eye irritation, weight gain, and less sensitivity to temperature, after taking antithyroid medication for several weeks. Antithyroid therapy may be continued for several months, until the immune system reaction that triggered the condition subsides.