What Doctor Treats Graves’ Disease?

Finding the right doctor can make navigating treatment for Graves’ disease a lot easier. Here’s how to find a physician who fits you best.

Your thyroid gland controls how your body uses energy. If your thyroid produces too much hormone, you can develop hyperthyroidism, which speeds up many of your bodily functions. You might notice your heart racing, and you feel nervous, irritable, sweaty, or shaky.

A common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition. An autoimmune disease is when your immune system attacks your own body. Because Graves’ disease is a lifelong condition, finding the right doctor is essential to improving or maintaining your quality of life as you manage your symptoms.

Graves’ disease can cause many of the typical symptoms of hyperthyroidism, including:

• rapid or irregular heartbeat
• anxiety or irritability
• weight loss despite an increased appetite
• fatigue
• trouble sleeping
• muscle weakness
• tremor or shaky hands
• heat sensitivity
• goiter

As many as half of people who have Graves’ disease also develop Graves’ ophthalmopathy, or thyroid eye disease (TED). It can cause symptoms such as double vision, sensitivity to light, dryness, and irritation, and eyelids that don’t close completely. Some people also develop a thickening and darkening or reddening of the skin on their shins.

Graves’ disease is not curable but is treatable with antithyroid medication. Some people go into remission. Others need long-term therapy with antithyroid drugs or treatment with radioactive iodine or surgery.

If left untreated, Graves’ disease can lead to heart problems, osteoporosis, and problems in pregnancy, according to the Office on Women’s Health. In some cases, the swelling on the optic nerve caused by Graves’ ophthalmopathy can lead to vision loss.

Your doctor will monitor your thyroid levels to see how you respond to medication and whether your symptoms improve or change.

You may start with your primary care physician. Many primary care doctors will make the initial diagnosis of a thyroid condition. However, your primary care doctor can refer you to an endocrinologist with specialized training in diagnosing, treating, and managing hormone conditions like hyperthyroidism. Asking your primary care physician for a referral might be a good place to start.

When asking your doctor for a referral, you can let them know if you have specific requests for an endocrinologist.

For example, you may have limited transportation options and like to find someone nearby. Or it may be important to you to have a culturally competent doctor who will be familiar with your religion, cultural background, or ethnic group and honor specific requests.

You can also:

The goal is to find the right doctor for you so you can start (or continue) treatment. Ideally, you want to find an endocrinologist who:

• communicates effectively with you
• listens to concerns or fears you may have without just dismissing them
• responds to your questions and requests
• is culturally competent and familiar with concerns related to your ethnic/cultural background
• has a solid background in treating hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease
• collaborates with you to develop a treatment plan for your specific needs

You don’t have to go with the first endocrinologist you find. You can schedule a consultation and make sure you feel comfortable with them first. Prepare a list of questions about your concerns and take it with you to your appointment.

For example, you might ask how they develop a treatment plan for Graves’ disease and how they would respond to changes in your condition. You can ask them what kind of lifestyle changes they recommend. If you have strong feelings about some aspects of treatment, like the possibility of surgery, be sure to ask about that, too.

Ultimately, you want to find a doctor who can find the best treatment to help you manage the symptoms that come with Graves’ disease. If you’ve chosen the right doctor, it’ll be a team effort.