Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsKeep Your DistanceHousehold SafetyTravel TipsOfficial Guidelines
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Keep Your Distance
Household Safety
Travel Tips
Official Guidelines
If radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) is recommended as part of your treatment for Graves’ disease,hyperthyroidism, orthyroid cancer, you will most likely be given it as an outpatient. Because the radioactive iodine used (known asiodine 131) may expose those around you to the effects of radiation (and theoretically negatively affect their thyroid glands), you will be given guidelines on how to prevent such exposure.
Laura Porter / Verywell
The following recommendations will give you an idea of precautions to take to avoid exposing other people (as well as pets) to iodine 131, which may be present in bodily fluids or occur as a result of close contact. The recommended timeframes are based on the size of the dosage you are receiving, so discuss the specifics with your healthcare provider prior to treatment.
An Overview of Thyroid Disease Treatments
Here are some ways to minimize radiation risks to other people (and pets) after you have had RAI treatment:
Your healthcare provider will give you specific guidelines regarding how long various restrictions should remain in place in order to protect those around you.
Infants and Children
Be particularly careful around infants and children, who are especially at risk for exposure complications.
If you are unable to avoid direct or indirect contact with infants and young children, ask your healthcare provider about the possibility of hospitalization. It is not common in the United States to hospitalize patients after RAI, but if you are receiving a particularly high dosage of iodine 131 and have no way to protect children or babies, it may be an option.
The Low-Iodine Diet for Radioactive Iodine Treatment
To further avoid exposing others to radiation:
If you will be traveling via airplane or crossing an international border in the period following RAI treatment, you must be provided with a written document from your healthcare provider stating they you have been given a medical treatment involving radiation, as security monitoring devices can detect it.
Most thyroid patients who receive RAI treatment eventually end up hypothyroid and will need to take thyroid hormone replacement drugs indefinitely.
Before you or any family members have RAI treatment, it is strongly recommended that you read up on post-RAI guidelines and speak with your healthcare providers about how they should be applied to you.
Society of Nuclear Medicine Procedure Guidelines (PDF)
Practice Recommendations of the American Thyroid Association (PDF)
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.Information for patients administered radioactive iodine (I-131).Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging.Fact sheet: guidelines for patients receiving radioiodine I-131 treatment.American Thyroid Association.Radioactive iodine.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.Information for patients administered radioactive iodine (I-131).Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging.Fact sheet: guidelines for patients receiving radioiodine I-131 treatment.American Thyroid Association.Radioactive iodine.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.Information for patients administered radioactive iodine (I-131).Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging.Fact sheet: guidelines for patients receiving radioiodine I-131 treatment.American Thyroid Association.Radioactive iodine.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.Information for patients administered radioactive iodine (I-131).
Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging.Fact sheet: guidelines for patients receiving radioiodine I-131 treatment.
American Thyroid Association.Radioactive iodine.
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