I-131 Capsule Therapy

What is I-131 Capsule Therapy?
(also known as Radioiodine therapy)

Radioiodine therapy is a nuclear medicine treatment for an overactive thyroid, a condition called hyperthyroidism, and also may be used to treat thyroid cancer. When a small dose of radioactive iodine I-131 (an isotope of iodine that emits radiation) is swallowed, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and concentrated by the thyroid gland, where it begins destroying the gland's cells. 

You will be booked in for an initial consult visit with one of our Nuclear Medicine physicians who will discuss the therapy with you. This initial visit will take approximately 30 minutes.

After the consult you will make an appointment with us for the delivery of the I-131 capsule. This appointment will take approximately 15 minutes.

If you have been taking anti-thyroid medications, you must stop at least three days before the therapy is given. Frequently, the anti-thyroid medication is stopped for five to seven days before therapy.

You will be able to return home following radioactive iodine treatment, but you should avoid prolonged, close contact with other people for several days, particularly pregnant women and small children. The majority of the radioactive iodine that has not been absorbed leaves the body during the first two days following the treatment, primarily through the urine. Small amounts will also be excreted in saliva, sweat, tears, vaginal secretions, and feces.

If your work or daily activities involve prolonged contact with small children or pregnant women, you will want to wait several days after your treatment to resume these activities. Patients with infants at home should arrange for care to be provided by another person for the first several days after treatment. The Nuclear Medicine physician will be more specific during the initial consult for your given situation, but usually this time period is only two to five days.

The Nuclear Medicine physician will give you a list of other precautions to take following your treatment with I-131. The following are some guidelines to comply with:

• Use private toilet facilities, if possible, and flush twice after each use.
• Bathe daily and wash hands frequently.
• Drink a normal amount of fluids.
• Use disposable eating utensils or wash your utensils separately from others.
• Sleep alone and avoid prolonged intimate contact for three or four days. Brief periods of close contact, such as handshaking and hugging, are permitted.
• Launder your linens, towels, and clothes daily at home, separately. No special cleaning of the washing machine is required between loads.
• Do not prepare food for others that requires prolonged handling with bare hands.
• If you are breast-feeding, you must stop several days before to ensure that milk production has also stopped.
• You should avoid becoming pregnant from six months to one year after treatment.
• You must be sure you are not pregnant before receiving I-131.

Patients who need to travel immediately after radioactive iodine treatment are advised to carry a letter of explanation from their physician. Radiation detection devices used at airports and federal buildings may be sensitive to the radiation levels present in patients up to three months following treatment with I-131. Depending on the amount of radioactivity administered during your treatment, your endocrinologist or radiation safety officer may recommend continued precautions for up to several weeks after treatment.

You will be booked in for an initial consult visit with one of our Nuclear Medicine physicians who will discuss the therapy with you. This initial visit will take approximately 30 minutes. During this consult you will discuss with the Nuclear Medicine physician your suitability for I-131 therapy, as well as the precautions that you must adhere to after the administration of the I-131 capsule.

After the consult you will make an appointment with us for the delivery of the I-131 capsule. This appointment will take approximately 15 minutes. You will be taken into a consult room, where you will be asked if you had any follow up questions after your consult visit. Then you will be administered the I-131 capsule. You will be instructed to tip the capsule directly into your mouth from its container and not handle the capsule with your hands. You will be given a glass of water and instructed to swallow the capsule in one go. Following the administration of the capsule you will be able to leave the practice. 

Following the administration of the capsule a Nuclear Medicine Physician will write a report detailing the administration of the therapy capsule to you. This report will be sent securely electronically to your referring doctor/specialist. If you require your results to be sent to a different doctor, please advise the staff on the day of your scan.

No, your scan will be Bulk Billed. This means there is NO out of pocket cost for you if you qualify for Medicare.