Skip to content
Mechanisms

Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Mechanism of Action)

Peer reviewed Updated
Cite this article
AMA
MD A.. Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Mechanism of Action). My Endo Consult. Published April 19, 2019. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://myendoconsult.com/learn/anti-thyroid-drugs/
APA
MD A. (2019). Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Mechanism of Action). My Endo Consult. https://myendoconsult.com/learn/anti-thyroid-drugs/
Vancouver
MD A.. Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Mechanism of Action) [Internet]. My Endo Consult; April 19, 2019 [cited October 15, 2026]. Available from: https://myendoconsult.com/learn/anti-thyroid-drugs/
BibTeX
@online{myendoconsult1750,
  author = {Akuffo Quarde, MD},
  title  = {Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Mechanism of Action)},
  organization = {My Endo Consult},
  year   = {2019},
  url    = {https://myendoconsult.com/learn/anti-thyroid-drugs/},
  urldate = {October 15, 2026}
}

Thionamides are a class of drugs that are used to treat hyperthyroidism. The mechanism of action of thionamides is not fully understood, but it is thought to involve the inhibition of TPO-mediated coupling and the suppression of T cell-mediated immunity.

Thionamides also decreases the activity of type 1 deiodinase, which is responsible for the activation of T4 (that is its conversion to active thyroid hormone, T3). The result is a decrease in T3 levels and an increase in T4 levels. The net effect is a decrease in thyroid hormone production and an improvement in symptoms.

Mechanism of action of anti-thyroid drugsMechanism of action of anti-thyroid drugs

Liu L, Lu H, Liu Y, Liu C, Xun C. Predicting relapse of Graves’ disease following treatment with antithyroid drugs. Exp Ther Med. 2016 Apr;11(4):1453-1458.

Cooper DS. Antithyroid drugs. N Engl J Med. 2005 Mar 3;352(9):905-17.