How do radiation medications work?

315 views

Like iodine pills?

In: 4

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Medication for radiation exposure doesn’t fix the damage to cells that is already done from radiation exposure.

Some treatments are designed to remove radioactive particles that may have made their way inside your body. This is called chelation therapy (amine polycarboxylates such as EDTA)

Iodine simply protects the thyroid gland if someone ate or drank something that is contaminated with radioactive iodine (I-131).

Another therapy that can be useful is blood transfusion. Radiation exposure can kill the cells that will become new blood cells. Some hormones can help the blood recover faster (G-CSF).

Sometimes the best treatment is a change of clothes and a good shower. Radioactive particles can stick to skin and clothing and continue to make someone sick long after leaving a contaminated area.

None of these treatments fix the damage that is already done from radiation exposure, however. Something like Rad-X from the Fallout video game series is unfortunately not a real thing.

Also, it’s worth noting that you can live just fine without a thyroid, so long as you take a pill (usually once per day) with the hormone that it makes. A common treatment for a very overactive thyroid (such as in Grave’s disease) is to *intentionally* take radioactive iodine and then follow up with thyroid pills (levothyroxine, aka T4). Iodine will *not* save you from nuclear fallout, just ask any of the non-feral ghouls or super mutants.

You are viewing 1 out of 6 answers, click here to view all answers.