As far as levels “jumping around” on one replacement vs. another, that’s just a basic fact of life with some people who are trying to work out a thyroid imbalance. There are SO many reasons our levels can fluctuate ~ the only reason replacement hormone would be to blame is because a patient is taking too much (or too little), or because the patient is taking the replacement in an erratic way (different times of day, with food or without, along with other medications or supplements), and that has nothing to do with what TYPE of replacement hormone you are taking.
Some replacements may have a different absorption rate in the body than others, but again, with proper monitoring by the doctor, that should all be equalized in the end, and the result if it were NOT well monitored would be either a steady shift to hyper or hypo. It would not jump all over the place because of a patient taking the same dose of replacement.
Other reasons for erratic levels are that perhaps the thyroid is still dying, or perhaps the remaining tissue is still being stimulated by the antibodies, or perhaps the patient’s activity level or weight have been changing rapidly. All of those could make levels jump around.
I hope that helps.
~Ski
NGDF Assistant Online Facilitator
