I am on NDT and when they started me on a 1/2 grain I felt good for 2 weeks, then I got worse in some ways, each increase a moment of ok then downhill. My free's dropped along the way too. When I hit 2.25 grains I suddenly felt better, it was just like they describe, the hormones are a combo of your own plus meds. Once mine was suppressed, and I relied on the dose only, I felt great and I knew before my blood panel results were in they would be good.
Stay strong, it gets better. Kel
It is not unusual to feel no better, or even worse, when starting on thyroid meds. Think about this. Serum thyroid hormone levels are a sum of both natural thyroid hormone and any thyroid meds. When you started on the med your system reacted by reducing your TSH, so your thyroid gland was stimulated less and your natural thyroid hormone dropped, and total serum levels probably did not change much. Only when meds are increased to a point that TSH has been reduced to a level where natural thyroid hormone is no longer a factor will total serum levels start to rise. So yes, you should go ahead with the increase to 50 mcg.
Being an Endo does not guarantee a good thyroid doctor. Frequently they specialize in diabetes, not thyroid. Also many of them have the "Immaculate TSH Belief", by which they really only pay attention to TSH. That is very wrong. If they test beyond TSH it will be Free T4 and then if it falls anywhere within the range, they will tell you that is adequate. That is also wrong. A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. The following link was written by a good thyroid doctor. Note that he says, In the best tradition of clinical medicine, a physician should prescribe thyroid hormones as needed to eliminate the symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism without producing any symptoms or signs of thyroid hormone excess."
http://www.hormonerestoration.com/Thyroid.html
Doctors that won't even do a full thyroid panel, including Free T4 and Free T3 every time you go in for tests are losers and you are right to move on. Since I have, no doubt, dampened your enthusiasm for Endos, if you will tell us your location perhaps we can suggest a doctor that has been recommended by thyroid patients.