What is the proper dosage?

[rexreg]

I've been on Levothyroxine for 3 years now. My dosage is at 100 MCG right now and has been for a year. I took some radiated Iodine almost 2 years ago now to treat a nodule. The nodule is still visible when swallowing. I am now looking into second opinions since I didn't do so before I took the Iodine and slightly regret not just getting surgery. If you have experience with the surgery and recovery then I'd also be interested in hearing about it. I just had my test results done and am wondering if I should switch medications or just look into a higher dosage.

these are my results:

T4 FREE LAB RANGE: 0.6-1.7 NG/DL CURRENT LEVELS: 1.18

TSH,BLD,QN LAB RANGE: 0.320-5.500 MIU/ML CURRENT LEVELS: 17.440

these are my symptoms:

incredibly anxious, exhausted, and cold.
lots of hair and memory loss, weight gain, and moodiness.

I can't stay awake for more than 5 hours without the help of caffeine pills. It is becoming a real problem as my exhaustion effects my motivation to get out of bed. I just want to feel like living again!

[gimel]

From what we have heard from other members, don't be surprised if you have difficulty with Kaiser, getting the tests and treatment you will need.  So, if you have trouble getting those tests, insist and see where that takes you.  

T4 meds are fine if your body adequately converts the T4 to T3.  T4 meds affect serum levels much slower than T3, so if conversion is adequate, taking it only once a day works fine and is easier toremember each day.  Frequently hypo patients taking T4 find that conversion is inadequate, in which case some T3 has to be added to their meds.  

[rexreg]

I've actually just switched to Kaiser and so this is the first time I've been evaluated in months. My new doctors are incredible so far, but i'm going to evaluate everything they say more carefully since my last doctor was no good. I had lost insurance due to turning 25 so, I'm a very happy recipient of obamacare now. I emailed my DR. asking if there were labs for the FT3, TPOab, TGab and TSI. I'll update this and my tracker if I can get results for those. I take Vitamin D and B12 daily so, I'm sure those levels are okay. I'll have to look up what ferritin is and how to get it.

Do you think levothyroxine is the best medicine for hypothyroidism?

[gimel]

The first thing you should do is dump your doctor.  How can the doctor overlook your symptoms and do nothing about increasing your thyroid med?

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Your doctor hasn't even tested for Free T3 which correlates best with hypo symptoms.  Many members say that symptom relief required Free T3 in the upper part of its range and Free T4 around the middle of its range.   You also should be tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.