Is it the doctor or the nurse?

Asked by JLeslie (65477) November 19th, 2015 from iPhone

I feel like nurses all too often don’t get the message right. This is why I prefer answerjng machines and email, but even then the nurse might take notes and erase the messages and the doctor will never hear it.

I hate being an annoying patient, but I often find myself in that position.

Below is the situation. I’m just curious what would you do? I seem not to handle these things well.

I switched meds for my thyroid. One of the meds I was prescribed is synthetic T3 25 mcg three times a week. I went to the lab and got my blood test a few weeks early, because I felt like it might be a bad dosage for me. Turns out I am way over-medicated. Thank goodness I went for the blood test.

I left a message on the nurse line for my doctor that test results were available and my T3 was high. The nurse called back saying I should cut the pills in half. The pills crumble easily. You can’t split them well. I asked if there is a lower dose pill, and there is! 5 mcg. I asked the nurse if the doctor would be willing to prescribe that daily. I emphasized I currently take the 25 three times a week.

He called me back and said the doctor (actually she is a nurse practitioner) is afraid I will be under-medicated on just 5mcg.

Ugh. It seems to me the 5 daily makes much more sense, and I have no confidence my NP understood I’m just taking the 25mcg three times a week. She prescribed it that way, but I don’t think she remembers and I have no idea how it got charted. Taking 12.5 mcg three times a week is about 5 mcg a day, and the hormone level will be more consistent, and I won’t lose medication to them crumbling in the pill splitter.

If I call back or write I’m just a pain in the neck for everyone. Right? Does this crap happen to me more than other people?