GP phone appointment - I could cry!

[Kacey12]

Just got off the phone from a very unsatisfactory phone appointment -following blood tests - with yet a different GP at the practice who's never even met me. Sounded very young. Brightly announced that as my TSH was suppressed (It's 0.18 and has been at a similar level for about 5 years, with T3 & T4 about mid range), she was going to lower my levo from 75mcg to 50. 50!!!

I've been on 75 for many years now with no symptoms apart from inabiliity to lose weight. Soon after I was diagnosed I was once put back from 75 to 50, with resulting return of symptoms, and then once - about 10 years ago - alternating with 50 and 75, which also had a negative effect. It's all in my notes (which I've only fairly recently accessed myself online - very illuminating!). Don't suppose she bothered to read them though. Or even ask how I was feeling.

I said in no uncertain terms that I was not prepared to reduce - quoting evidence gleaned from this site - and she acually backed down quite easily. I added that 75 to 50 is quite a large drop percentage wise anyway, to which she said 25mcg is the smallest dose. Well, the NHS website says levothyroxine tablets go from 12.5 - and the difference can be done in other ways anyway, like alternating days as I formerly did.

If I hadn't been armed with information from this forum, which could well have been the case, the dose would have been lowered - just like that. It makes me so angry.

[MissGrace]

Well done. Glad it worked out in the end. 🥛🤸🏿‍♀️

[Sneedle]

I think you did FABULOUSLY. And you will have given a gp cause to think thereby raising awareness.👍👍👏

[Kacey12 in reply to Sneedle]

Oh, thank you, Sneedle - cheered me up!

youtube.com/watch?v=g_WNKop...(Not working as expected?)

I was polite (difficult) but very firm. I quoted the attached youtube lecture by Dr Paul Jenkins (eminent endocrinologist). It is an hour long if you or anyone else is interested to hear the whole thing, but the piece related to my situation is from minute 6:10 to 7:10 . I might send it to the practice for some CPD training re thyroid issues!

[serenfach]

Well done! She probably looked at yourTSH and thought "ooh, I know what to do here!" without a thought as to how it could effect you!

When you think how many people they fob off in a day (its just a virus, its just a thing going around at the moment etc), she probably thought she actually knew something, and could do something. Glad you put her straight.

[Kacey12 in reply to serenfach]

Thank you, serenfach