Incorrect Prescription Writing!!!!!

[shoiji]

So today I had to go to the clinic for my usual thyroid checkup. Been having problems with it being to low or to high. Anyway, it was to low this time. So I asked the doctor (teaching hospital so who I was speaking with was still in training although a doctor - no disrespect to all the doctors out there) why I was having so many problems. She gave me an answer about hormones and age. I said I wanted to make sure I was getting the right thyroid tests done, since before they weren't and after yelling the last time time they did another test and yea it was off.

So, the doctor comes out after seeing me and tells me that I should take an extra dose of medicine on Sundays. She asked if I had enough. I thought at first yea, I have refills. Then realized that some insurances will not refill a prescription early. Script was for 30 days - the additional dose on Sundays would lessen the amount I had and possibly not be refilled on time. So after explaining this twice to the doctor she said she would right a script. Which she does with the directions of take one a day. Dosage was for 30 days. Nothing saying take an extra on Sunday on the directions. See where I am going? So I have to wait for her to get done with a patient. Asked her does she still want me to take an extra on Sundays. She said yes. I pointed out that the new script was for 30 once a day. No mention of an extra on Sundays. She asked me what I wanted her to do. I told her she had to put on the script take extra on Sundays.

Well CVS understood my delema and put it through so I won't be having problems later on. Now I realize the @$$%%!!! doctor wrote the script for 100 mcg compared to the 75 mcg I am taking. So now I do not know if I will be taking to much with the extra dosage. She is the one who said it wasn't that low and I didn't need that much of an additional dose. Mind you there wasn't any note in my folder on the dosage I am currently taking. So if you couldn't tell I am a little beside myself now. And to think, I am not the one with the medical degree trying to figure out what I should do.

Other than finding a different facility and doctor which will take a while since I have to sign up for a medicare HMO, anyone have any suggestions on what I should do until I see them again in April?

Wow, just realized how long this is.

[krissyre]

The only suggestion I have is to contact your doctor and see what they tell you to do.

Did she bump it up to 100 mcg to compensate for the extra amount she wanted you to take? Do you still have to take the extra on Sun. if you're getting extra all the way through the week?

And, on a separate (and more personal) note, can I ask you what kinds of tests you're having done? I was treated for an underactive thyroid for 3 years after my second pregnancy. Six months ago when I went for a test, the doctor floored me by saying that I don't need any medication anymore because my levels were normal? But I don't feel normal -- I think I need the medication back. Sorry to take your post off on a tangent, but any advice you could give me about what tests I should make sure I'm getting would be great.

[mombottoo]

Do not, whatever you do start taking the new dosage until you are sure that's what you are supposed to be taking. I have thyroid issues also and am on Synthroid (generic though). Call your doctor's office and clarify what the dosage is supposed to be and if it's not right make them fix it!

I had to pay for 3 blood tests and 2 different doses a couple of years ago because the lab screwed up the results of TSH Blood test. I told the dr I felt fine, but he listened to the results instead of to me. Three months later I decided I had, had enough and went back to my original dose without telling the dr. When I called for refills I told the drs office what I needed without including the extra dose the dr had ordered. They never caught it and I am right as rain.

If you feel fine, chances are your dose doesn't need to be changed. You know your body better than anyone else!!!

[ravenmaniac]

You need to call the dr. and get this straight. It's not fair to you. Especially since you don't feel well. I always feel tired, even when my levels are "normal".

[shoiji]

Kristen, the only ones I know of are T3, T4, and TSH. When I was going to an endocrinologist (specialist for this stuff) he told me I always needed the test that looked at my thyroid backwards. Don't know what that meant but all other specialist did. The training doctors never know what I am talking about. GRRR The fact that I have been loosing hair also doesn't help much.

Thanks everyone. I will call the clinic tomorrow to get it straightened out. Although I probably should go in to show bottles since the right dosage is not in my chart. So I just end up looking like I am making stuff up.

I have decided even though it will cost soooo much more, it will be worth getting a HMO so I can see a specialist. When I was first diagnosed the family doctor called my parents and said he was surprised I was up and walking around. He wanted to see me then immediately. This was over 20 years ago. Also, that I needed to be seeing a specialist.

I really don't know what people do when they are really, really, sick or elderly. I mean this can get really confusing.

[cissylu]

we have to tell the dr. what`s wrong and what we nee.d hope you get it straightened out realquick.

[YankeeMom]

I hope you get it straightened out.

We had a similar issue this week. Took dd to the dr for an infected ingrown toenail and the pharmacy gave us opthalmic ointment (EYE ointment) for her TOE! I don't know if it's the dr's mistake or the pharmacy's because it's all computerized. It's a pain in the butt to have to take it back up there though to get it fixed.

[Edna_E]

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this, but also have a word of caution. I have twice had doctors who were unfamiliar with the thyroid tests proceed to read them and incorrectly adjust my dosage (as in go the wrong direction). Once was fairly minor and the pharmacist caught the mistake and got the doctor to fix it, but the other was pretty extreme and put me at risk fro developing Crohn's disease. I have subsequently decided that it is in my best interests to fully understand the tests myself, and be able to confirm what the doctor is doing - and insist that they look it up if they are doing it wrong (that never endears me to them - until they look in the book and find out I am right and just saved them a potential malpractice case). I often explain at the beginning of a new doctor-patient relationship just WHY I am so careful about making sure that everything is correct and that I fully understand and agree with their recommendations - that seems to help them not take it personally.

[M55FF]

I had a real doctor ( not in training ) screw up with meds for me, she was caling in meds for me to take that I wasn't on... and then calling in some chantix some funny way where I got triple billed. I called to speak to the doctor and she was actually whining and asking me:

DONT YOU EVER MAKE MISTAKES ?
shesh, this is a medical doctor?

When I told her she was screwing with my prescrption insurance and costing me to pay this fee because they would not refund the medicine they mailed to me
she got mad and cut off all of my family from going to the clinic she works from. She did this because I told her her mistakes were unacceptable and I would not be coming back for health care.

what a bunch of incompetants !
In talking to my blue cross provider they dsaid it was really hard to find a good doctor anymore and I agree.

What kind of doctors do they have these days? ... bunch of lazy slackers out to make big bucks... working the insurance system for profits.

I plan now more than ever to stay well
and away from them. They send you in for tests they know you dont need, refuse certain meds or procedures because insurance won't cover them.
Its a sorry state.

My husbands union had to get in on the medication errors so we would not have to pay. The presription insurance complany recorded the doctors prescrition order as I think they must have done that because the doctor screws up so much and medication can't be taken back and given to another patient so its a total loss to the pharmacy when the doctor messes up.

I think the days of good doctors is over and if we go socialized medicine it will be even worse.

[DJ1972]

Thyroid tests are confusing in general, I always had a hard time getting across to patients why the doc was increasing their meds when their level was high or decreasing them when the level was low.....But the doc I worked for generally checked the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) which will be high if your thyroid is not working enough because the body sends out extra TSH to "stimulate" the thyroid to work more and if it's low that means your meds are working too good and thyroid is working too much so you get a decrease in meds.
As with any profession there are good doctors and bad. I think alot of them are stressed out and insurance companies and state medicaid don't help matters....I can tell you from experience it is a pain in the rear to get anything paid for from either of them, sometimes it took 3 or 4 long phone calls just to get an authorization for a script for a patient. I hope you get it all straightened out and don't quit bugging them till you get the answers you need.

[shoiji]

Ok, so I have called them last week. First time they said they had to pull my record and would call me back. NO, they did not call me back. Got in touch with them today. The person I spoke with was very curt with me and said she was there when the doctor told me what medication to take. And if I wanted to talk with the doctor to come into the clinic today. She absolutely did not want to hear anything I had to say. So, I had someone call for me to find out what I should be taking, since I was basically seeing red at the time and not thinking very clearly. The lady basically said the same thing. The lady at the clinic said completely nothing about checking my records. Just that she remembered me and I had questions about my medication.

So, I am really trying not to go off right now.

When I was in the exam room trying to get answers the doctor told me I was being difficult and that if I wanted to I could go somewhere else. I wasn't being difficult there was definately a language barrier. And as far as doctors being stressed out, sorry but not really my problem here. They are the ones prescribing medicine and really better be on the ball about it. From what I understand the thyroid basically controls EVERYTHING. If she wants to be all arrogant towards me then she better know her stuff. I should not have to tell her that the prescription she gave me needs to have the directions on how to take the medicine on the prescription form. I have had other doctors who would listen to me, english was their second language, and they were very respectful towards me.

Yes there are good and bad doctors, but don't you think they should learn to listen to their patients instead of looking at them like they have three heads. And because I dare ask questions they would rather tell me to go somewhere else to get care???

Well sorry, this turned out to be more of a rant. So if anyone is reading this thanks for listening. Also, thank you everyone in your responses. I don't feel like it is all in my head and I am over reacting now.