K.M. Neves wrote:
<snip>
> Sorry, I don't think I can offer any magic solution for convincing your doctor to allow you to switch.  <snip>
> The advice I would give anyone whose doctor refuses to allow you as a
> patient to participate actively in your treatment decision-making is
> simple:  get another doctor.  <snip>

To add to the above, sometimes, if you can't switch doctors due to HMOs
or student health plans and such, folks have found success (1) getting
thyroid treatment from a doc who says "you're just borderline hypo, no
medicine needed," or (2) convincing a doc who refuses to change between
brands of T4, or (3) convincing a doc who refuses to consider Armour or
Thyrolar or the addition of Cytomel or (4) convincing a doc who refuses
a referral to an endocrinologist...i.e., "I can handle a mere thyroid
problem, why would you need an endocrinologist?..." and (5) convincing a
doc that a TSH of 5.45 is NOT necessarily "in range, and therefore
euthryoid", and that you need more drugs/lower TSH to feel better

Get em to put it in writing. Indicate that you are NOT satisfied with
your treatment, and that you would like the doctor to put a letter in
your chart, with a copy to you that says:

"It is my professional opinion that (name of patient) is being
appropriately treated for (disease) and despite the patient's continued
symptoms of (list here), I have determined that the patient's request to
(what you wanted them to do) is not in his/her best medical interests
because (reason) and I will not comply with the patient's request."

A variation is

It is my professional determination that this patient would NOT benefit
from (beginning thyroid hormone treatment OR a change in brand OR a
change in thyroid hormone OR a referral to an endocrinologist OR a
change in dosage)

You can then use this letter with HMO/etc. administrators to attempt to
get what you want.

--Mary