Reference ranges differ between labs, so comparing two reports is close to meaningless.

Following this because I am in the same place and have no idea what to ask at the appointment.

Ask for the longer appointment slot. Ten minutes is not enough for a complex history and pretending otherwise wastes both your time.

Function over score.

Sorry for the basic question, but how do you actually start one of these diaries?

Same here.

Ten percent cuts. Slower is faster.

You are not imagining it and you are not being difficult. Document it and take the document in.

How do you tell the difference between the drug working and just a good week?

The pain score conversation is thirty seconds of my life I will never get back, every time.

Personal experience, labelled as such, is exactly right here. Nobody is prescribing.

Half of what people describe as tolerance is a change in the underlying condition, and the two need different answers. How long have you been on a named superintendent pharmacist?

The last ten percent of a taper takes as long as the first ninety. Nobody says so until you are in it.

Reference ranges differ between labs, so comparing two reports is close to meaningless.