Reporting side effects to medicine

Did you know that if you or your child have any side effects from taking medicine, you can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)? This helps keep medicines safe for everyone.

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What is a side effect?

If you or your child are prescribed a medicine, it’s meant to help you or them feel better. However, medicines can sometimes cause other problems, known as 'side effects'.

Your medicine comes with a Patient Information leaflet in the packet that tells you about the known side effects.

It can be difficult to know if you have a problem from a medicine, as there are lots of possible side effects, and they can happen anytime, even if you or your child has been taking the same medicine for a long time. You can always talk to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist about your medicine if you’re not sure.

What should I do if I’m worried that I or my child may have had a side effect?

If you’re worried about side effects to medicine you or your child are taking, you can talk to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. You can also visit NHS 111 or call 111 for help.

Who are the MHRA and why do they want to know about side effects?

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) keeps a watch over medicines to make sure they’re safe, are used properly, and don't harm people. They collect information about side effects of medicines (called ‘Yellow Card reports’) from people of all ages who get side effects. This means that if you think you or your child may have had a side effect, and you want to help keep medicines safe, the MHRA would like you to send in a Yellow Card report. Your child can also make a report themselves, if they want to.

It’s important for the MHRA to work out which medicines are giving people side effects and learn about new side effects, as it may be possible to change something to help others in the future.

What side effects can be reported on a Yellow Card?

You can report any side effect you think you or your child may have had on a Yellow Card, even if you’re taking multiple medicines or with food or drink. The side effect may be listed on the Patient Information Leaflet, or it may be a new effect.

How do I report the side effect?

You can fill out a Yellow Card report in different ways:

At www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard
Using the Yellow card app on a mobile phone or tablet
You can ask a doctor, nurse or pharmacist to complete a Yellow Card with you.

When should I report a side effect?

You can report a side effect anytime, even if you or your child are no longer using the medicine. The medicine may have come from a doctor, pharmacy or a shop, it doesn't matter, all can be reported. You don’t have to have been prescribed the medicine. You can also report side effects from vaccinations or any problems with a medical device.

If you or your child take more than one medicine and are not sure which one caused the side effect, you can put the names of all the medicines on the report.