Myths About Reporting Side Effects, Checked Against the Guidance
Reporting Side Effects: what people commonly get wrong, set against what published UK guidance says.
Safety signals for medicines are found after licensing, from reports, and patients can report directly rather than through a clinician.
Key takeaways
- Who can report: anyone, including patients and carers
- What to report: any suspected reaction, even if you are unsure
- Most useful single change: Report anything you suspect, without waiting to be certain.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming someone else will have reported it.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What the guidance actually says
Before the corrections, the published figures. Everything below is measured against these.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Who can report | anyone, including patients and carers |
| What to report | any suspected reaction, even if you are unsure |
| Covers | medicines, vaccines, devices, e-cigarettes and defective products |
| Run by | the MHRA |
Where people go wrong
All of these come up regularly. All of them run against the published position.
- Assuming someone else will have reported it
- Waiting for proof of causation before reporting
What to do instead
- Report anything you suspect, without waiting to be certain
- Include what you were taking, the dose and the timing
- Tell your GP or pharmacist as well as reporting
The part that is genuinely uncertain
Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.
Where to go next
- Reporting Side Effects: The Questions People Actually Ask
- Reporting Side Effects at a Glance
- Reporting Side Effects — the reference entry
- The Evidence on Taking Medicines Correctly, Without the Hype
- Paracetamol Dosing Limits: What Published Guidance Supports
When to speak to a doctor
Reporting is not a substitute for treatment. Call 999 for swelling of the lips or tongue, difficulty breathing, collapse, a widespread blistering rash, or any severe reaction. Stop the medicine and seek urgent advice for yellowing of the skin, severe abdominal pain, or unusual bleeding.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
