Side effects are unintended or secondary reactions, may physical and/or mental to a medication, treatment, or procedure.
Tips & Links
Tracking your side effects and any allergic reactions to medications, treatments, or tests is an important part of managing your health. It may also help your health care team make better decisions about your treatment plan.
Identify & Track Side Effects
- Consider keeping a side effect diary and include when side effects start, their intensity, how long they last, and any possible causes such as medications, treatments, or medical tests noting the date and time.
- Know that some investigative medical tests use dyes that can trigger an allergic side effect. If this happens you need to add it to your allergy list.
- Be aware that your medications might interact with each other and with over the counter drugs, supplements, vitamins, herbs, alcohol use or recreational drug use. The interaction might present itself as a side effect.
- Record your side effects on your phone (health or notes app) or in/on a health calendar, or in your notes for your health care visits.
- Monitor and record any allergic reactions and describe the reaction, such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing. Record any over the counter drug (OTC) or treatment you used to relieve the side effects. Make a note if you experienced any change or relief.
- Update your physician or specialist on any allergic reactions or side effects at your health care visits and make sure they record it on your electronic health record or chart.
Have a Plan
- Have a plan to contact a family member, your health advocate or care partner if you are unable to manage your side effects alone.
- Talk with your physician, specialist or pharmacist to determine who to call for what and when.
- Call emergency services (911) if symptoms become life-threatening or you feel you need urgent care such as difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, or loss of consciousness.
- Know how to use urgent care or emergency services in your community.
Get More Information
- Explore information about medication and treatment side effects from Healthlink BC.
- Keep and review the pharmacy handouts for all your medications.
- Know that you can talk to a pharmacist about your medication issues or concerns by dialling 811 at Healthlink BC.
- Learn about how a pharmacist can help with OTC drugs for mild allergic reactions and/or suggesting a replacement medication with fewer side effects from the Government of BC.
- Reach out to 811 to ask for general health information, direction on how to monitor your symptoms, or help finding health care in your community, if needed. Navigation services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from Healthlink BC.
Mywell Health helps you organize all your personal health information in one place. Add all allergies, sensitivities, and side effects to medications, over the counter drugs, foods, treatments, or tests in your Health Profile fillable PDF found in My Health Information. Save all print and/or digital files for easy access.