A side effect from your medicine?

Report it on a Yellow Card

You can report suspected side effects from any medicine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and herbal and complementary remedies. Just complete a Yellow Card.

Who can report?

You can send a Yellow Card report about a suspected side effect experienced by:

• yourself
• your child (under 18 years)
• anybody else (including your partner or someone you look after), providing you have their permission

The MHRA also collects Yellow Card reports of suspected side effects from health professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and nurses.

Where to get medical advice about side effects

If you are worried about a suspected side effect and need medical advice, contact a doctor or pharmacist before you fill in a Yellow Card. You can also get information from:

• NHS Direct in England or Wales on 08 45 46 47 (local rate number),
• NHS24 in Scotland on 08454 24 24 24 (local rate number), or
• The MHRA takes every Yellow Card report seriously, but we cannot provide medical advice in individual cases.

What you should report

The Yellow Card scheme has been used for over 40 years to collect information on suspected side effects about all types of medicines

We welcome Yellow Card reports on any suspected side effect. It is especially useful to know about:

• a suspected side effect that is not mentioned in the patient information leaflet that came with the medicine, or
• a suspected side effect that has caused problems bad enough to interfere with everyday activities.

Even if you are not sure whether a medicine or combination of medicines has caused a side effect, but suspect that it has, we would like to know.

Why you should report

Medicines are designed to prevent or treat illnesses, or relieve symptoms. Any medicine can cause side effects. Side effects do not always show up until many people have used the medicine over a period of time, and sometimes only after they have stopped taking it. You can help to make medicines safer for everyone by filling in a Yellow Card about a suspected side effect.

How to report

Forms are available from all GP surgeries and pharmacies. You can complete a report on the Yellow Card website at www.yellowcard.gov.uk. You can also report via telephone on freephone 0808 100 3352.

What is the MHRA?

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem.

What will happen to my Yellow Card?

The MHRA will enter your Yellow Card onto a database and carry out analysis to see if there might be a link between the medicine and the side effect. The MHRA will acknowledge all Yellow Card reports received, and will send you a copy of the completed report. If you are completing this report about someone else (for example, your partner or someone you look after), we will send you an additional copy of the report for them to pass to their health professional if they wish to.

Under the Data Protection Act, we keep personal details strictly confidential. The MHRA does not publish any information where individual patients or reporters can be identified. We ask for your contact details so that we can get in touch if more information on the Yellow Card report is needed.

Find out more

For more information on the work of the MHRA visit www.mhra.gov.uk or call 020 7084 2000. We have also published a leaflet “Taking medicines – some questions and answers about side effects” which contains more information on how to use medicines safely.

 

 

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