What to consider before taking medication

When you're considering medication, it's important understand enough about it to make an informed decision. But it can feel overwhelming. Especially when you're not feeling well.

We're here to help you feel more prepared, confident and in control of your decisions around medication.

It took several months and a number of different pills to find the right ones, but once I did things started looking up.

Medication checklists – key facts to know

If you're considering taking a specific medication, use these checklists as prompts for what to find out about it. You could print them off to go through with your doctor. Or keep this page open on your phone and make notes.

If you're unsure about any of the details in these lists, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. If this feels like a difficult conversation, our page on how to get help from your GP has tips.

How to decide if medication is working for you

Psychiatric medication can work in different ways for different people. It's not always possible to predict exactly which drug or dose will suit you.

But once you've started taking medication, try these tips to keep checking whether things are working for you:

• Review your medication regularly with your doctor. They should ask how you're getting on and whether the medication is helping. You can also tell them about any side effects.

• Remember that some drugs take a while to start working. You might need to take it for a while and see how it goes. You could look up the drug's half-life to guide you on when it might reach a stable level in your body.

• Tell your doctor about any problems. They might be able to offer a different type of medication or treatment. Or they can suggest ways to manage your medication to reduce the problems.

• Talk to your local pharmacist for information. Most in-person pharmacists have a private consulting room. This can help if you don't feel comfortable talking to them over the counter. You could take a list of questions with you to help remember everything you want to ask.

I started taking antidepressants and had to phone in every 2 weeks at the start so they could monitor how I was coping. I felt a few mild headaches at the start.

Watch Emily share her feelings about trying different types of medication, before she found something that worked for her.

Preparing for side effects of medication

Any medication could cause side effects. It usually depends on:

• What type of medication it is

• How high the dose is

• Your body's own physical reaction to the drug

Side effects can range from mild to moderate, to severe. They could happen:

• With short-term use, when you start taking the medication

• With longer term use

• After you stop taking the drug – either as a withdrawal symptom, or a side effect that doesn't go away

Or you might not notice any side effects at all.

There's no way to know how you'll react before you start taking the medication.

Whether the benefits of the medication are worth the side effects for you is a personal decision. Your feelings about this might change throughout your life.

It's worth talking this through with someone you trust.

You might also find it helpful to connect with others who've been through it themselves. Our pages on peer support groups explain ways you could do this.

When I first read the list of side effects of the medication I'd be taking, my first impulse was to flush it down the toilet. It was scary stuff. But I took it and I feel that medication has really helped me over the years.

How to find out possible side effects

Different types of psychiatric medication are associated with different sets of side effects.

We explain different possible side effects in our pages on:

• Antidepressant side effects

• Antipsychotic side effects

• Benzodiazepine side effects

• Non-benzodiazepine sleeping pill side effects

To find side effects for a specific medication, read the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that comes in the packaging.

If you don't have the PIL, you can find it by looking up the medication in our drugs A to Z.

Most PILs describe the side effect risk level like this:

• Very common – affects more than 1 person in 10

• Common – affects between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people

• Uncommon – affects between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000 people

• Rare – affects between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people

• Very rare – affects fewer than 1 in 10,000 people

• Not known – we do not know how many people this affects

Antipsychotics are effective but they make me really tired. I just cannot think straight when I'm on them.

What to do if you get side effects

Depending on how your side effects make you feel, follow the actions in the lists below.

I feel mildly unwell or uncomfortable:

• If you've just started the medication, try waiting a few days to see if the side effects wear off

• If you feel worried, get advice from NHS 111 England or NHS 111 Wales, or see your GP or pharmacist

I feel moderately unwell or very worried:

• If you feel the same within 12 hours, get medical advice

• Call NHS 111 England or NHS 111 Wales, or see your GP or pharmacist

• Contact your nurse prescriber or care co-ordinator, if you have one

I feel seriously unwell:

• Contact your GP or pharmacist right away, or call 999

• Do not drive or operate machinery

Side effects of medication can be tricky to cope with. It's worth exploring a range of ways for looking after your wellbeing when you're changing medication or starting something new.

If you decide you want to stop taking the medication, avoid stopping suddenly. Our pages on coming off medication have information about withdrawal, and how to stop safely.

My doctor warned me of side effects for the first couple of weeks. I would recommend staying in a safe place with someone you trust while starting mental health medication.

How to report side effects to the drug manufacturer

You can report side effects online through the Yellow Card website.

This is a voluntary scheme, so you don't have to unless you want to. Or you could ask your doctor or pharmacist to report the side effects to Yellow Card for you.

Reporting side effects can help drug manufacturers to:

• List side effects more accurately. If lots of people report a side effect, manufacturers might need to reconsider how common it is. They might need to add a new warning in the package.

• Assess whether a drug or a batch should be recalled. This might be necessary if enough people report a very serious side effect. Especially if the drug is quite new in the UK.

• Give better information to the public. You can use your experience to help others in future.

I have found that gradually reducing the dosage with the support of my GP is the best way to come off antidepressants. I am now really looking forward to the future.

Know your rights around medication

In almost all cases, doctors can't force you to take medication if you don't want to. A doctor can make recommendations about what might help you, but it's still your choice. You usually have the right to refuse it.

But there are some rare exceptions. It could be legal to give you medication without your consent:

• If you're sectioned in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983

• If you're under a community treatment order (CTO) after being sectioned

• If you've been assessed under the Mental Capacity Act as ‘not having capacity’ to consent to treatment, but profssionals believe medication is in your best interests

For more information, including what you can do to challenge decisions, see our pages on consent to treatment and sectioning.

Make your wishes about medication known in advance

If you're worried about being forced to take medication if you become very unwell in the future, you can plan ahead.

Having a crisis plan helps healthcare professionals know your wishes in advance. This is useful in case you lose capacity to make decisions about your treatment.

Certain legal systems exist to help you do this. Our page on how to plan for a mental health crisis explains more.