The Yellow Card Scheme is run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a UK government body. The MHRA’s principal aim is to protect the public’s health, by making sure that medicines and medical devices work properly and are acceptably safe. Since 1964, information on suspected side effects has been collected from reports made voluntarily by healthcare professionals and, from 2008, also by patients.

You can access more information at the Yellow Card Scheme’s website Frequently Asked Questions section.


Patient Reporting of Side-Effects for Medicines or Herbal Remedies

There are several ways you can report suspected side effects of any medicine or herbal remedy, whether prescribed by a healthcare professional or bought without a prescription. These side effects could have happened to you personally, your child, or someone you are responsible for.

You can report in the following ways:

  • Online using the Online Yellow Card form 
  • By downloading a copy of the Yellow Card form to print and complete
  • By using the Yellow Card mobile App. Available for download via the Apple AppTM store or on Google PlayTM .
  • Over the telephone via 0808 100 3352, during weekdays between 10am to 2pm
  • By completing a paper Yellow Card report form, copies of which should be available at your community pharmacy or GP practice, and returning it FREEPOST YELLOW CARD in the envelope provided with the form.

You should also report a side effect to your doctor or pharmacist.

For more information, see the Reporting section on our website.


Completing a Yellow Card

The form, whether paper or online, has five sections:
(If you report online there are drop-down menus to make it easier for you)

  1. About the suspected side effect. The symptoms or a description of the side effect and how it has affected the person.
  2. About the person who had the suspected side effect. You should say if this person is you, your child, or someone else. Even if you prefer not to include a name, you should give as much information as you can, such as age, male/female, weight, and so on.
  3. About the prescription, over the counter medicine, herbal medicine or substance which might have caused the side effect. As side effects can be caused by interactions between medicines, we need to know about any other medicines or herbal remedies being taken when the side effect happened, as well as ones taken over the previous 3 months.
  4. About your doctor (optional). If you give permission for us to contact your doctor, please give contact details. Your doctor can help us understand the side effect by supplying more information.
  5. About you – the person making the report. We need your name and contact details, so we can get in touch if we need more information. Please give a postal address even if you prefer not to give a phone number or email address

If you need help:

  • Call the Yellow Card hotline on 0808 100 3352 (available weekdays 10am to 2pm)
  • Ask a healthcare professional (such as your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist) for help

We suggest that you have your medication and/or other substances, as well the information leaflets that came with them, in front of you while you fill out the report form.

Please complete as much of the Yellow Card report form as possible. However even if you cannot complete all sections your report will still be valuable.


Why Report Suspected Side-Effects?

It is possible that any medicine might cause unwanted side effects in some people. While many unwanted side effects, also known as ‘adverse drug reactions’, are mild, some can be serious or even life-threatening. Occasionally side effects can appear after a person has stopped taking a medicine.

Some side effects are not known about until many people have been taking the medicines for a long time. If a number of people report the same side effect the manufacturers may be advised to change the dosage recommendations and warnings on the patient information leaflet provided with the medication. If the reaction is very serious the MHRA and the company that makes the medicines might even decide to take the drug off the market. So by reporting side effects using the Yellow Card scheme you are helping to make medicines safer for everyone.


Information about a Suspected Side-Effect

It is especially useful to know about a suspected side effect that:

  • is not already mentioned in the patient information leaflet provided with the medicine
  • causes problems bad enough to interfere with everyday activities
  • happens when you are taking more than one medicine and could be caused by interactions

The MHRA leaflet Taking medicines – some questions and answers about side effects gives you further helpful information.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland also have a useful booklet Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for you? which has information on side effects and how to report them. There is an accompanying short animated video. You can see the video on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether a symptom is a side effect of your medicine, or something else. Even if you are not sure but you think a medicine may have caused a side effect, please complete a Yellow Card.


Publications and Information on Patient Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions

You might find the following sources on patient reporting of side effects of interest.  The full details are listed in the Publications section but you can open the sources by clicking on the titles here.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Yellow Card Centre Scotland information: 

 Articles and reports: