Yellow Card Scheme
The Yellow Card Scheme is the way to report suspected side effects from medicines and suspected problems with all healthcare products.
Side effects are unwanted effects caused by a medical treatment. They can happen with any drug, even something as everyday as paracetamol can cause side effects in some people.
Not everyone taking a drug will experience side effects and they are usually reversible. This means that if you stop taking the drug, they will soon go away.
Some side effects may be mild and manageable, such as headache. Some side effects may be more serious and potentially life threatening, such as allergic reactions.
Some side effects can be invisible to you, such as changes in blood cell counts. This is why your health professionals may need to monitor aspects of your health, using blood tests or scans. Other side effects might be more intrusive and make a noticeable difference to your ability to go about your day normally.
The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) supplied with your medication will list all the known side effects for that drug and also tell you how common they are. One person is very unlikely to get all of the side effects listed. You can discuss the possible side effects of a drug with your doctor or MS team to help you decide whether you are comfortable taking it, balancing the potential benefit with the possible risks.
If you experience a side effect that is not listed in the PIL, you can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) using the Yellow Card scheme.
