Should I stop my medicine if I feel unwell?

If a clinician tells you to stop, stop. Otherwise, get advice before you decide: call 111, or contact us during our opening hours. Do not take an extra dose or a double dose to make up for one you have missed or one you have been sick after.

Do I need to tell you if I have been to A&E or called 111?

Yes, please tell us once you are safe. It goes into your clinical record and it may change what your prescriber does next. Telling us is not a substitute for getting help at the time.

Can you see me urgently?

No. We are an online pharmacy service with set opening hours, not an urgent care provider, and we cannot examine you. For anything urgent, use 111 or 999.

What if I am not sure how serious it is?

Use 111. It exists for exactly that question, it is open at all hours, and you will not be wasting anyone’s time.

Safety

If you feel unwell, do not wait for us

We are not an emergency service and we do not answer messages overnight. This page says who to contact instead, and which symptoms should not wait until morning.

Get help now

999

If someone is seriously unwell

Call 999 or go to your nearest emergency department. Any of these is a 999 call:

Difficulty breathing, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat
Chest pain, or a sudden severe headache
Collapse, a fit, or someone who cannot be woken
Severe abdominal pain that came on suddenly, particularly if it spreads through to the back
Vomiting blood, or passing black or bloodstained stools

111

If you need medical help and it is not an emergency

NHS 111 is open at all hours, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. Call 111, or start online at 111.nhs.uk. Tell them what you are taking and at what strength — it is on your medicine's label and in your account.

In Scotland, call 111 for NHS 24. In Wales, call 111. Your own GP practice's recorded message also tells you what your area's out-of-hours arrangement is.

Symptoms that should not wait until morning

Weight management medicines commonly cause stomach and bowel symptoms, and most are mild and settle. The list below is not the common ones. It is the ones to act on the same day, whatever time it is — get advice from 111 rather than waiting for us.

Vomiting or diarrhoea you cannot keep on top of, or not being able to keep fluids down
Severe or persistent abdominal pain, with or without vomiting
Yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, or pain under the ribs on the right
Signs of dehydration — very little urine, dizziness on standing, confusion
Shakiness, sweating, confusion or palpitations, particularly if you also take insulin or another medicine for diabetes
Any symptom that is getting worse rather than settling, or that frightens you

This is not a complete list, and no list can be. The full set of warnings for your medicine is in the patient information leaflet in the box and on the electronic medicines compendium. If you are worried and the symptom is not on this page, that is still a reason to ring 111.

What we can do, and when

Our opening hours are: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed on bank holidays. Outside them nobody reads messages sent to us, and a message is never monitored for urgency, at any hour. During opening hours we can answer questions about a medicine we have supplied, pass a report to your prescriber, and change or stop your treatment on a prescriber's decision.

We cannot examine you, we cannot diagnose something new over a message, and we cannot replace urgent care. A message to us about an urgent symptom delays the help you need; ring 111 first and tell us afterwards.

Message your care team: From your account, so it reaches a clinician with your record attached. Sign in.
Email us: For anything that is not about your own treatment: [TO BE SUPPLIED]. Answered in opening hours only.
Report a side effect: Once you are safe, report it — to us and to the MHRA. How to report.
Your GP: Your GP holds your whole record and can see you in person. With your consent we write to them when you start treatment, which is what makes that possible.

Common questions

Should I stop my medicine if I feel unwell?: If a clinician tells you to stop, stop. Otherwise, get advice before you decide: call 111, or contact us during our opening hours. Do not take an extra dose or a double dose to make up for one you have missed or one you have been sick after.
Do I need to tell you if I have been to A&E or called 111?: Yes, please tell us once you are safe. It goes into your clinical record and it may change what your prescriber does next. Telling us is not a substitute for getting help at the time.
Can you see me urgently?: No. We are an online pharmacy service with set opening hours, not an urgent care provider, and we cannot examine you. For anything urgent, use 111 or 999.
What if I am not sure how serious it is?: Use 111. It exists for exactly that question, it is open at all hours, and you will not be wasting anyone’s time.