Medication Side Effect Visit Log

intent

Use this skill to help a user build a clinician-ready timeline and visit brief for possible side effects after starting, stopping, or changing a medication or supplement. The skill captures symptom patterns, context factors, and user observations in a neutral, factual format that supports clear communication with a doctor, pharmacist, or nurse without inferring causality, recommending dose changes, or replacing emergency care. This is a communication and tracking aid, not medical advice.

inputs

• medication or supplement name: user-provided name, trade name, or generic name. if the user is unsure of the full name, use what they remember.
• type of change: one of started, stopped, dose changed, timing changed, missed dose, refill or brand/generic switched, supplement added, or other.
• date and time of change: calendar date and time, or approximate if exact timing is unknown.
• user-stated schedule: dosage and timing as the user reports it, copied exactly. mark as "not provided" if the user does not volunteer this.
• prescriber or source: clinician name/clinic, pharmacist, over-the-counter, supplement retailer, or "not provided".
• symptom details: what the user noticed, when it started, how long it lasts, how often it happens, severity on 0-10 scale, and whether it is getting better, worse, staying the same, or coming and going.
• context factors: changes in sleep, meals, hydration, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, exercise, stress, illness, other medication or supplement changes, travel, schedule shifts, or menstrual cycle (only if user volunteers or notes relevance).
• planned contact: who the user intends to reach out to (prescribing clinician, pharmacist, primary care doctor, specialist, nurse line, urgent care, other).
• urgent symptoms flag: whether the user reports any serious symptoms (severe allergic reaction, trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, severe swelling, suicidal thoughts, overdose concern, confusion, seizure, severe rash, or rapidly worsening symptoms).

external connections: none required. this skill works offline from user input. if the user wants to send the visit brief to their clinic or pharmacy portal, they paste the text themselves.

setup notes: no API keys, OAuth, credentials, or integrations needed. this is a structured intake and documentation workflow.

procedure

1. display safety boundary and urgent-care reminder (input: none; output: safety message). if the user reports any serious symptoms in their initial message, lead with the urgent-care reminder before proceeding. otherwise, include it at the end of the visit brief. the message must state: "if you have trouble breathing, chest pain, severe swelling, fainting, seizure, severe rash, confusion, suicidal thoughts, overdose concern, or symptoms that feel urgent or rapidly worsening, seek emergency care or contact local emergency services now. this log is not a substitute for urgent medical help."

2. capture medication or supplement change (input: medication name, change type, date/time, user-stated schedule, prescriber/source; output: medication change snapshot table). create a single-table snapshot with rows for medication/supplement name, change type, date and time of change, user-stated schedule (exact copy or "not provided"), prescriber or source, and planned contact. do not add interpretation or add dosing information the user did not volunteer.

3. gather symptom details (input: symptom descriptions, onset date/time, duration, frequency, severity, trend; output: symptom pattern table). for each symptom the user noticed, record the symptom description in user's own words, date/time first noticed (or approximate), duration (minutes, hours, days, or ongoing), frequency (once, daily, several times daily, comes and goes), severity on 0-10 scale, and trend (better, worse, same, comes and goes, improving, worsening). mark missing details as "unknown" instead of inventing precision. do not use diagnostic labels unless the user or a clinician already stated them.

4. ask about context factors (input: user responses about sleep, meals, caffeine, alcohol, exercise, stress, illness, other medication/supplement changes, travel, schedule changes, menstrual cycle if relevant; output: context factors table). ask only about factors the user wants to share. do not force a full history. record factors in a two-column table (factor name, notes) with only the information the user provided. do not imply that context factors explain the symptoms, just present them as background for the professional.

5. build a chronological timeline (input: medication change date/time, symptom onset dates/times, any professional contacts already made, current status; output: chronological timeline table). create a four-column table (date/time, event, source, notes). start with the medication or supplement change, then list symptom onsets in order, then any contact with pharmacy or clinic, then current status. use "approximate" for uncertain dates. do not infer cause-and-effect.

6. separate observed facts from user guesses and concerns (input: all user-provided information; output: three lists). create three labeled sections: "observed facts" (medication change, symptom pattern, dates, context factors, actions already taken), "user concerns or guesses" (worries, internet research findings, unverified theories, clearly labeled as the user's own thinking), "questions to ask" (adapted to the user's situation, addressing safety, continuation of medication, tracking, and when to escalate).

7. generate visit brief (input: all captured information; output: visit brief text block). produce a concise, plain-language brief the user can copy and paste into a clinic portal message or bring to a visit. include reason for contact (neutral phrasing like "i noticed these symptoms after this medication change"), medication/supplement snapshot, symptom list with dates/severity/trend, context notes, questions, and urgent-symptoms reminder. keep tone calm and factual. do not make medical claims.

8. provide ongoing tracking table (input: none; output: empty template table). offer a blank tracking table (columns: date/time, medication taken as prescribed yes/no/not applicable, symptom, severity 0-10, duration, context notes, action taken, follow-up needed) that the user can fill in daily or as symptoms arise, to share with their clinician at the next contact.

9. create next-contact checklist (input: planned contact type, medications, symptoms, questions; output: checklist). provide a plain-text checklist reminding the user to bring or share the visit brief, note any new symptoms before the appointment, write down answers to their questions, and know the urgent-care threshold. do not tell the user to skip doses, change timing, or stop medication.

decision points

• if the user reports a serious or emergency symptom (trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, severe swelling, severe rash, confusion, suicidal thoughts, seizure, overdose concern, or rapidly worsening symptoms), do this: stop the intake immediately, state the urgent-care reminder in bold, tell them to seek emergency care or contact local emergency services now, and do not proceed with the visit brief until they confirm they have safety support or plan to seek help.

• if the user has not yet contacted their clinician or pharmacist, do this: include language in the visit brief and checklist encouraging them to reach out soon, and make it clear that the log is for communication, not self-management.

• if the user volunteers dosing information, do this: record it exactly as stated. if the user asks whether a dose is safe or correct, do not answer. refer them to the prescriber or pharmacist. do not ask follow-up dosing questions unless needed to clarify what the user already said.

• if the user mentions multiple medication or supplement changes at once, do this: create a separate medication change snapshot row or table for each change, note the overlapping timeline, and ask the clinician to help sort which change may correlate with which symptom.

• if the user guesses that a symptom is caused by the medication, do this: record the guess in the "user concerns or guesses" section, not in "observed facts." use neutral language like "the user wonders whether" or "the user noticed this after," not "caused by."

• if the user asks for dosing, tapering, skipping doses, or medication substitution advice, do this: refuse. state clearly that you do not advise on medication changes and that they must contact their prescriber or pharmacist. do not guess at dose safety.

• if the user reports symptoms that might indicate a serious drug interaction or contraindication (e.g., reporting chest pain after starting a cardiac medication, or severe nausea after combining two new drugs), do this: include the urgent-care reminder and recommend contacting poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) or a pharmacist urgently, in addition to their planned clinician contact.

• if symptom details are vague or incomplete (e.g., "felt bad" or "nothing works"), do this: ask clarifying questions like "where did you feel it," "when during the day," "how long did it last," and "on a scale of 0-10 how bothersome was it," to help the user describe it more precisely for their clinician.

• if the user is tracking multiple symptoms over days or weeks, do this: offer the ongoing tracking table and encourage them to fill it in daily so patterns emerge before they contact their clinician.

• if the user has already contacted a clinician and is waiting for a response, do this: acknowledge that, encourage them to bring this brief to their appointment or send it via portal, and remind them of the urgent-care threshold while waiting.

output contract

the skill produces a structured visit brief package with these components, in this order:

1. safety boundary and urgent-care reminder (plain text, bold if triggered by serious symptoms).
2. medication change snapshot (single table with rows: medication/supplement name, change type, date/time, user-stated schedule or "not provided", prescriber/source or "not provided", planned contact).
3. symptom pattern table (columns: symptom or change, first noticed, duration, frequency, severity 0-10, trend, notes for clinician). rows populated for each symptom user reported.
4. context factors table (columns: factor, notes). rows for sleep, meals/hydration, alcohol/caffeine/cannabis, exercise, stress, illness, other medication/supplement changes, travel, schedule changes, or menstrual cycle (only if user provided).
5. chronological timeline (columns: date/time, event, source, notes). rows for medication change, symptom onsets in order, contact with professionals, current status. dates marked "approximate" where uncertain.
6. facts vs concerns vs questions (three labeled sections). observed facts (medication change, symptom details, context, actions taken), user concerns or guesses (worries and unverified research, labeled as such), questions to ask (5-7 questions adapted to the user's situation, addressing causality, safety, continuation of medication, tracking, and escalation thresholds).
7. visit brief output (plain text, ready to copy and paste to a clinic portal or print for a visit). includes reason for contact, medication/supplement change, symptom list with dates/severity/trend, context, questions, and urgent-symptoms reminder.
8. ongoing tracking table (empty template, columns: date/time, medication taken as prescribed yes/no/not applicable/prefer not to say, symptom, severity 0-10, duration, context notes, action taken, follow-up needed). user fills in going forward.
9. next-contact checklist (plain text). reminders to bring or share the visit brief, note any new symptoms, write down answers to questions, and know when to seek urgent care.

data format: all tables in markdown. all plain text sections in plain language, no jargon unless the user introduced it. no HTML, no embedded media, no form fields. output is copy-paste-ready for email, portal, or print.

file location: none. output is delivered as text in the conversation. user is responsible for saving, copying, or sending it.

edge cases covered:

• empty or missing symptom data: mark as "unknown" and ask follow-up questions. do not guess.
• vague timing: offer approximate date ranges (e.g., "sometime last week") and note as approximate in timeline.
• user uncertainty about causality: separate from facts into "user concerns or guesses."
• multiple overlapping medication changes: create separate rows for each; note the overlap.
• user reports no symptoms: still create the snapshot and timeline for documentation and follow-up if symptoms appear later.
• user already saw a clinician but got unclear answers: offer the brief as a way to clarify in the next conversation.
• user reports symptoms that worsened rapidly or acutely: escalate to urgent-care reminder and recommend immediate contact.
• user mentions potential drug interaction: suggest contacting pharmacist or poison control, include in urgent-care reminder.
• user does not want to name a medication: use placeholder ("medication A") and record user's reason if relevant.
• user hesitant to share full context: respect privacy. ask only what is comfortable to share.

outcome signal

the user knows the skill worked when they have:

1. a written summary of the medication or supplement change with exact dates and their stated schedule, not guesses.
2. a clear list of symptoms with onset dates, severity, and trend that they can read to a clinician.
3. a separate list of context factors (sleep, caffeine, stress, other changes) that a clinician can use to interpret the timeline.
4. a chronological timeline showing the medication change and symptom onsets in order, without inferred cause-and-effect.
5. a list of their own concerns and unverified guesses, clearly separated from facts, so a clinician can address both what happened and what the user worries about.
6. 5-7 concrete questions to ask their clinician or pharmacist that are grounded in their specific situation.
7. a copy-and-paste-ready visit brief they can send to their clinic portal or bring to an appointment, written in plain language and ready to use with no edits required.
8. an empty tracking table they can fill in daily or as symptoms arise, to gather more data before their next contact.
9. a checklist of steps to take before contacting their clinician (bring the brief, note new symptoms, prepare their questions, know the urgent threshold).

success is when the user can hand the visit brief to their clinician or pharmacist and the clinician has enough factual information to discuss the medication change and symptoms without asking "when exactly did this start" or "how bad was it." the user should feel prepared, not advised to change their medication, and clear about when to seek urgent care.