Medication Dose Change Log: What to Write Down
Your prescriber changed a dose or switched a medicine? What a dose change entry needs and how to bring the history to your next appointment.
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Your prescriber changed a dose or switched a medicine. A few weeks later you are not sure what applied when. You can keep a dated record on paper or in Sam, which records a dose change from the day you enter it and keeps earlier days on the old plan. This post covers what one change entry needs and what to bring to your next appointment.
Why keep a history of dose changes?
Changes get lost easily. One doctor does not always know what another changed, and a pharmacy often knows only what it dispensed. The FDA advises keeping a medication list and updating it often. Examples are a new prescription, a different dosage or a stopped medicine. HealthLinkBC and Healthify NZ say the same. Update the list whenever something is added, stopped or changed, and bring it to every visit.
A dated history also shows what applied on which day. That is easy to forget after a few weeks, and it is exactly what the next appointment needs.
What goes into one change entry?
Write the entry on the day of the change. Keep it short:
- The date the new dose applies from.
- The medicine, with the old and the new strength.
- The times you take it, for example morning and evening.
- Who made the change: your family doctor, a specialist or a hospital.
- The reason, as your prescriber gave it. If nobody explained it, ask.
- What you notice afterwards, each time with a date.
- The stop date, if a medicine was stopped.
You do not judge what you notice. You write it down and talk about it at the appointment. Symptoms go in the symptom diary, next to your other entries.
Who changes a dose?
Only your prescriber. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is clear. Do not stop any medicine or change the dose without checking with your doctor or a pharmacist. The log does not replace that decision. It records what was decided.
Your medicine was switched: same ingredient, different pack?
After a switch you often have two packs at home, the old one and the new one. Write down name, strength and active ingredient for both. Ask the pharmacist whether ingredient, strength and form match what was prescribed. Whether one product can stand in for another is not your call.
Hospital stays often bring changes. Healthify NZ notes this and suggests asking your provider to update the list as well. At discharge, ask which medicines are new, which were stopped and which changed in dose. Ask to see the discharge letter.
How do you record a stopped medicine without erasing it?
Add the stop date and the reason your prescriber gave, and leave the old entry in place. For a medicine review, Guy's and St Thomas' suggests bringing a note of any medicines you stopped and why.
In Sam you stop a daily medication with a stop date. Sam then stops reminding you, and the history stays. If you start the medicine again later, Take again creates a new entry. Whether to stop is always your prescriber's decision.
How is this different from the list your clinic or pharmacy keeps?
Your clinic and pharmacy keep their own records. Your own list is personal. It is not an official record and it does not replace one. It helps you check theirs and ask for an update when something changed, as Healthify NZ suggests. The FDA advises sharing a copy of your list with your doctor or pharmacist.
What to prepare for the visit itself is in the doctor appointment checklist.
What do you bring to the next appointment?
Bring the history of changes: what changed when, and what you noticed after each change. Add the packs or a photo of your list, and your open questions. The post on sharing health data with your doctor shows how a report can look.
In Sam, the medication appears in the doctor report of your program. A program is a diary with its own doctor report and a monthly questionnaire, for example the program for high blood pressure. In some programs, such as the one for high blood pressure, the report also notes the latest change to a daily medication from the last 30 days, with its date and the earlier dose. The medication list cannot be exported on its own.
Keep dose changes in Sam and bring them to your doctor
You enter a change once and have it at the appointment instead of reconstructing weeks from memory.
- Instead of loose notes: enter a change on the day it starts and Sam records it from then on. Earlier days keep the old plan.
- Instead of deleting: a stop date ends the reminders and the history stays. Take again creates a new entry.
- Instead of copying by hand: the medication appears in the doctor report of your program. In some programs, such as the one for high blood pressure, it also shows the latest change from the last 30 days with the date and the earlier dose.
Sam records and reminds, nothing more. It does not suggest a dose or advise changing a medicine; that is for your prescriber. More on the medication list in Sam.
Try Sam HealthSam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or health state. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.
Related reading
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- FDA: Create and keep a medication list for your health
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: Medicines and how to manage them
- HealthLinkBC: Keeping track of medicines
- Healthify NZ: Keeping a medicines list
- Consumer Medicine Safety: Keep a record of your medicines
More on recording and taking it along
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a dose change entry include?+
The date the new dose applies from, the medicine, the old and the new dose, and the times you take it. Add who made the change and the reason your prescriber gave. Anything you notice afterwards goes in with its own date.
Can I change my dose myself if I am unsure?+
No. Only your prescriber changes a dose. A written history helps you raise the doubt at your appointment with specifics. If the strength on the pack confuses you, a pharmacist can help.
How do I record that a medicine was stopped?+
Write the stop date and the reason your prescriber gave, and keep the old entry. It shows what you took until then. In Sam you stop a daily medication with a stop date and its history stays. If you start it again later, Take again creates a new entry.
What if my medicine was switched to a different brand or strength?+
Write down the name, strength and active ingredient of both the old and the new pack. Ask the pharmacist whether ingredient, strength and form match what was prescribed. Whether a product can replace another is the prescriber's and pharmacist's decision.
How is Sam's medication list different from the list my clinic keeps?+
Your clinic or pharmacy keeps its own record. Sam's list is your personal list. It does not replace the clinic's record and your clinic does not maintain it.
What do I bring to my next appointment?+
Bring your list with dates, the packs or a photo of them, what you noticed after each change and your open questions. In Sam, the medication appears in the doctor report of your program.
Can I export my medication list on its own?+
Not on its own. In Sam, the medication appears in the doctor report of your program. In some programs, such as the one for high blood pressure, the report also notes a dose change from the last 30 days.