After starting prescribed medical cannabis, the most useful thing to track is the information your prescriber needs for a safe review: symptoms, side effects, daily function, dates, product labels as prescribed, and questions for the clinic.
This is not about creating a complicated health spreadsheet. It is about giving the clinic a clear record of what happened between appointments. Memory is often unreliable, especially when pain, poor sleep, anxiety, fatigue or side effects are part of the picture.
This guide is for people who already have a prescription or are just starting one. It is not medical advice, it does not recommend a product, dose, route, clinic or pharmacy, and it does not replace your prescriber. For wider context, start with the MCPH patient guide and the guide to medical cannabis side effects.
The short answer
Track enough to answer these review questions clearly:
- What symptoms were you hoping to improve?
- What changed, stayed the same or became worse?
- What side effects appeared, and when?
- Did sleep, mood, appetite, concentration, work, caring duties or daily activity change?
- What product label details were on the medicine you were prescribed?
- Were there missed doses, delayed deliveries, stock changes or admin problems?
- What other medicines, supplements, alcohol or non-prescribed cannabinoid products were relevant?
- What do you need to ask the clinic at the next review?
The prescriber decides whether the treatment plan stays the same, is altered, paused or stopped. Your role is to give an honest record, not to make the clinical decision yourself.
Symptoms and daily function
Start with the reason the medicine was prescribed. If the main issue is pain, record where the pain is, how severe it felt and what it stopped you doing. If the issue is sleep, note bedtime, waking, broken sleep and how rested you felt. If the issue is anxiety, spasticity, nausea or another symptom, use the words that match your own experience.
Useful records can be simple:
- date;
- main symptom score, if a score helps you explain it;
- what was better, worse or unchanged;
- daily activities affected, such as washing, cooking, walking, working, driving, studying, caring or social contact;
- sleep, appetite, mood, concentration and energy changes;
- any unusual events, illness, stress, injury or medicine changes that could explain a bad day.
Try to avoid writing only “better” or “worse”. A prescriber can do more with “slept four hours, woke twice, pain made stairs difficult” than with a vague summary.
Side effects and safety signals
Medical cannabis can cause side effects. NHS patient information lists possible effects including dizziness, tiredness, mood changes, appetite changes, feeling sick, diarrhoea, weakness and hallucinations. Some effects may be mild or temporary. Some need prompt clinical attention.
Record:
- what the side effect felt like;
- when it started;
- how long it lasted;
- whether it affected alertness, balance, mood, sleep, appetite, work, driving or caring duties;
- whether anything else changed at the same time, such as another medicine, alcohol, illness or missed sleep;
- whether you contacted the clinic, pharmacist, GP surgery, NHS 111 or emergency services.
If you feel severely unwell, faint, confused, breathless, at risk of harming yourself, or have a serious allergic reaction or chest pain, use urgent NHS routes rather than waiting for a routine cannabis clinic reply.
For more background, read medical cannabis and medication interactions alongside the side effects guide.
Product labels, dates and as-prescribed use
Keep a practical record of the medicine as supplied. That means the product name on the label, strength where shown, form, batch number if available, expiry date, pharmacy, dispensing date and the directions written on the label.
This is record-keeping, not treatment adjustment. Do not alter the prescribed amount, timing, route, product or frequency because a tracker suggests a pattern. If the record raises a concern, bring it to the clinic.
It is also worth noting:
- delivery delays or missed deliveries;
- a product arriving with different packaging or label details;
- pharmacy messages about supply;
- whether any prescription document, label or clinic instruction appears inconsistent;
- questions you want clarified before using a new supply.
If something on the label does not match what you were told, ask the clinic or pharmacy before guessing.
Other medicines and relevant changes
NHS medical cannabis guidance says CBD and THC can affect how other medicines work. That is why the clinic needs a current medicines and supplements list, especially if something changes after prescribing starts.
Track new or changed:
- prescription medicines;
- over-the-counter medicines;
- supplements;
- CBD products or other cannabinoid products;
- alcohol or non-prescribed drug use;
- infections, hospital visits, pregnancy, breastfeeding status or major health changes;
- new driving, work, machinery, caring or safety-critical responsibilities.
This does not mean every change is a problem. It means the prescriber and pharmacist need enough information to judge what matters.
Clinic and pharmacy admin notes
Prescribed medical cannabis often involves clinic reviews, repeat prescription requests, pharmacy dispensing and delivery. Admin problems can affect what happens between appointments, so keep them separate from symptom notes.
Record:
- clinic appointment dates;
- repeat prescription request dates;
- pharmacy payment, dispensing and delivery dates;
- missed calls, emails or portal messages;
- stock-change messages;
- damaged, missing or delayed parcels;
- who you contacted and what they said.
For the broader prescription process, see how the UK medical cannabis prescription process works.
What not to track
Do not turn tracking into self-experimenting. Avoid using the record to test products, compare strains, alter prescribed use, ration medicine, combine old products, or build a private dosing plan.
Also avoid collecting so much detail that you stop using the record. A short daily note is often more useful than a long tracker that becomes impossible to maintain.
If the tracking suggests the medicine is not helping, is causing side effects, or is difficult to fit into daily life, the next step is a clinic review. The prescriber decides what changes are clinically appropriate.
Questions to take to your review
Useful questions are practical and bounded:
- Which symptoms or side effects matter most for the next review?
- Is my record detailed enough for you to assess response and safety?
- Are any side effects a reason to contact the clinic before my next appointment?
- Do any medicine changes need pharmacist review?
- How should I report a delivery delay, label query or stock-change message?
- What information do you want me to keep until the next review?
These questions help the clinical team review your treatment without asking the article to make the decision for you.
Sources
- NHS: Medical cannabis
- NICE: Cannabis-based medicinal products, NG144
- NHS England: Cannabis-based products for medicinal use
- GMC: Information for doctors on cannabis-based products for medicinal use
- CQC: Cannabis-based medicinal products: what we look at when we register
- MHRA: Supply unlicensed medicinal products, specials
- GOV.UK: Drug driving law
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