Medications & Supplements
Reminders and effectiveness tracking
No medications yet
Track meds to see how they affect your mood over time.
Why track medication
Fewer missed doses
Reminders plus a visible streak are the two interventions with the best evidence for adherence.
See the effect
Overlaying doses on your mood chart shows whether a change actually helped, and how long it took.
Safer changes
A dated log makes it obvious when a side effect started relative to a dose change.
A better appointment
Your prescriber gets facts instead of recollection: what you took, when, and what happened.
What to expect from psychiatric medication
Antidepressants typically need two to four weeks before mood changes and up to eight weeks for full effect, while side effects often appear in the first days — which is precisely why so many people stop too early. Around half of people on long-term medication take it inconsistently, and non-adherence is one of the strongest predictors of relapse. Tracking will not make a drug work better, but it removes the guesswork from the two questions that matter: am I actually taking it, and is it doing anything?
How to set it up
- 1
Add each medication with its dose and schedule exactly as prescribed.
- 2
Set a reminder time you are always reachable — attach it to a meal or bedtime.
- 3
Tick the dose when you take it, not when you plan to.
- 4
Note side effects in the entry as they appear, with the date they started.
- 5
Before an appointment, open the monthly report and bring the adherence and mood view with you.
Practical adherence tips
- ✦A weekly pill organiser plus one app reminder beats either alone.
- ✦If you miss a dose, follow the instruction on your leaflet — do not double up unless your prescriber told you to.
- ✦Keep a two-day buffer of supply and reorder when the buffer opens, not when the pack empties.
- ✦Never stop an antidepressant abruptly; discontinuation symptoms are avoidable with a taper.
- ✦If side effects are intolerable, log them and contact your prescriber — there is almost always an alternative.
Timing and common trade-offs
| Situation | Usual approach | Talk to your prescriber if |
|---|---|---|
| Drowsy medication | Take in the evening | You are still groggy at midday |
| Activating medication | Take in the morning | It disrupts sleep onset |
| Nausea in the first week | Take with food | It lasts beyond two weeks |
| No effect after 4 weeks | Keep going, review at 6–8 | There is no change at all by week 8 |
| Wanting to stop | Plan a taper | Always — never stop abruptly |
General information only, not medical advice. Dosage and timing decisions belong to you and your prescriber.
Common questions
Is my medication list private?+
Yes. It is stored under your account with row-level security and is never shared. You choose what appears in an exported report.
Do reminders work when the app is closed?+
Yes, if you allow notifications. Install Araam to your home screen for the most reliable delivery on mobile.
What if I take medication at irregular times?+
Log the actual time you took it. The adherence view cares about doses taken, and irregular timing is itself useful information for your prescriber.
Can I track supplements too?+
Yes — add them as separate entries. Tell your prescriber about supplements; St John's wort in particular interacts with many antidepressants.
Does the app give dosage advice?+
No. Araam records what you enter and never recommends starting, stopping or changing a dose.