There's a hidden problem with side-effect logging that doesn't surface until month three or four, and by the time you notice it the damage is done — you've described the same symptom three different ways across the entries, and the pattern reading at the appointment becomes impossible because the words don't line up. The fix is a same-word rule. Pick one word for each symptom you might log, write the word down once on a piece of paper you keep with your prescriber notes, and use only that word every time the symptom shows up.
The personal symptom dictionary doesn't need to be clinical — in fact it shouldn't be. Use the word that feels accurate to you. 'Queasy' or 'nauseous' but not both. 'Heavy' or 'full' but not both. 'Light-headed' or 'fizzy' or 'dizzy' — pick one. The clinical correctness of the word matters much less than the consistency of using the same word every time the same symptom appears.
Three reasons the same-word rule compounds. One. Searchability across months.
When you scroll back over three or six months looking for a pattern, the search is only as good as the consistency of the vocabulary. 'Queasy' appearing 23 times across three months reads as a clear pattern. 'Queasy 8 times, nauseous 7 times, a bit sick 8 times' across the same three months reads as no pattern at all, even though it's the same data. Two. Communication with your prescriber.
When you read back from the journal at an appointment, the consistent word gets a consistent response — your prescriber learns what you mean by 'queasy' the first time you use it and reads it that way every time after. Mixed vocabulary makes the prescriber re-interpret each entry, which slows the conversation. Three.
Future-self legibility. The journal you wrote six months ago needs to be readable by future-you. Mixed vocabulary turns the journal into a fog of synonyms; consistent vocabulary turns it into an index.
Mixed vocabulary turns the journal into a fog of synonyms; consistent vocabulary turns it into an index.
The mechanics. One. Write the personal symptom dictionary on the front page of the prescriber-notes notebook, or pin it inside the Titra app if there's a notes slot — the dictionary needs to be the first thing you see when you open the logging surface so the right word is the easy word.
Two. Add to the dictionary only when a genuinely new symptom appears — don't pre-fill with words for symptoms you haven't experienced, because that creates the temptation to label something you're not sure about with a word that doesn't quite fit. Three.
The dictionary is private and personal — share it with your prescriber if they want to see it, but it's not a standard medical vocabulary and it doesn't need to be. The point is internal consistency, not external correctness. Organisational note: the dictionary is a journalling tool, not a diagnostic one.
Your prescriber decides what the symptoms mean and what to do about them. The same-word rule just makes the data legible enough for that conversation to happen quickly.