If you have a medical cannabis prescription in the UK, you will have regular follow-up consultations with your prescribing clinic, typically every 3 to 6 months. These reviews determine whether your treatment continues, whether your prescription needs adjusting, and how your care progresses.
Preparing properly makes these appointments more productive. Here is what to bring, what to expect, and how tracking your usage gives you better conversations with your clinician.
What happens at a clinic review
A typical follow-up consultation covers:
- How you have been getting on. Your clinician will ask about your experience with the prescribed products: what has worked, what has not, and any changes you have noticed.
- Symptom review. How have your symptoms been? Better, worse, or about the same? The clinician wants to understand whether the treatment is effective.
- Side effects. Any unwanted effects? These are important to report, even if they seem minor.
- Consumption patterns. How much have you been using? Has your usage been steady, increasing, or decreasing? This helps the clinician assess whether the prescribed quantity is appropriate.
- Prescription review. Based on the above, the clinician may adjust your prescription: changing quantities, trying different strains, or adding a new format (such as adding an oil alongside flower).
The appointment is a two-way conversation. It is your opportunity to feed back on your treatment and to ask questions. The more specific you can be, the better the clinician can tailor your care.
What to prepare before your appointment
Walking in with data transforms the conversation. Here is what to bring:
1. Your consumption summary
How much have you used over the last month or since your last appointment? A single number — "about 0.5 grams per day on average" — is far more useful than "I think I have been using about the same amount." If you track by strain, know the breakdown: which products you have been using most, and whether any have been particularly effective.
2. Your burn rate trend
Has your daily consumption been steady, or has it changed? If it has increased, why do you think that is? (Different symptoms? Different product? Different routine?) Being able to say "my usage went up in the last two weeks because my symptoms were worse" is honest and useful — it helps the clinician understand your needs.
3. Notes on effects and side effects
Specific examples help: "I noticed that strain X helped with my evening pain but made me drowsy the next morning" is more actionable than "some of them made me tired." Notes do not need to be detailed; a few words after each dose is enough to build a useful picture over weeks.
4. Questions for your clinician
Write down your questions beforehand. In the moment, it is easy to forget. Common questions include: Are there other strains I should try? Should I add an oil or edible format? Is my current dosage appropriate? Are there any interactions with my other medications?
How tracking helps (without being overwhelming)
You do not need to track every detail to have a productive review. Even basic tracking — date, strain, and amount — gives you a consumption summary and a burn rate. That alone puts you ahead of most patients, who arrive with a vague sense of "it seems to be helping."
If you want to go further, adding a few words about effects after each dose builds a qualitative record that is genuinely useful in clinic conversations. But the key is consistency, not detail. A month of basic entries is better than a week of detailed ones.
What not to worry about
Some patients worry that tracking will be used against them, that a higher-than-expected burn rate will lead to judgment from the clinician. This is not how medical consultations work. Your clinician's job is to help you manage your treatment effectively. Honest data about your usage (even if it has increased) is better than guessing, because it allows the clinician to adjust your prescription appropriately.
You are not being tested. You are collaborating with your clinician to find the most effective treatment. Data is a tool for that collaboration, not a stick to be beaten with.
How Grams Left helps with clinic prep
Grams Left makes clinic preparation effortless. Every dose you log builds a record of your consumption, burn rate, and trends. When your appointment comes around, you have a clear summary — no last-minute spreadsheet scrambling required.
You can also export your data as CSV or JSON to bring to your appointment if you prefer a printed copy. The core tracker is free, with no card required.
A review goes better when you are not reconstructing the last three months from memory in the waiting room. A short, honest record of what you actually used is usually all your clinician needs to make the next decision with you.