Printable logs for injections, side effects and measurements
Some records are easier to keep on paper. A printed log works without a phone, you can fill it in wherever your supplies are, and you can hand it across the desk at an appointment. Here are three blank logs to print and fill in by hand.
There are no example doses, compound names or pre-filled rows on any of them. You write in what's on your own prescription or label.
The three logs
Injection log
Open the injection log to print. It prints in landscape and has 16 rows. How long a sheet lasts depends on your own schedule.
Columns: date, time, medicine or compound name, amount and unit (as written on your prescription or label), route, injection site, taken or not taken, and notes. There's space at the top for your name and the dates the sheet covers.
Side effect log
Open the side effect log to print. It prints in portrait and has 17 rows, with room to write a sentence or two in each.
Columns: date, time, what you noticed, intensity from 1 to 5 (circle one), and notes. At the top, write down what 1 and 5 mean to you, so a 3 means the same thing next month as it does today.
Body measurement log
Open the body measurement log to print. It prints in landscape and has 16 rows. How long a sheet lasts depends on how often you measure.
Columns: date, time of day, weight, waist, hips, chest, upper arm, thigh, and notes. At the top, tick your units and which side you measure your arm and thigh on.
How to print them
- Open a log and use your browser's Print command (Command-P on a Mac, Ctrl-P on Windows).
- Choose your paper size. Each log fits on one sheet of US Letter or A4.
- Most browsers switch to the right orientation by themselves. If yours doesn't, choose landscape for the injection and measurement logs, and portrait for the side effect log.
- For a cleaner page, turn off the browser's headers and footers (the page title, web address and date it adds to the margins).
- Print several copies at once, so there's always a blank one ready. You can also choose "Save as PDF" to keep a blank copy on your computer.
How to fill them in
Write each entry at the time. A note made right after an injection or a measurement is more reliable than one reconstructed at the end of the week.
Copy the amount and unit exactly as they're written on your prescription or label. Don't convert between units on the sheet. If you're unsure what a unit means, our guide to mg, mcg, mL and IU explains why they aren't interchangeable, and your pharmacist or prescriber can answer questions about your own medicine.
Use the same words every time. Write a medicine's name, a route or an injection site the same way on every row, so entries are easy to compare when you or your clinician read back through them.
Mark every scheduled dose, including ones you didn't take. Tick "Not taken" rather than leaving the row blank, so a gap in the log can't be mistaken for a forgotten entry. What to do about a dose you didn't take is a question for your prescriber. Our guide to reviewing your dose history covers keeping that record accurate.
Keep observations and guesses apart. On the side effect log, describe what you noticed in your own words, and put any guess about the cause in the notes column, labeled as a guess. If nothing happened on a day you'd normally write, an entry saying "nothing noticed" is useful too. There's more on this in our guide to keeping a side effect log.
Measure the same way each time. Weigh yourself at a similar time of day, and measure with the same tape, at the same points on your body. See our guides to measuring your waist, hips and chest and weighing yourself consistently.
Correct mistakes with a single line. Cross out a wrong entry with one line so it can still be read, and write the correct one beside it. Erasing or scribbling over entries makes a log harder to trust.
Keep them with your records
- Write your name and the dates covered at the top of each sheet, and number the pages.
- Keep finished sheets together in date order, in one folder or envelope.
- A filled-in log holds health information, so store it somewhere private, as you would a prescription or a letter from your clinic.
Bring them to appointments
Bring your most recent sheets, and older ones if your clinician has asked to see them. Before you go, put a mark beside any entry you want to ask about and write your questions on the back of the sheet, so they're in front of you when you need them. Our guide to preparing for your appointment covers what else to bring.
If you'd rather log on your iPhone
Peptimes keeps the same kinds of records in an app. You log each dose with its amount, the route, the injection site when it's injected, and you can mark a scheduled dose you didn't take. A daily check-in records side effects with an intensity for each, and you can keep your weight and body measurements (waist, hips, chest, upper arm, thigh and body fat %).Peptimes sends a reminder for each scheduled dose, and a follow-up if it isn't logged. You can export your records as CSV or JSON, for yourself or an appointment.
Paper and an app can work together, too: you might keep a printed log by your supplies and use the app for reminders and history.
FAQ
Can I fill them in on my computer?
They're designed to be printed and filled in by hand. To keep records digitally, a spreadsheet or a tracking app suits that better.
Coming soon to the App Store
See planned pricing