How to log a med change in VillageMetrics
When your child's psychiatrist changes a medication or adjusts a dose, logging it in VillageMetrics takes about 30 seconds. Go to Settings → Child Profile → Medications, find the medication, and update the dose or end date. The app automatically creates a before/after comparison point so you can later ask "How has behavior changed since we increased the dose?"
Here's how to handle different types of medication changes.
Changing a Dose
When your doctor increases or decreases a dose:
Go to Settings → Child Profile → Medications
Tap the medication you're changing
Tap Edit to modify the dosing schedule
Update the dose amount (AM, midday, and/or PM as applicable)
Set the Start Date to when the new dose begins
Save
Example: Your child has been on Risperidone 0.5mg in the morning. The psychiatrist increases it to 1mg. You'd update the AM dose from 0.5mg to 1mg and set the start date to when the new dose begins.
Why the date matters: VillageMetrics uses the start date to separate "before" and "after" periods. When you later ask "How has aggression changed since the dose increase?", the AI knows exactly when to draw the line.
Starting a New Medication
When your doctor prescribes a new medication:
Go to Settings → Child Profile → Medications
Tap Add Medication
Start typing the medication name—the app suggests common options
Enter the dosing schedule (AM, midday, PM doses as prescribed)
Set the Start Date to when your child will begin taking it
Save
Tip: Add the medication the day you pick up the prescription, even if your child won't start it until tomorrow. Just set the start date to when they'll actually begin.
Stopping a Medication
When your doctor discontinues a medication:
Go to Settings → Child Profile → Medications
Tap the medication being stopped
Tap Edit and set an End Date
Save
The medication stays in your history—it isn't deleted. This is important because the AI can still analyze how behavior was during the time your child was taking it.
Switching Medications
When your doctor replaces one medication with another (e.g., switching from Risperidone to Abilify):
End the old medication — Set an end date for the medication being stopped
Add the new medication — Add it with a start date
If there's a taper period where your child is on both, the dates should overlap. The AI understands medication cocktails and will analyze the transition period separately.
What Happens After You Log a Change
Once you log a medication change, every journal entry from that point forward is automatically linked to the new medication state. You don't need to do anything special in your voice journals—just talk about how your child's day went.
After a week or two, you can ask questions like:
"How has behavior changed since we started the new dose?"
"Compare the last two weeks to the two weeks before the medication change"
"Are there any new patterns since switching medications?"
"Has sleep improved since we added the evening dose?"
The AI compares your journal entries from before and after the change and gives you a clear summary.
Tips for Accurate Medication Tracking
Log changes the day they happen. If your child starts a new dose on Monday, update the app on Monday. The before/after comparison only works if the dates are accurate.
Be precise about the actual start. If the doctor prescribes a change on Friday but you don't start until Monday, use Monday as the start date.
Don't delete old medications. When you stop a medication, end it rather than deleting it. Your medication history is valuable—you might want to see how your child did on a medication you tried years ago.
Include timing details. "Morning dose" vs "evening dose" matters. Some medications affect behavior differently depending on when they're given.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I forgot to log a medication change and it's been a few weeks?
Go back and log it now with the correct date. The app will retroactively associate your journal entries with the right medication period. Better late than never—you'll still get useful before/after comparisons.
Can I log medication changes from before we started using VillageMetrics?
Yes. When you add a medication, you can set any historical start date. If your child started Risperidone six months ago and you're just now setting up the app, enter that historical date. The AI won't have journal data from before you started using the app, but it will know the medication timeline.
Should I mention the medication change in my journal too?
It's helpful but not required. Saying "Today was the first day on the higher dose—he seemed a bit drowsy in the morning" adds context. But the app already knows about the change from the medication settings, so the correlation will happen automatically either way.
What if we're doing a gradual taper instead of a sudden change?
Log each step of the taper as a separate dose change with its own start date. For example, if you're tapering Risperidone from 2mg to 1.5mg to 1mg over three weeks, update the dose at each step. This gives you the most granular before/after data.
Ready to stop flying blind? VillageMetrics turns your daily voice notes into the data doctors need to help your child.