Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to common questions that can be difficult to resolve without a little help. If you don't see the answer to your specific question here, you might want to look through the rest of the help pages. And if all else fails, feel free to contact us at support@mediguard.org.

Getting Started

Setting Up Your Profile

Getting Started

Why do I need to set up a profile and provide personal information?

Since your age, sex, race, medications and conditions can all affect your safety, this information is needed to generate your personalized Medication Safety Check and Safety Alerts.

Can I use the MediGuard website without setting up a profile?

You can use the MediGuard website without setting up a profile to view general information about different medications. Without setting up a profile however, you will not be able to get a Medication Safety Check or Safety Alerts.

Why is my email address required?

Your email address is an easily remembered way to access your MediGuard profile. Because our services are delivered by email, we need this information so we can communicate with you.

How can I set up a profile for a loved one?

Many families share email addresses. To create more than one registration using the same email address, simply end the email address with an asterisk ('*') and a short nickname for each user (e.g. shared@example.com*Bob, shared@example.com*Mary). All email communications from MediGuard will have the nickname listed in their subject line so you know who they apply to.

Setting Up Your Profile

How do I enter the names of my drugs?

Enter the first few letters of your drug's brand name or chemical name and select your drug from a drop down list of products. It may take a few seconds after you start typing for the list to appear.

My drug isn't in the list, what do I do?

Please double check the spelling of the drug name and try again because all prescription products have been loaded into the system. If you still don't see the name of your drug, please email us at support@mediguard.org.

I entered all my drugs, pressed save and they all disappeared. What do I do?

This most likely happened because the drug name was not entered correctly. Please remember to not enter any type of dosages. Type in the first few letters of your drug name and you will see a drop down list and you can select a drug from there.

Why should I agree to be informed of research and medical education opportunities?

If you want to support other safety research initiatives, want to learn more about your health or want to hear about special offers that may be of interest to you, MediGuard will–from time to time–inform you of relevant programs. The content of these programs will vary widely, but could include: information that is specific to managing your condition, market research opportunities to feed back about your drug experience, or more in-depth safety monitoring programs. You will have the opportunity to participate or decline participation in any program introduced to you. In general, most custom programs involve an honorarium to compensate you for your time.

Other Questions

How do I change my email address?

You need to log in to your MediGuard profile in order to change your email address. Once you are logged in, there will be a link that says, "Change Email Address." Click on this tab and you will be able to enter your new email address.

I've forgotten my password. Can you reset it?

Yes, to a temporary password. Once you receive this password in your email, please log in as soon as possible to change it to something you will remember.

I requested a new password but I can't find it in my e-mail. What should I do?

Check your spam/junk folder. The title of the email will be, "Temporary password details". If it has been more than a few minutes and you still can't find the e-mail contact support.

The MediGuard website doesn't look right

To view the MediGuard site, you must have a current version of one of the following Internet browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera or Safari. You must also ensure that Javascript, cookies and cascading style sheets are enabled. If you are not able to view the website please consider updating your browser.

How do I cancel/remove my MediGuard profile?

Unsubscribe, and please let us know why you're unsubscribing so we can improve our service for others.

What are MediGuard's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy?

Here are links to MediGuard's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

How can I add a link to MediGuard on my website?

Simply link to http://www.mediguard.org to offer your visitors the chance to get informed, stay informed, and share feedback about their medications.

Is MediGuard really free? How is this possible?

Our internet-based service is efficiently structured to provide information to patients at a very low cost. Operation of the program will be funded by fees from execution of customized patient support programs and drug safety research. Our internet-based service is efficiently structured to provide information to patients at a very low cost. This website is maintained and operated by iGuard, Inc a company owned and incorporated under the laws of North Carolina that facilitates medical research by helping researchers connect rapidly with potential study participants. Please note that our site does not host any form of advertising - so please support our research activities to help keep this service going.

Are drug companies behind MediGuard?

No. MediGuard is not affiliated with any drug company. We will, from time to time, work with public and private organizations–including drug companies–to further drug safety research.

Why don't I receive any e-mail from MediGuard?

It's possible that MediGuard is being blocked by your spam filter. In this case any e-mail you received recently will be in your e-mail's spam folder. To prevent this from happening in the future, add admin@mediguard.com to your contacts, address book, or safe senders list.

I would like medical advice about my condition...

MediGuard is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. MediGuard cannot and does not take into consideration every possible interaction or account for individual responses to medicine. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have before making any changes to your treatment.

What is MediGuard's business model?

MediGuard was created by professionals with decades of experience in healthcare market research, clinical drug development, and drug safety. Initially funded by Quintiles Transnational, the leading provider of clinical research services, the purpose of MediGuard is to promote better communication and research about drug safety.

We believe that the patient can play an important role in improving drug safety. Today, public and private organizations spend millions of dollars on drug safety research and risk management programs-often with disappointing results. At MediGuard, we feel strongly that connecting patients and researchers will allow us to do better, faster and more cost-effective research.

To cover the cost of operating our efficiently structured service, MediGuard will soon begin to offer customized drug safety studies, risk management programs, and other research programs. We are confident that these research opportunities will cover the cost of our communication network and help improve the safety of medicines.

How can I use MediGuard as someone else's caregiver?

If you provide care to others who take multiple medications, you know how hard it can be to keep up with the latest information.

MediGuard makes it easier for you to take an active role in caring for your loved ones by:

Routinely checking their medications for drug-drug and drug-disease interactions.
Alerting you when new safety information or medication recalls arise.
Giving you access to feedback from patients with similar problems.

Only have one email address?

Caregivers can register more than one person using the same email address. To create more than one registration using the same email address, simply end the email address with an asterisk ('*') and a short nickname for each user (e.g. shared@example.com*Bob, shared@example.com*Mary ). All email communications from MediGuard will have the nickname listed in their subject line so you know who they apply to.

I'm a healthcare provider. How can I help my patients register?

You can help your patients register with MediGuard by:

Helping them register online
Requesting postage-paid registration forms for your practice

NOTE: For busy clinics and pharmacies we have a number of support materials including brochure stands, posters and stationery to help raise awareness about the importance of medication safety and MediGuard.