Medical Review Policy

Last updated: April 27, 2026

Health content can shape decisions that affect real outcomes. When someone reads what to do after missing a dose of metoprolol, the answer they get matters. This page describes how Pillo reviews medical content before publication and on an ongoing basis.

What gets medically reviewed

Every article that touches medication safety goes through medical review before publication. This includes:

• Missed-dose guidance for specific drugs and drug classes
• Accidental double-dose response articles
• "Best time to take" articles for prescription medications
• Drug-and-supplement interaction content
• Withdrawal and discontinuation timelines
• Hospital discharge medication management
• Symptom-response content (e.g., what to do after vomiting a pill)

Lifestyle and adherence content (e.g., building a medication routine, traveling with a pill organizer, comparing reminder apps) is editorially reviewed but does not require medical review.

What review checks for

Reviewers evaluate articles against five criteria:

1. Factual accuracy. Every clinical claim — half-lives, mechanisms of action, side effect profiles, withdrawal timelines, drug interactions — matches its primary source. Incorrect or outdated claims are flagged for revision.
2. Source authority. Cited sources are FDA prescribing information, NIH or NLM databases, peer-reviewed literature indexed in PubMed, or patient-facing references from recognized institutions (Mayo Clinic, NHS, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins). Forum posts, blog quotes, and AI-generated summaries are not acceptable sources.
3. Risk framing. Risk language matches the actual evidence. We do not under-state serious concerns (e.g., beta-blocker rebound, SSRI discontinuation syndrome, blood thinner gaps) and we do not overstate routine missed doses to drive anxiety.
4. Scope discipline. Articles do not give individualized dosing instructions, recommend stopping or starting medications, or substitute for prescriber judgment. When the safe answer is "ask your pharmacist," reviewers ensure the article says so explicitly.
5. Disclaimer presence. The standard medical disclaimer is present and visible: readers are directed to consult their doctor or pharmacist for advice specific to their medications.

Articles that fail review are returned for revision with specific change requests. They are not published until they pass.

Standards for specific content types

Missed-dose articles must distinguish between drug formulations where timing matters (immediate-release vs. extended-release; tartrate vs. succinate, for example), reference real half-lives and durations of action with sources, and specify when readers should contact a clinician rather than self-manage.

Accidental double-dose articles must distinguish low-risk classes (most blood pressure medications taken once at a normal dose) from higher-risk classes (anticoagulants, beta-blockers in cardiac patients, lithium, digoxin), and provide clear escalation paths to poison control or emergency services where warranted.

Best-time-to-take articles must explain the mechanism behind timing recommendations (chronopharmacology, food interactions, side-effect profiles) rather than restate marketing copy. Recommendations are framed as "what most people do and why," not "what you should do."

Drug-and-supplement interaction articles specify the mechanism of interaction (CYP enzymes, absorption competition, additive effects), cite the strength of evidence (well-documented vs. theoretical), and indicate when the interaction is clinically meaningful versus minor.

Sources we use

Primary medical sources for our content include:

• FDA prescribing information via DailyMed (dailymed.nlm.nih.gov)
• NIH and NLM databases including PubMed and MedlinePlus
• Peer-reviewed journals including JAMA, Circulation, BMJ, Lancet, NEJM, and specialty journals indexed in PubMed
• Patient-facing institutional references from Mayo Clinic, NHS, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and similar academic medical centers
• Pharmacy references from American Pharmacists Association and equivalent

We do not source from drug manufacturer marketing pages, patient forums, AI-generated summary sites, or content aggregators that re-publish medical information without verifiable attribution.

Review cadence

• Pre-publication review. Every qualifying article before it goes live.
• Annual re-review. All medication-specific articles re-reviewed every 12 months for label updates, new evidence, and changed guidance.
• Triggered re-review. Any article re-reviewed when a cited source is updated, retracted, or replaced; when relevant FDA labeling changes; or when a reader or clinician submits a correction request.

The "Last reviewed" date on each article reflects the most recent medical review pass.

Limits of this review

Medical review verifies that articles are factually accurate, well-sourced, and appropriately scoped. It does not — and cannot — replace the role of your own clinician.

Our content cannot account for:

• Your full medication list and potential interactions with everything you take
• Your individual medical history, including conditions that change how a drug behaves in your body
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney or liver function, or other physiological factors
• Real-time changes in your symptoms or condition

For any decision about starting, stopping, changing, or skipping a medication, talk to your prescribing clinician or pharmacist. For emergencies, contact emergency services or poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US).

Reporting concerns

If you believe an article contains a factual error or outdated guidance:

support@pillo.care

Please include the article URL, the specific claim in question, and a source supporting the correction if possible. We acknowledge requests within 5 business days and complete medical re-review within 14 days. If review confirms the issue, we update the article and note the correction at the bottom.

Editorial independence

Medical review is conducted independently of marketing and growth functions. Reviewers can block publication; they cannot be overridden by editorial or product teams. Pillo does not accept payment from pharmaceutical companies, supplement brands, or any commercial entity for editorial coverage or medical review outcomes.