EPSpeak FAQ:side effects, privacy and the app

EPSpeak is a side effect tracker and companion for people taking psychiatric medication, including antidepressants or antipsychotics. It helps you log your medications, complete a short daily voice and wellness check-in, see your own trends over time, and choose what to share with your doctor. It is free on Google Play and the App Store, and was developed by clinicians working in psychiatry.

An app for tracking antipsychotic side effects lets you keep a daily record of your medications and of changes you notice, such as restlessness, tremor, stiffness or slowness, so you have something specific to discuss at your next appointment. EPSpeak is one, built for people taking antidepressant or antipsychotic medication, and it is free.

Most medication trackers focus on reminders. EPSpeak also focuses on the side effects of antidepressant and antipsychotic medication: a daily voice and wellness check-in, notes on movement changes such as restlessness and tremor, side effect profiles for psychiatric medicines drawn from published research, and opt-in sharing with your clinician by QR code.

EPSpeak is developed by MANOAI Pty Ltd, an Australian company based in Perth, and was developed by clinicians working in psychiatry. The team includes Dr Alistair Carroll, Senior Psychiatry Registrar, and Erandi Liyanage, PhD candidate in artificial intelligence and psychiatry at UTS. Its medication information is drawn from published comparative research.

Yes. EPSpeak is free to download and use on Google Play and the App Store. There are no in-app purchases, no subscriptions and no advertising, and your information is never sold or shared with advertisers. You do not need to create an account or buy a wearable to use any of its core features.

Yes. EPSpeak is made in Australia by MANOAI Pty Ltd and is available free on Google Play for Android phones and on the App Store for iPhone. You do not need a wearable, an account or a referral from a doctor to start using it, and it works on your phone alone.

No. EPSpeak is a self-monitoring and health information tool. It is not a medical device, it is not included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), and it does not diagnose any condition or give medical advice. It helps you keep a personal record to talk through with your doctor or care team.

EPSpeak is a self-tracking app, so it does not change your treatment or give medical advice. It needs no account, collects no name or email address, deletes voice recordings after 7 days, and never sells your data. EPSpeak is new, so it does not have public ratings yet. Speak with your doctor before any medication decision.

Extrapyramidal symptoms, or EPS, are movement side effects that some antipsychotic and antidepressant medications can cause. They include shakiness (tremor), an inner restlessness that makes it hard to sit still (akathisia), stiff muscles (muscle rigidity) and slowed movement (bradykinesia). If you think you are noticing any of these, raise them with your doctor.

Akathisia is an inner restlessness with a strong urge to keep moving, a side effect of some antipsychotic and antidepressant medications. To describe it, say what it feels like in your own words, when it started, any recent medication change, and what you can no longer sit through, such as a meal or a conversation.

No, although they can feel similar and can happen together. Akathisia is mainly a physical urge to move, often felt in the legs, that can be there even when your mind is calm, and it often starts after a medication change. Anxiety centres more on worry and racing thoughts. Only a clinician can tell them apart.

Restless legs syndrome usually brings uncomfortable leg sensations in the evening or when lying down, eased by moving. Akathisia can happen at any time of day, feels more like a whole-body inner restlessness, and is often linked to starting or changing a medication. Akathisia is sometimes mislabelled as restless legs, so mention the timing to your doctor.

Some antipsychotic and antidepressant medications can cause a tremor, often most noticeable when holding a cup or phone, or when your hands are resting. Many other things also cause shaky hands, including caffeine, anxiety, tiredness and thyroid problems. Note when the shaking started and any medication change around then, and describe it to your doctor.

Bradykinesia means slowness of movement. As a medication side effect, it can make walking, dressing or getting started feel slow and heavy, with smaller steps and less arm swing. Some antipsychotic medications can cause it, usually alongside stiffness or tremor, in a pattern called drug-induced parkinsonism. It is worth raising with your doctor.

Anticholinergic side effects come from medicines blocking acetylcholine, a chemical messenger. They include dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, difficulty passing urine and feeling foggy or forgetful. Some psychiatric medicines cause them, and they can add up when several medicines are combined. EPSpeak's medication profiles include anticholinergic effects as one of three scores.

Many antipsychotic medications block dopamine, a chemical messenger that also helps the brain control smooth movement. Reducing dopamine signalling in those movement pathways can cause shakiness, stiffness, slowness or restlessness. How often this happens differs a lot between medicines and between people, so your prescriber is the right person to explain what it means for you.

No. EPSpeak does not diagnose side effects or any other condition, and it will not tell you what is causing a change. It helps you notice and keep a record of changes over time so you can discuss them with your doctor or care team, who are the people qualified to interpret them.

No. Only a doctor can say whether a medication is causing a symptom. EPSpeak shows side effect profiles of medicines, drawn from published research across many people, and helps you keep a daily record of how you feel alongside your medications. That record gives your doctor better information to work out what is going on.

Never stop or change a medication without speaking to your prescriber first. Stopping suddenly can bring back the symptoms it was prescribed for or cause other effects. If you notice something that concerns you, record it and contact your doctor or care team as soon as you can. There are usually options to talk through.

No. Your phone provides everything you need to track your symptoms and experiences over time, and every core feature works without a wearable. If you already have a Fitbit or use Google Health, you can optionally connect it to add steps, heart rate, sleep and exercise, but it is never required.

The EPSpeak daily check-in takes under a minute. You read a short affirmation aloud, which takes roughly 20 to 40 seconds, and answer a few quick wellness questions. Each check-in adds to your record, so over days and weeks you can look back at how things have changed instead of relying on memory.

No. EPSpeak records only while you complete your daily check-in, never in the background. During that short window it records your voice as you read the affirmation aloud and reads your phone's motion sensors. Raw motion sensor data never leaves your phone, and voice recordings are deleted from EPSpeak's cloud storage after 7 days.

Keep a short daily note close to when things happen: what you noticed, when, how long it lasted, how it affected your day, and what you were taking. Note every medication or dose change. A daily record gives your doctor something specific to work with. EPSpeak is a free app built to make this easy.

Once a day works well for most people. A brief daily entry, even on quiet days, builds a baseline that makes changes easier to see. Add an extra note when something new happens or a medicine changes. A short note every day is more useful to your doctor than a long one every few weeks.

Before a psychiatrist appointment, track any side effects in your own words, when they started, how often they happen and how they affect your day, plus your sleep, mood and any medication or dose changes. Write down your questions too. Bringing this record helps you use a short appointment well.

Yes, if you choose to. EPSpeak lets you share your check-in history, symptom trends and medication log with a clinician you choose, using a QR code at your appointment. Sharing is opt-in every time, nothing is sent automatically, and you decide what to share and when.

Yes. EPSpeak is intended for people aged 16 and over, and it is not directed at children. It is built for adults taking antidepressant or antipsychotic medication. If you are under 16 and have questions about your medication or side effects, talk with your doctor, a parent or carer, or your pharmacist.

No. EPSpeak has no account creation and no login. It uses anonymous sign-in with a randomly generated ID, and it does not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts or precise location. You can start your first check-in straight after installing the app from Google Play or the App Store.

Yes. Your EPSpeak data is held under a random ID, never your name, and your personal information is not shared with third parties or advertisers. Voice recordings are deleted from EPSpeak's cloud after 7 days, your data is protected with encryption, and you can delete everything at any time from the Settings tab.

EPSpeak uses each voice recording to calculate a voice-change score that compares the recording with your own earlier ones. The recordings themselves are deleted from EPSpeak's cloud storage after 7 days, unless you have enrolled in the pilot study. They are never sold or shared with advertisers, and are linked only to a random ID, not your name.

Only if you choose to share them. You are in control of your data, and you decide whether to share your medications, side effects and symptoms with a clinician, using a QR code at your appointment. Nothing is sent to your doctor or anyone else automatically.

If you stop using EPSpeak and are not enrolled in its pilot study, your data is deleted after 30 days of inactivity. Voice recordings are already deleted after 7 days. You can also delete everything yourself at any time in Settings, then Privacy & data, then Delete my data.

You can delete your EPSpeak data at any time in the app: go to Settings, then Privacy & data, then Delete my data. You do not need to contact anyone or give a reason. If you simply stop using the app and are not in the pilot study, your data is deleted after 30 days of inactivity.