WebMD: Symptom Checker Reviews

by Bri1122

I like the old version of the body especially for stomach pain there are tons of different stomach pain that can mean tons of different things wrong that may not even be stomach. For instance husband most likely having gas pain or gallbladder pain but the only related question to his pain was where in the stomach it didn’t follow the pqrs (pain position, quality what it feels like, radiation does it go some where else and severity 0-10) which is basic assessing that it should. And it used to do. So when pain in right upper corner is the only answer I can give as for the stomach pain and it brings stomach cancer as the number one. This was not a good change to a decent app.

by Lilac23

Since the last update over a week ago WebMD has become painfully slow, taking a full ten minutes at least, to check off a few pills as taken. The screen freezes constantly every time you touch it then you have to wait forever for it to move just a centimeter when sliding left in the pill reminder section or anywhere you tap in WebMD . A constant spinning icon in the middle of the screen with every tap. And now it has started to heat up my phone when I try to marked all pills as taken at one time because it’s so painful to visit WebMD several times a day. Time to ditch WebMD and find another pill tracker. I emailed support over a week ago and they’re aware of the issue because they responded, but nothing has been done. It worked fine until the last update. Now it’s useless to me. Very slowwwww and buggy. Time to find a new one. 👎

by ARW510

Like they are there to save the insurance company money. Reminds me of workman’s comp nurse one time telling me nothing wrong you have a cold when I needed surgery. If I have a cold I would know if I have a cold it’s because iam get sick. Better off wasting your time and save the fee for your time with a real doctor. I would not have tried this if I had the time to go see a doctor. So take this review how ever you want I would not be wasting my 15 min I will never get back if I can save you time to make your decision. Good luck hope u have better results than I did as with all the medication out in this world we live in research and development out there. OTC that’s what I needed to know.....

by Rowanne101

During 'intake' where you are laying out your symptoms this app also (wisely) asks for background info. Two items requested are medications taken and medical conditions known. These entries are a joke because so many legitimate answers are not available to choose from. These are very ubiquitous medications (such as Synthroid generally for hypo-thyroidism) and well-known conditions (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis - not under MS either). Only 3/13 of my medications are on the list to choose from even though only one is too new to be in the most current edition of the PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference; a list of drugs and info about them); all this app has to do is purchase rights to use the PDF as the source of their drug list. As for medical conditions if you simply offer a write-in option then assign someone to edit them all adding the legitimate ones to the official list you would solve that problem too.
As it stands WebMD is useless.

by H2odancer

The Beta symptom checker is horrible. The symptom search doesn’t show all possible options (ie searching for Red doesn’t show anything about skin, but yet searching ‘Skin Red’ shows 8 options), so you have to spend additional time and get creative with finding search terms. Then on the ‘Enter your history’ screen, the current medications search doesn’t include some common medications (eg Effexor XR - antidepressant, chlorthalidone- diuretic). The past or current conditions also lacks common and not so common conditions. It doesn’t have any variation of GERD aka acid reflux or heartburn Searching for obese or obesity only brings up ‘Past obese surgery.’

Don’t roll out a new/Beta feature to general public if your list of values doesn’t even include very common conditions.

by Jtberk1

I am really upset that for no reason the this app iphone app signed me out and would not accept my password. So I had my password reset and verified online using my Safari browser on my MacBook that everything was ok. I am still signed in with the new password on my MacBook but cannot sign into the this app app. Not only that but it appears I have no saved articles on the web site, and I had lots of saved articles. I hope those are not gone when WebMD decides to start working. Please fix this as I depend on WebMD for medication reminders and also for medical information, probably pointless now since it looks like all my saved content is gone.

by Fxxmoto

I have an iPhone with all the updates. Previously when using the safari and looking for information about a drug in the browser and the information comes from the this app page. if you have WebMD installed on the iPhone the safari automatically opens WebMD and you can see the information. Now with this new update it crashes and I can't see the info.

I proceeded to uninstall this app app and reinstall and still the same, I had to delete WebMD so that then I can see the information in the browser without any problem.
If you open WebMD and search the information using WebMD , it opens and works without any problems.

by 1DColoradoMom

Since the last update of WebMD on my iPhone it freezes every time I hit one of the buttons. It takes at least 60 seconds to load between when I press the button on my iPhone screen to win it registers so that I can check off that I have taken my medication. I know it’s not my phone, because no other app has this problem. Please fix this version. I am going to stop checking in the fact that I have taken my medication but keeping WebMD so that I have the note to vacations pop-up to remind me to take them. But as of right now, WebMD is more junk than it is usable

by 00Alpaca

I updated WebMD today and used it both before and after. It was a 5 star app until the change.

The pop-up questions that come up after you select certain symptoms have changed.

Before the update it asked if my symptoms were due to recent anti-biotic use, which they were and I was diagnosed later in the day by my doctor with the top option that came up.

After the update I did the same thing because I was curious about the update and not only did it not ask me about recent anti-biotic use, the thing that was wrong with me wasn’t anywhere on the list of possible maladies.

It also no longer asks what type of pain you’re having (burning, stabbing, etc) the list of drugs you can put in is very limited (thyroid meds and vitamin d aren’t on it), and they took away the body image altogether.

Unfortunately that makes it look to me like this new update is far less accurate and less functional than the previous one. I hope they fix that soon, I rely on WebMD a lot.

by VoiceOver User.

Thanks to a recent update, WebMD is much more accessible for those of us who use VoiceOver. Now that I can use it, I find it terrific!!As an update to this review done months later, I find one issue. If I do a search in Conditions, I have to completely close and reopen WebMD , as no Back button appears. Otherwise, it is terrific!

Yet another update to my initial review. I still have to close WebMD to get out of a major category, such as Conditions or Search. Now, in addition, if I am in Conditions, the A-Z list will not come up at all, even though it says it’s displaying. This means I can only access the Popular Searches. I’m out of luck if I need to look up something rare. I hope these will be fixed soon.
Further update: Despite more updates to WebMD , all of the annoying bugs already mentioned are still there. I still have to close WebMD in order to go to another section (e.g., from Conditions to Drugs). I still can’t bring up the A-Z list of Conditions, or the A-Z list of Drugs; it’s only the Most Popular for both. No scrolling to a rare condition, or to a drug that isn’t on the top 94. May not be deliberate discrimination, but is frustrating nonetheless. Please fix!

by Shep88

This is my go to app for medical reference information. It includes information from respected sources that help me to better communicate with my doctor and to better understand any conditions we discuss. The medication reminder is a must have for me. I don’t normally take any medications so in the odd chance I have to take on for a short time, I rely on the reminder to keep me on schedule. Without it I always used to miss a dose. Only improvement I would recommend is to allow the schedule to start and stop at specific times not just the day. I am taking some medication post surgery that didn’t start until that evening but WebMD adds the morning and mid day doses to the schedule forcing you to either say you took them or skipped. Skipping lowers your adherence score and selecting taken results in the wrong count. Neither are major issues but it would be helpful for a pill counter.

by AtlantatoSarasota

I never take medication without checking for drug interactions and it has stopped me from combining medications that could have dangerous results. Many of us depend on our pharmacy to do this but they are not always reliable. Better to double check. What’s good with this part of WebMD is that they include OTC medication which your pharmacist may not know your taking.
What I would like to see improved is the symptom checker. It doesn’t give enough symptoms to choose from so the results are not very accurate. I also find most doctors/hospitals don’t feel you have a fever unless it’s 100.4. I assume they are going off 98.6 as the average temp. My normal temperature is 97.2. so in apps like these I add a degree to my temp. If you’re reading this tell your doctor what your normal temperature is and make sure it’s in your file.

by ThisTriniChick

This version does NOT allow you to elaborate on your symptoms. It also does not recognize a lot of pharmaceutical medications whether by brand or generic name. I think just downloaded it yesterday & I’m going to delete it today. I don’t think the new system checker can truthfully help me if it can’t get passed the medication part. Suppose my pain is a drug interaction problem?
I truthfully miss the avatar which is NOT on this new update. At least it allowed me to get more specific about my pain.

by Basticat

PLEASE change your method of recommending other articles. Especially for people who are just skimming headlines, if an article pops up that says something like masks no longer required, but now masks are required again, you create a vicious cycle of misinformation.

Please prominently feature the date of the article with the headline whenever displaying the headline.

Perhaps for COVID related articles and other quickly changing topics you could remove them from the recommended pool after a week or some appropriate length of time, but still make them available for search results, with the article date prominently displayed?

by Ashlyn0315

I wish I started to use WebMD before all of my doctors appointments as they were a waste of time, they did a lot of testing on me and couldn’t find anything so I stopped going. I get horrible depression mostly physically days I wonder if it’s something else I use WebMD it reminds me it’s only depression I also suffer migraines but not like I used to. I don’t usually do ratings but WebMD deserves it I also learned about diseases because of it to which I like doing.

by Ms. Cueto

The staff are very friendly and helpful. My father’s doctor recently moved to a different hospital where my father had doubts due to visiting the same staff and building for over 3 years now. We could not ask for more. The office is very clean and the staff will make you feel right at home. Dr. Paresh Patel has helped my father for many years. His willingness to worry and care for my father is great. Great staff and great location. Good luck guys on you’re new journey!

by Ski Bum67

In March( the 5th) I found out I had a fairly rare type of Leukemia, Acute Proglycemic Leukemia (APL) for short. This web site really helped me understand what was going on at the Cellular and genetic
level. I just wonder if there are any other TX regimens besides Arsenic trioxide and Tretinion at the ANN Arbor VA. I was thinking that after the APL is cured,if stem cells might strengthen my immune system to prevent recurrence. Where might I find out of such research has been done in this area? Thanks in advance. Lynn. M.

by Boujard

Lately I noticed I was unable to scroll down my the end of my list of medicine. I have to close WebMD to be able to get to the end. Also I wish we had the option of “repetition” of medicines like every other day or weekly or monthly or every 6 months. For example some of the vitamins could be taken every day or every week or every one month. Also some other medicines are taken every 6 months. Hope it could be included.

by Stevenorangers

I have an illness called cystic fibrosis so I find myself constantly searching medications and medications and their side effects and this app has always been the number one source of info for that along with symptoms when I’m sick and I know it’s not cf and even my doctor has said he has never seen a system this accurate on the internet before!! Well he said inter web instead since he is an older fellow but still to receive compliments from a doctor has to feel good on your guys end!!

by Purplekittyfreak

I've been using the website since 2000 and have always been satisfied with the information I found. No everyone is fortunate enough to know about WebMD or the website which is a shame. If they could look up their symptoms and get a general idea about what is wrong with them and if they should go to the doctor or not, maybe that would keep people from making unnecessary appointments and keeping doctors from seeing patients who really need to be seen! Thanks for WebMD , it rules!!

by G2234G

The old version of WebMD was stellar. Since the update, however, the symptom checker, instead of choosing from a list based off body part, uses a system where you type your symptoms in and it gives you options from there. When inputting symptoms, even symptoms it offers as examples (such as nausea and headache) come back as “no result.” I used WebMD once after the update without issues, but now any symptoms typed in come back with “no result.”

Also, conditions you input into your profile do not show up in symptom checker when it asks you about conditions (ex. Depression). Same thing happens with certain medications that aren’t as common.

by Wildzebra

I am a RN and use to love this app. I had been getting it in my email for a long time but It has become next to impossible to read the articles or click to the next page without an ad getting in the way and being forced to read an ad because it won't click to the next page right away and seems very buggy like I am being forced to stay on the page. This has become so excessive that unless there is an improvement I am done with this app. This does not seem to be an accident with the ads as I know you all need to make money but it has made it so unpleasant to be on your site now that I am going to either delete or just quit reading and unsubscribe. It is too bad because there are really good articles and medical information. It also seems like this app is really biased toward pushing alot of the pharma drugs. Please stop! Maybe a small ad at the bottom is ok but not the ads interfering with me reading articles. Oh yes, please stop tracking me!

by Crystal Delight

I used WebMD all the time in the past, however I haven’t had the need to use it lately until this week and wow! The fact that they don’t have the body there anymore for you to point out where the pain is at on the body is frustrating. It ask questions by using the names of the body parts and I’m sorry I’m not a doctor so I don’t know the names of every single body part. So is that much harder to describe what kind of pain you’re having. That’s my only complaint everything else is good.

by Mikesgadgets

Lately I get the daily update, but when I select it I get the spinning wheel and it doesn’t open the supposed subject!

When I try to “read more” on a daily subject I get the spinning wheel! Never shows more to read! What’s up with WebMD ? How do we fix this????? If I don’t get an answer. I will just delete WebMD ! At least I won’t get this daily aggravation of info with no info. Fix it!

Fix the read it part of WebMD ! It just shows a spinning wheel!

by Jeffrey March 1971

Utilize daily medication reminders to verify when medications were taken as well as information about medications including drug interactions. Also list many of my medical issues with this resource.
Only better source of medical information is my Hospital’s online system which tracks all data but compliance with medications. And also mood tracker. A mood tracker would help and be a great addition to this app resources.

by Lori E-W

WebMD is great for helping me remember to take my pills and track any I’ve missed. My favorite feature is the reminder that appears on the lock screen. You can swipe the reminder to the side and a button appears that lets you mark it as “taken” or “skipped” - quick and easy. I credit WebMD with my keeping the med doses consistent without being intrusive to use.