Did you read in the instructions about the side effects of the drug and immediately felt them? Calm down, maybe this is just the Nocebo effect. This is called the “evil twin” of placebo. How to deal with it?

Cooperative of Independent Journalists “Berij” published Materials on nocebo effect. This effect is manifested in the fact that in humans arise or intensify Symptoms – simply because he himself expected this reaction from the beginning, Cancellations Or changes in treatment. The nocebo effect can occur when a person takes a placebo and a real drug. For this reason, the patient is at risk to reject of a really good drug or replacing it with a less effective counterpart, Lose confidence For treatment or a specific doctor. Or even start to fear treatment.

Medicare does it all. IneffectiveWhile the disease continues to progress. Or as in the case to reject Women of oral contraceptives due to the nocebo effect, leaving them without one of the most trusted Protection methods.

We publish Shores material with minor changes.

Mostly it is pain (including the head), but it’s not just that. more there Itching, nausea, poor results during physical activity and some other manifestations. However, these are all temporary physiological reactions. In other words, the nocebo effect cannot lead to the development of any new disease.

Apparentlybuilt Negative expectations. Because of them someone He listens To body signals – and interprets neutral or completely unclear signals as a problem. Increased anxious attention to your feelings only strengthens them and gives them importance as the brain processes information.

Negative expectations It is formedWhen a person learns about possible adverse reactions (doctors are required to report this, and the medicine always comes with a list of side effects). Often this impose it For previous negative experiences and knowledge About the effect of this treatment on others. For example, you can learn about negative reactions in conversations with other patients or on social networks.

A classic example is the story of statins, which are drugs that lower the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood and help prevent serious cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or stroke. One of the first statin drugs was withdrawn from the market due to the risk of a rare muscle-destroying complication. When other types of statins came on the market, doctors sprang into action warning Patients find muscle pain to be the first sign of serious complications. It is easy to guess how these people began to feel.

Now you can find him on social networks Millions Publications on statins. About a third of them are about the negative effects of drugs. In particular, about muscle pain. The media too I snapped Patient complaints. All of this has led to a significant abandonment of statins. But independent researchers ProvenSuch afflictions are essentially just a manifestation of the influence of nousbo or coincidences.

Social networks now in general He plays A particularly important role in the development of this effect. Perhaps more important than the media. “What worries me most is how easily a short video or two comments can create a noobo effect.” to talk The new scientist is Kate Fossey, a psychologist at the University of New South Wales (Australia), who specializes in the study of affect. – After all <...> It’s never limited to them. If you’re looking for this kind of information, you’ll find it abundant. Once you show interest in such content, the algorithms will feed you more and more of it every time you open the app.

Yes. Although there are no good studies to evaluate it, Not much.

Typically, in drug studies, one group is given a drug and the other a dummy. If the second group suffers from unwanted reactions, this is attributed to the nocebo effect. But these could also be some random events: for example, in a group where a pacifier was given, someone got a headache Because of working on the computer for a long time Or the natural history of the disease led to a worsening of symptoms.

Therefore, the nocebo effect should be detected in the studies that are designed Otherwise. They must have at least two groups:

• In one group, volunteers were given a lollipop and warned about possible side effects (not knowing whether it was a medication or a lollipop);
• The other group is given nothing.

The difference between the symptoms in these groups will be the nocebo effect.

Another option: give a medicine to one group and say it is a medicine, and the other group also give a medicine, but say it might be a doll. The difference in negative consequences can be attributed to the nocebo effect (or as they also say).

There is conflicting information on this topic. Recent evaluation of available data ShowThere is no direct relationship between a predisposition to anxiety and a tendency to negative reactions. The effect occurs under the influence of situational anxiety rather than the tendency to anxiety per se.

At the same time, there are data about what quality is SuggestibilityIt may slightly increase the risk of impact. some Genetic traits It may also increase susceptibility to nocebo reactions.

Reading the instructions for medications is very important. In them Shownin what cases and how to use it, there is all the information about the dosage, contraindications and method of storage. Proper use of medications can help you deal with the disease faster.

If you decide to take a look at the “Adverse Reactions” section, it is important to pay attention to how often they occur. In the instructions it is classified According to frequency. For example, if a reaction is said to be “very rare,” it means that it has been observed in only one in ten thousand people, or even fewer. ‘Common’ side effects can occur without taking the medication at all – they include, for example, headache and fatigue.

This is unethical: an adult has the right to know what kind of medicine he or she is taking. In medical institutions, patients are always asked to sign voluntary informed consent – ​​without it, any medical intervention would be illegal.

But we have a different relationship with our loved ones, and we have no legal obligation to inform them about this. As the medical lawyer claims in a conversation with Pereg Yulia KazantsevaIf you unknowingly gave a relative medicine that would make the person very ill or die (and it will be proven that this was your fault), you could be charged – under the serious matters Harm to health or death By neglect. True, for 28 years of work, the expert has not encountered such situations.

One way or another, if your loved one needs to take medication, it’s best not to lie. But you should not focus on terrible unwanted reactions (even if you started to worry when you read the instructions for the drug): this can “trigger” the effect of Nosopo.

As for children, they usually trust significant adults and their decisions – if they are given a pill or drink, it will help. So, if you say directly that you need to take the medication and express confidence that it will work as it should, then that’s it will increase Chances of rapid recovery – including due to the placebo effect, to which children are very sensitive.

It can be done. In Russia, when a medical professional provides a treatment, vaccination or other procedure,… binding Talk about potential adverse reactions so the patient can make an informed decision. But this I can’t do it Against the patient’s will.

In any case, as Artemy Okhotin, therapist and cardiologist of the Central District Hospital of Tarusky Region (Kaluga Region), explains in a conversation with Pereg, “In life, as a rule, a doctor does not have the time, or even the desire, to list all possible unwanted effects and complications.” Typically, medical professionals discuss only major adverse reactions with the patient, and sometimes they silently sign informed consent. Nospo effect It may startif after this reception you yourself begin to carefully study the section with side effects in the instructions.

In these circumstances, in order to reduce the impact, Artemy Okhotin suggests, if possible, finding a doctor whom you trust and who suits you psychologically: “Some people need to talk about all the options, while others, on the contrary, want the doctor to say: ‘Don’t worry, everything will be fine.’” Trust is the only way to combat the nocebo effect.

Nocebo researchers emphasize the importance of this approach: to prevent the effect, they believe it is necessary to communicate with a doctor It was comfortable And so are you hair Support him. fineif it was He will explainWhat and why it is offered as a treatment, how it will work and how you can deal with potential side effects.

In addition, the consensus among nocebo researchers is This is amazing: Doctors have to do it themselves Tells Patients about the presence of nocebo effect. Also offered with patient permission Don’t talk Report adverse reactions to the medication. However, here supposed Exception: The patient should be informed of severe and long-term side effects, simply because of their importance.