$Unique_ID{BRK01462}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Is Placebo Medication a Common Occurrence?}
$Subject{placebo treatment ethics community social doctor medication anxiety
insomnia cough headaches seasickness common cold nausea stomach ulcers doctors
behavior behaviors medications medicine medicines treatments placebos ethical
anxieties insomniac coughing headache seasick colds nauseated ulcer}
$Volume{Q-23,R-23,W-23}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is Placebo Medication a Common Occurrence?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  My girl friend is furious because she believes her doctor put her
on a placebo medication, which she thinks is both insulting and unethical.  Is
this a common occurrence, and are there any truly ethical circumstances in
which the use of a placebo is justified?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  Without knowing a lot more about the circumstances surrounding your
girl friend's medication, or if indeed a placebo is being intentionally given,
I can't comment directly about her problem.  However the subject of placebo
medication is an interesting one, and I am happy to provide some general
information about them.  The word "placebo" comes from the Latin and means "I
will please."  In ordinary usage it is an inactive substance which is most
frequently used in clinical investigations for comparison with a medication
with a presumed action.  However, it may also be prescribed with the goal of
relieving symptoms in certain cases or merely to meet with a patient's
demands.  Astonishingly enough, a "placebo affect", that is one in which there
are reported results, may occur in from 40 percent to 50 percent of the cases.
Sometimes it makes it quite difficult for clinical investigators to prove the
value of a new medication when in some trials, for angina pectoris (chest
pain) as an example, half the people on inactive preparations report relief.
The medical literature is filled with reports on the power of the placebo in
such conditions as anxiety, insomnia, cough, headaches, seasickness, the
common cold, nausea and even stomach ulcers.  The results may be due to the
anticipation of the patient associated with the new medication, call it
"hope" if you will.  It may also be that the condition causing the symptoms
corrected itself during the time the pills were being taken, and that the
results was incorrectly credited to the placebo.  Most doctors tend to shy
away from using such tactics, even when they might provide a reasonable
solution to a problem in the fear that they might be found out, and lose the
respect of the patient, who feels betrayed.  However in some cases, patients
who have taken a "tonic" for years with good results may request their doctor
to continue prescribing it, though there is little scientific proof of its
effectiveness.

----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.