placebos

The Bollox

ever since watching Donnie Darko (and reading up on what exactly a placebo was) I began wondering how many of the tablets I have been taking, whether for a headache or heatburn or whatever, actually do something and don't just work on the power of suggestion.

I hadn't thought about it in a while, but this week I have been suffering severly with heartburn and the rennies I have been taking aren't seeming to work as well as they normally would have. Is this because they don't actually do anything, or because my heartburn is so bad not even God himself could cure it

Earthhorse

As far as I know doctors aren't allowed prescribe placebos.

Anything sold by a chemist is also not a placebo.

Dave!

Why don't you read the ingredients...? If they're not on the box, they're on the leaflet that's inside the box.

shane86

tbh the only over the counter medicine Ive ever found to be any good for pain relief is Calpol (the kids medicine, if you exceed the recommened kids dosage somewhat it does the business). Always found lemsip, Panadol and the like to be a load of bollix. A few of the cough mds do the job too, but re pain relief like toothache or whatever Calpol is your only man.

Mind you I havent been prescribed medicine in 6 odd years now, seldom sick but when I am i wouldnt bother with a doctor unless i was at the unable-to-walk stage, I cant even recall the name of the last doctor I saw. Most people seem to run to the doctor at the slightest hint of a sniffle or cough, if everyone was like me GPs would be on the street from earning so little money

Slightly related, something id never experienced before, last winter had a bad dose (had a few of them actually, the heat in work is on too high in winter meaning you have to put on the air conditioning, breathing in re circulated air that you are sharing with 50 other people in January aint a good idea). Anyway, bought Panadol and another yoke in Dunnes. Because both contained penicillin (sp) the girl said she couldnt take for them both in the same transaction, company policy or something. So I essentially paid for a box of one, handed over the money, got receipt, and then seperately get the other one scanned, pay again and new receipt Whats this about?

godtabh

Parents give their kids placebos all the time.

When parents kiss a sore knee there isnt any pain killing injection involved but some how the pain goes away!

Drugs arent everything but they do help

Newaglish

Solpadeine is fantastic I think, I take two of the dissolvable ones in a glass of water and I feel a little bit drugged for the next few hours, in that slightly jolly, face-rubbing kind of way.

If I happen to have a headache or something it will get rid of that too.

Pompey Magnus

With todays lawsuit culture doctors dare not give placebos to patients, so instead they give antibiotics for every little illness, with the repercussion of bacteria and viruses beginning to develop immunity to them.

tallaght01

Depeche_Mode wrote:

With todays lawsuit culture doctors dare not give placebos to patients, so instead they give antibiotics for every little illness, with the repercussion of bacteria and viruses beginning to develop immunity to them.

antibiotics don't work on viruses.

Tha calpol post above is a good example of the placebo effect. Some people say it's the only thing that works for them. But it's only paracetamol with flavouring.

The placebo efect is very real. It accounts for a lot of the effectiveness of alternative therapies, for example.

In one study they gave a load of college kids pink tabs, and said they improve your mood. Then they gave another group of them blue tabs and said they make you feel depressed. After a week they asked the two groups how they felt. Most of the people who took the pink tablets said they felt happier. Most of the people who took the blue tabs said they felt depressed.

The tablets were just made of sugar and colouring. Placebo in action.

looksee

Anyway, bought Panadol and another yoke in Dunnes. Because both contained penicillin (sp) the girl said she couldnt take for them both in the same transaction, company policy or something. So I essentially paid for a box of one, handed over the money, got receipt, and then seperately get the other one scanned, pay again and new receipt Whats this about?

Thats paracetamol not penicillin and the reason is that if you take both Panadol and Lemsip (presumably) you are taking a double dose and could easily go over the fairly low limit that could kill you. Buying them separately is a legal thing and is supposed to draw your attention to the fact that they both have paracetamol.

MooseJam

Rennies aren't great, I used to suffer bad heartburn when drinking lots of coke, zantac worked great try them

Schlemm

The placebo effect is kinda like when people who are really sick pray like mad and have a spontaneous recovery...or like how your parents never really 'got sick' (well, at least not too often it seemed) quite simply cos they were looking after you and had a big responsability. And you see the opposite effect too sometimes when people are really ill and they're hanging on for ages and once someone tells them that it's ok to let go, they do. The mind as medicine is 1 of the most powerful forces there is...plus there's evidence to back up the links between stress and the immune system - essentially our thoughts are changed into chemicals as it were that effect how our bodies function.

JC 2K3

The recommended doses on OTC medicines are generally very low and based on adequate doses for people who are very light or sensitive to the drug. If you felt that a certain medicine wasn't really working for you and you researched the actual drug(s) in it you might find that for your bodyweight, you could probably take a little more than recommended. I do not advise or condone this, however.

Anto McC

The Bollox wrote:

I hadn't thought about it in a while, but this week I have been suffering severly with heartburn and the rennies I have been taking aren't seeming to work as well as they normally would have. Is this because they don't actually do anything, or because my heartburn is so bad not even God himself could cure it

Does God make rennies?

You learn something new everyday

Terry

Go see a doctor.
This isn't a medical forum.

Gaviscon FTW.

tuxy

Newaglish wrote:

Solpadeine is fantastic I think, I take two of the dissolvable ones in a glass of water and I feel a little bit drugged for the next few hours, in that slightly jolly, face-rubbing kind of way.

If I happen to have a headache or something it will get rid of that too.

Yup codeine is a good painkiller.Over the counter sale of it is banned in many countries because of its addictivness. Will probably be the same here in the future.

rubadub

Placebos can work very well.

Your body gets used to rennie type antacids very quickly, some doctors have called for a ban on them, they are probably one of the most abused OTC drugs out there. Its abuse is not really too important, it is not very harmful but you quickyl develop a physical dependency on them. You are really just counteracting acid in your stomach with alkaline salts. Over time your body just makes more acid (which it needs), then take away the antacids and it is overproducing the acid. Other prescription antacids slow down/reduce acid production, rather than neutralise it.

Many use it when drinking alcohol and it can become dependant fast.

You can just use baking soda instead of rennies. many end up eating too many since they taste nice, use baking soda and you will only take it when you really need it.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Or just drink milk....

cooperguy

No the pain killers you buy in the shop all have a drug in them! And Rennie does actually counteract your stomach acid.

However there is a certain amount of placebo effect used too. For example Lemsip max relief capsules which are supposed to kill pain and perk you up (paracetamol and caffeine). They are brightly coloured red and yellow tablets which is the colours assosiated with energy etc.

JCDUB

Newaglish wrote:

Solpadeine is fantastic I think, I take two of the dissolvable ones in a glass of water and I feel a little bit drugged for the next few hours, in that slightly jolly, face-rubbing kind of way.

If I happen to have a headache or something it will get rid of that too.

Eeerrm, you do realise half the country (you included by the sound of things) are addicted to Codeine?

I know so many people of my parents generation who leather through packets of solpadeine constantly.

Apparently our codeine sales per capita are off the scale in comparison to other European countries, no wonder we have so many half-witted folks tottering around the place in oblivion

kevmy

Apperently between a third and a quarter of the pain relief you get from most OTC pain relief drugs is due to the placebo effect.

Placebo effect is real, strong and good for you. It makes you feel better and helps cure you.

Schlemm

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote:

Or just drink milk....

Is it true that milk causes your stomach to secrete the hormone gastrin, which causes more acid secretion, thereby making the conditions more acidic...?
And milk itself is slightly acidic!

CathyMoran

It is like the way a positive attitude helps you to beat things. I was very ill recently and wanted to die, I actually did die a few times but my husband perked me up and I got through things. Placebos scare me, I would hate to be on a trial for an experimental drug and not actually be getting it.

Esel

CathyMoran wrote:

I would hate to be on a trial for an experimental drug and not actually be getting it.

Fair enough, but sometimes you are safer not getting the experimental drug!

Jimoslimos

Placebos do work to a certain extent and to give an example;

You've got a splitting headache/toothache and are searching frantically for some painkillers. Eventually you find and take some - many people at this stage experience an immediate reduction in pain. Now we all know that the drugs could not possibly have begun to work in this time so what has happened - possibly your anxiety has been lessened since you have found the painkillers and know that they will start working soon.

psilocybe

Newaglish wrote:

Solpadeine is fantastic I think, I take two of the dissolvable ones in a glass of water and I feel a little bit drugged for the next few hours, in that slightly jolly, face-rubbing kind of way.

If I happen to have a headache or something it will get rid of that too.

16mg of codeine has that effect on you?
Now there is an example of placebo if I ever saw one.

i find painkillers generally take a while to kick in
especially with worse pains

missmatty

Yes they take a while.

I actually know several people who are very fond of Solphadeine for no apparent reason (def the codeine is addictive).....:eek: