Nocebo

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Nocebo is a drug-free dummy drug that causes undesirable side effects in the patient. Doctors speak of the nocebo effect, which works like a reverse placebo effect, so to speak. For example, if the patient has negative expectations, side effects can occur even though the medication administered does not contain any active substance. Read here how the nocebo effect can occur and what can be done about it.

How does the nocebo effect come about and what can be done about it?

Corresponding to the placebo effect, in which the patient experiences an improvement in their symptoms, side effects occur with the nocebo effect after the administration of a dummy drug.

The causes for this can be varied. In addition to the individual character of the person affected, environmental factors such as smells, noises or therapeutic rituals can also trigger a nocebo effect. As with the placebo effect, doctor-patient communication plays an important role. Careless statements such as "This can be a bit uncomfortable now" can increase the effect of the nocebo. The side effects of the presumably ingested preparation mentioned in the instruction leaflet also occur more frequently if the patient has read this information.

Another way to trigger a nocebo effect is negative media coverage of medical topics. In people who are afraid of side effects and pain from taking medication, the messenger substance cholecystokinin is released, which in turn increases the pain. The nocebo effect can therefore be alleviated by giving drugs that inhibit this messenger substance.

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