Which of the following is an unexpected effect of the drug is known as a N ):?

A placebo is anything that seems to be a "real" medical treatment -- but isn't. It could be a pill, a shot, or some other type of "fake" treatment. What all placebos have in common is that they do not contain an active substance meant to affect health.

How Are Placebos Used?

Researchers use placebos during studies to help them understand what effect a new drug or some other treatment might have on a particular condition.

For instance, some people in a study might be given a new drug to lower cholesterol. Others would get a placebo. None of the people in the study will know if they got the real treatment or the placebo.

Researchers then compare the effects of the drug and the placebo on the people in the study. That way, they can determine the effectiveness of the new drug and check for side effects.

What Is the Placebo Effect?

Sometimes a person can have a response to a placebo. The response can be positive or negative. For instance, the person's symptoms may improve. Or the person may have what appears to be side effects from the treatment. These responses are known as the "placebo effect."

There are some conditions in which a placebo can produce results even when people know they are taking a placebo. Studies show that placebos can have an effect on conditions such as:

  • Depression
  • Pain
  • Sleep disorders
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Menopause

In one study involving asthma, people using a placebo inhaler did no better on breathing tests than sitting and doing nothing. But when researchers asked for people's perception of how they felt, the placebo inhaler was reported as being as effective as medicine in providing relief.

How Does the Placebo Effect Work?

Research on the placebo effect has focused on the relationship of mind and body. One of the most common theories is that the placebo effect is due to a person's expectations. If a person expects a pill to do something, then it's possible that the body's own chemistry can cause effects similar to what a medication might have caused.

For instance, in one study, people were given a placebo and told it was a stimulant. After taking the pill, their pulse rate sped up, their blood pressure increased, and their reaction speeds improved. When people were given the same pill and told it was to help them get to sleep, they experienced the opposite effects.

Experts also say that there is a relationship between how strongly a person expects to have results and whether or not results occur. The stronger the feeling, the more likely it is that a person will experience positive effects. There may be a profound effect due to the interaction between a patient and healthcare provider.

The same appears to be true for negative effects. If people expect to have side effects such as headaches, nausea, or drowsiness, there is a greater chance of those reactions happening.

The fact that the placebo effect is tied to expectations doesn't make it imaginary or fake. Some studies show that there are actual physical changes that occur with the placebo effect. For instance, some studies have documented an increase in the body's production of endorphins, one of the body's natural pain relievers.

One problem with the placebo effect is that it can be difficult to distinguish from the actual effects of a real drug during a study. Finding ways to distinguish between the placebo effect and the effect of treatment may help improve the treatment and lower the cost of drug testing. And more study may also lead to ways to use the power of the placebo effect in treating disease.

Show Sources

SOURCES:

American Cancer Society: "Placebo Effect: What Is the Placebo Effect?"

MedicineNet: "Definition of Placebo Effect."

Neurology.org: "Patient Page: The Placebo Effect."

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: "Study Sheds Light on the Placebo Effect of Medical Encounters," "Potential Roles of the Placebo Effect in Health Care."

To many people, adverse events and side effects mean the same thing and are used interchangeably, which is incorrect.

Adverse events are unintended pharmacologic effects that occur when a medication is administered correctly while a side effect is a secondary unwanted effect that occurs due to drug therapy.

It is a common misconception that adverse events and side effects are the same thing. In fact I have seen these 2 words used interchangeably although they have different meanings, which many healthcare professionals may not be aware of. Below I will discuss each in order to help healthcare professionals as well as patients differentiate between an adverse event and a side effect.

Adverse Events

An adverse event is an undesired occurrence that results from taking a medication correctly. The event can either be a type A reaction or a type B reaction. Type A reactions are predictable adverse events which are commonly dose dependent and can be mild, moderate, or severe. Type B reactions are completely unpredictable and have nothing to do with doses. They occur less often and are influenced by patient-specific susceptibility factors such as drug allergies and intolerances. A patient may experience an adverse event due to the healthcare provider’s lack of knowledge of the drug and the medications complete mechanism. The event is not expected by either the doctor or the patient and the effects can be reduced by lowering the dose or just stopping the medication all together.

Side Effects

A side effect is an undesired effect that occurs when the medication is administered regardless of the dose. Unlike adverse events, side effects are mostly foreseen by the physician and the patient is told to be aware of the effects that could happen while on the therapy. Side effects differ from adverse events and later resolve on their own with time after taking the medication for several weeks. Some medications are even utilized due to their side effects, one example being mirtazapine used in anorexic patients due to the medications potential to cause weight gain. Side effects are tracked and investigated extensively during clinical trials before entering the market.

Conclusion

Adverse events are different from side effects and are never desired. Adverse events require interventions whereas most side effects spontaneously resolve with time. The 2 words are incorrectly used interchangeably yet mean 2 separate things. Although this may seem like common sense to some, the incorrect use of these 2 words appears to be a common mistake within the healthcare field.

Knowing the correct information is essential, not only to store in your general knowledge but it is also helpful to explain the difference to your patients when counseling them. This allows them to recognize that a little stomach upset with a medication is a just a side effect and will go away with time, it is normal and the patient shouldn’t be too concerned with the matter vs. if the patient takes a medication and their throat starts to close. Most likely the patient would then be experiencing an adverse event such as anaphylaxis and should be prompted to seek medical attention immediately. That is just one example of why it is important for not only the healthcare provider, but for the patient to be able to recognize the differences between the two terms, as the expressions are commonly used wrongly.

Reference

Food and Drug Administration Med-Watch program http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Medwatch. Accessed February 20.

What is an unexpected effect of a drug?

Unwanted or Unexpected Drug Reactions Side effects, also known as adverse reactions, are unwanted undesirable effects that are possibly related to a drug. Side effects can vary from minor problems like a runny nose to life-threatening events, such as a heart attack or liver damage.

What are unusual and unexpected adverse effects of drugs?

Examples of such adverse drug reactions include rashes, jaundice, anemia, a decrease in the white blood cell count, kidney damage, and nerve injury that may impair vision or hearing. These reactions tend to be more serious but typically occur in a very small number of people.

What are the 4 types of adverse drug reaction?

Adverse drug reactions are classified into six types (with mnemonics): dose-related (Augmented), non-dose-related (Bizarre), dose-related and time-related (Chronic), time-related (Delayed), withdrawal (End of use), and failure of therapy (Failure).

What is adverse effect vs side effect?

Adverse reactions, also known as side effects, are considered to be caused by a vaccine. Usually, vaccine side effects are identified during clinical trials. The intensity of these reactions may range from mild to moderate to severe. They often resolve on their own, and may or may not require medical intervention.