Posted by SLS on August 16, 2008, at 7:38:47
In reply to Re: Placebo in Psychiatric Clinical Trials, posted by Cecilia on August 16, 2008, at 7:27:20
> I don't think an accurate placebo trial is possible with psych drugs. Most have so many side effects that people can easily figure out if they're on the real thing. (And so can their doctors, which destroys the double blind effect). Sure, people report side effects with placebos, but generally they're common things in everyday life, headaches, insomnia etc. If people get side effects they've rarely had before they know it's pretty likely they're on the real drug. Cecilia
Some astute investigators use a placebo that produces side effects but has no antidepressant properties. Low dosages of the anticholinergic Cogentin would be an example. The term for this strategy is "active placebo".
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:845869
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080814/msgs/846605.html