5 ms·
If that was sugar, it's pretty easy for me, as a study participant, to tell whether I've been given mushrooms or not (i.e. am I feeling drugged or not). I suspe
by BossingAround 5y ago
If that was sugar, it's pretty easy for me, as a study participant, to tell whether I've been given mushrooms or not (i.e. am I feeling drugged or not). I suspect that played a part of the reasoning to use a psychoactive compound instead of sugar pills as a placebo.
- TheBlight 5y agoIIRC, AstraZeneca did a similar thing when testing their covid-19 shots. In one of their trials the placebo was a meningitis vaccine.
- cnity 5y agoIsn't the term "control" more accurate than "placebo" in these contexts? I thought that a placebo was inactive, while a control is used to set a baseline for judging improvement. A placebo is a type of control, but not vice versa.
- bragr 5y agoA placebo doesn't have to be inert, it's more that it has to have no therapeutic value. Meningitis vaccine doesn't protect against covid so it's an effective placebo for testing covid vaccine for example.
- arghwhat 5y agoA placebo does not need to be completely inactive, it merely needs to not exhibit the effect you are trying to test for. Using an anti-depressant as placebo for a test regarding anti-depressive effects does seem a bit odd, but it is fine if the test is for effects or durations exceeding the capability of placebo drugs.
- linguistbreaker 5y agoI think other studies have used Nicotine and other substances to provide an initial flush of feeling like you took something. That being said, "feeling drugged" is pretty dose dependent so plenty of studies could use a truly inactive placebo alongside a lower dose.
- pmoriarty 5y ago"I think other studies have used Nicotine and other substances to provide an initial flush of feeling like you took something." Niacin, not nicotine. See the so-called "niacin-flush" response: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin#Flushing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin#Flushing