Side effects explanation

Similarly, the correlation between side effects and improvement does not prove that side effects produce the improvement. Still, it fits the enhanced placebo hypothesis perfectly, and it is hard to think of another explanation for it. 

Raasveld, M.H.M. et al., Complement activation during OKT3 treatment A possible explanation for respiratory side effects, Kidney Int., 43, 1140, 1993. 

Special mention must be accorded to iatrogenic effects, where the usefulness of novel synthetic drugs is impaired by untoward side effects of obscure etiology. In some, if not many of them, these side effects may find their explanation in the inhibitory action of the drug upon a vitamin, as in the case of primidone vs. folic acid (B3a). These relationships appear to be fortuitous until the structural chemical kinship of drug and vitamin is recognized. 

Clinicians should be aware that many of their patients may be taking alternative treatments either via self-care or prescribed by CAM practitioners. Inquiring about this should be routine because of potential side effects and drug interactions. A working knowledge of CAM treatments will allow child psychiatrists to give parents and patients advice about safety and effectiveness. Use of St. John s wort in children with unipolar depression may at times be appropriate, particularly in cases where more standard treatments are contraindicated or have failed. However, it should be used cautiously and with an appropriate explanation of its risks and benefits, as a competent clinician would do for any treatment. Use of St. John s wort for other conditions is not currently recommended given the lack of evidence for efficacy. Kava extracts may be used for anxiety, with similar provisos. There are much fewer data about the efficacy and safety of other dietary supplements and their use cannot be supported at this point. 

An interesting side effect of the presence of ovatransferrin in egg whites is the custom, long established before any rational explanation, of beating egg whites in copper bowls to stabilize the foam (as in meringues, etc.) The copper complex of ovatransferrin stabilizes the protein of egg white against denaturation and thus Stabilizes the foam.111... 

Long-term side effects of lithium treatment include weight gain. The treatment is associated with development of hypothyroidism in about 10-15% of cases. There is an association with kidney disease. Birch has expressed the general view that Li may interact with magnesium-dependent processes, and theoretical chemistry supports this view. Despite the widespread clinical significance of Li, there is presently no consensus on its mode of action. One postulate for the mechanism is termed hyperpolarization . Li affects the conductivity in cell transport channels. Other explanations include modulation of neurotransmitter concentrations and inhibition of Na+/K+/Mg2+/ Ca2+ ATPases. 

Many factors can interact with dmgs to make this problem worse. These include genetic factors, such as mutations in sodium, potassium and calcium channel genes that predispose people to repolarization failure [11-13]. This is the main explanation for the fact that dmgs with this side-effect have it in only a small fraction of the population. In principle, it should become possible to screen for such genetic predispositions to exclude such patients in clinical trials and to avoid treating them with drugs that interact in this way (Fig. 9.2). 

A more detailed evaluation or comparison of the receptor profiles of these compounds and explanation or understanding of their clinical profile (i.e., antipsychotic action and side effects) based on their receptor data is, therefore a controversial and complicated issue. Some aspects of this problem in connection with clozapine-type antipsychotics are addressed in the following sections. 

What are the side-effects of the treatment you have recommended Include an explanation for any terms you are not familiar with. 

Table 6.4 provides the side effects, adverse effects, and drug interactions and/or contraindications for the listed anticonvulsants. Additional explanations as noted in the table are provided as follows. 

At best, it floats about in the body doing nothing. At worst, it interacts with a totally different receptor and results in an undesired side-effect. Herein lies the explanation for the thalidomide tragedy. One of the enantiomers was an excellent sedative. The other reacted elsewhere in the body as a poison and was teratogenic (induced abnormalities in human embryos). If the two enantiomers had been separated, then the tragedy would not have occurred. 

When we have two (or more) treatments , we will usually wish to carry out a hypothesis test. This is making a decision about whether it is plausible that the difference (if any) between the treatments is real . In Table 7.2, we might wish to consider whether treatment B really does give a higher rate of side-effects than treatment A. To address this question, the alternative non-causal explanations for the apparent difference must be considered. They are (a) bias in allocation or group membership, (b) assessment or measurement bias, and (c) chance. 

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