In a recent study, 328 kids aged 8-17 who suffer from migraines were given either amitriptyline, topiramate, or a placebo (just plain sugar) pill for 24 weeks to test the effects of different migraine medicine. 61 percent of those taking the placebo pill had reduced numbers of headaches, compared to the 52 percent and 55 percent of those on actual migraine medicine. The 2 drugs also had side effects such as dry mouth and fatigue, as well as mood changes and suicidal thoughts, while the sugar pill didn't. These results are making doctors wonder if the benefits of drugs outweigh the dangers.
The article was written October 27th, so we know the study is recent. Before reading, I knew about the placebo effect and how it tricks the brain, but I didn't realize it could work better than actual medicine. The article was written to inform people of how certain medicine may affect you, and to release the data gathered from the study. I think this article is important because we all always just assume that the medicine we take is 100 percent good for us and reliable, but in reality, new studies come out every day revealing flaws in our medicine. This can be related to bloodletting, which was in practice for nearly 2,000 years until people began to realize it was actaully harmful. Although migraine medicine is slightly less severe than bloodletting, it could be doing more bad than good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/health/migraines-drugs-children.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront
Wow, this is crazy to hear about this, good to know someone was smart enough to realize the bad effects of the drug.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting because pretty much all drugs that are doctor prescribed have a long list of side effects, and you still take the pill because you think its the only option and that what its fixing is worth the risk of the side effects. Its so great that they found a less harmful alternative.
ReplyDeleteI have actually taken both amitriptyline and topiramate for migraines. I agree with the conclusions of the test for amitriptyline because I noticed horrible side effects when I took even a low dose. I did not have an issue with topiramate, but I believe that people also have side effects with that as well. Hopefully we will continue to make developments in medication so that they are safer and more effective.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really important that people are aware of the potential side effects a medicine could have. Over the summer I had to make a decision about whether or not I wanted to start a certain medication, and side effects were a big part of that decision.
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