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How Are Lithium And Its Placebo Form Identified?

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Posted on Mon, 4 Jan 2016
Question: How can you tell if your doctor is giving you placebo medication or not? I had heard that generics are written in lower case lettering and Upper Case lettering for Brand Name if they didn't match this then your doctor was giving you placebos. Also I've heard the drug won't have the full name if it is a placebo i.e. lithium instead of lithium carb or lithium carbonate.
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Answered by Dr. Abhijit Sonawane (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
No. its not like that. kindly read ahead

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting in HCM.
Placebos are those medicines which we give to patients whom we feel do not have the illness or disease but the patient feels je has. So just to mentally satisfy the patient that he has been treated we give placebos.
But the important things is if doctor has given written prescription to you, it wont be a placebo. As the example you have given of lithium, the main content is lithium which the doctor has written. But the carb or carbonate is the carrier or what we can say as a medium of transport for the drug in blood which usually gets detached or seprated leaving only lithium to act. As there are innumerable brand names in market for 1 drug we usually only write the main content of the drug which is required and as the pharmacy has the availability of the same they will provide you with the drug of company which supplies them.
To recognize placebo you can always check the content of the drugs that your doctor has prescribed whether they match or not.
There is nothing like upper case and lower case should match as there are 100 brand names for even basic drug like paracetamol. The content should be checked written below the brand name as that is the thing which only matters.
I hope I have cleared your doubt and answered your query well.
If you have any more query kindly write back to me will be happy to answer them.
Thank you
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina
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Answered by
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Dr. Abhijit Sonawane

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2011

Answered : 603 Questions

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How Are Lithium And Its Placebo Form Identified?

Brief Answer: No. its not like that. kindly read ahead Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting in HCM. Placebos are those medicines which we give to patients whom we feel do not have the illness or disease but the patient feels je has. So just to mentally satisfy the patient that he has been treated we give placebos. But the important things is if doctor has given written prescription to you, it wont be a placebo. As the example you have given of lithium, the main content is lithium which the doctor has written. But the carb or carbonate is the carrier or what we can say as a medium of transport for the drug in blood which usually gets detached or seprated leaving only lithium to act. As there are innumerable brand names in market for 1 drug we usually only write the main content of the drug which is required and as the pharmacy has the availability of the same they will provide you with the drug of company which supplies them. To recognize placebo you can always check the content of the drugs that your doctor has prescribed whether they match or not. There is nothing like upper case and lower case should match as there are 100 brand names for even basic drug like paracetamol. The content should be checked written below the brand name as that is the thing which only matters. I hope I have cleared your doubt and answered your query well. If you have any more query kindly write back to me will be happy to answer them. Thank you