can you tell is you are taking medication or a placebo?

Answer 1

It is possible, if you are feeling normal side effects from the medication, that you are actually getting the med and not a placebo. If you do not feel any side effects, that does not mean anything, since most people do not feel side effects.

There is also a phenomenon called placebo effect, in which your mind tells you that the medicine is working, even if it is a placebo. If you are aware of the normal side effects, you may even feel them.

And even if you are getting the actual med, you may not feel any different.
I didn't tell you much, of course, and have probably left you even more in the dark. Sorry.

Answer 2

In a properly designed medical trial (comparing a medication to a placebo) the subjects and the doctors should not be able to tell the difference. The trial medication and placebo should look, smell, and taste the same (with, of course, different ingredients). This is called a 'double-blind trial' because neither the patients nor the doctors know which patient received placebo and which received the trial medication. Each 'prescription' is secretly coded and only at the end of the trial are the codes revealed for evaluation of effectiveness.

And, to 'correct' some of the comments by other answerer's, placebo arms of medical trials usually report 'side effects' from the placebo. Some people have such strong 'side effects' from placebos that they have to withdrawal from the trial.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

I hope you mean ''if'' instead of ''is'',but if done correctly in a double-blind study,you should not be able to tell the difference.

Answer 4

Yes, if you are completely unbiased. The power of suggestions can make people believe they are feeling better.