Learning to experience side effects after antidepressant intake - Results from a randomized, controlled, double-blind...

Area of Science:

• Psychopharmacology
• Behavioral Science
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Antidepressant side effects significantly impact treatment adherence.
• Verbal suggestions and prior experiences can influence side effect occurrence.
• The role of learning mechanisms in antidepressant side effects requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if antidepressant side effects can be learned through Pavlovian conditioning.
• To determine if learned side effects can be evoked by a placebo.

Main Methods:

• A classical conditioning procedure was employed with 39 participants.
• Participants were randomly assigned to receive amitriptyline or a placebo during acquisition.
• Side effects were assessed using the Generic Assessment of Side Effects Scale before and after conditioning and evocation phases.

Main Results:

• Participants receiving amitriptyline reported more side effects post-acquisition compared to baseline and placebo groups.
• Following conditioning, participants who received amitriptyline showed significantly more side effects than the placebo group, even when given a placebo during evocation.

Conclusions:

• Antidepressant side effects can be acquired through a conditioning paradigm.
• Learned side effects can be triggered by a placebo pill when associated with the same contextual cues as the active drug.