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Experiencing symptoms after reading about them?

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  • Experiencing symptoms after reading about them?

    Anybody ever have this happen where you read about symptoms caused by a specific drug or something and then you start experiencing them shortly afterward? Is there a term for this? I've read a few posts on this board where people didn't have symptoms but then after somebody told them about it or they read about it all of a sudden they started experiencing them.

  • #2
    That's never happened to me personally... I truly believe that the vast majority of people on this board have their symptoms because something is actually wrong with them, rather than simply because they've read about such symptoms... that being said, I have no doubt that some people are more susceptible to the power of suggestion than others.

    I have to admit that a post like this gets my back up a bit... makes me feel defensive... sorry... don't mean to, since some folks will very likely relate to what you've said and appreciate the discussion!

    I guess it's just because when one tells a new doctor that they read about such-and-such on the internet, they are often dismissed, when in fact, the patient may very well be RIGHT!! My suspicion is that many more patients are wrongly assumed to be making themselves "sick" by reading about their symptoms compared to those that really and truly ARE making themselves "sick" by reading about it...

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    • #3
      This happens to medical students. Don't remember the term for it. Reader's Digest syndrome is what doctor's (at least they used to) call it in patients.

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      • #4
        this definitely wasn't a post dimissing anybody's symptoms. it was a post in regard to a medication that i took for one day (tramadol) and I was reading some of the side effects about it and then the day after i experienced some of the side effect dry mouth. i don't think it was due to the drug because it was a very low dose so i thought it was just because i was worrying about it. i just want to make sure its not making my symptoms worse with my eyes is all. i take paxil 10mg once a day in the morning too for GAD and OCD and i don't think at such a low dose it could be causing any problems. i never noticed dry mouth before until i read that side effect chart so i think it might be hypochondria.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by dgreen97 View Post
          this definitely wasn't a post dimissing anybody's symptoms.
          I kind of figured that... but thanks for saying so anyhow! I think with me, it's almost a reflex reaction... maybe brought on by too many years of my LASIK surgeon totally dismissing my complaints and insisting I was doing "GREAT" (picture LASIK surgeon with a huge grin on his face as he says it...) and how it's wonderful that my vision is 20/15 and I no longer need glasses!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

          I'll get over it eventually... really... I will...

          Actually, I was thinking about this post of yours today, and you know what? This actually HAS happened to me... so much for my thinking I've been immune to it so far haha ... I was reading about head lice, how to treat it, life cycles of those little guys etc... and lo and behold, my scalp was suddenly VERY itchy... had to force myself to NOT scratch since it was clearly all in my head lol Same thing happened again when we found a lice crawling on the counter by the cash register at work... eek!

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