And that may also convince vaccination-refusers.

Many people suffer from headaches or fatigue after getting the corona jab. In fact; these complaints even appear to be one of the most common side effects after vaccination against COVID-19. But is it really the vaccine? Researchers set a new study not. According to them, these symptoms are due to the so-called ‘nocebo effect’; the opposite of the placebo effect.

Placebo effect vs nocebo effect

Everyone knows the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the idea that you can recover from an illness after taking a ‘sugar pill’ simply because your brain and body think we’ve really been treated. The nocebo effect is actually the exact opposite. In this case you will not experience positive, but negative side effects of the same sugar pill. The negative effects therefore occur outside the effect of the drug or treatment.

Side effects of corona vaccine

In a new study, researchers decided to find out to what extent the corona jab actually causes the side effects that are regularly mentioned. Vaccination refusers, or people who are hesitant about whether they should take the corona vaccine, do so regularly for fear of the side effects. But to what extent is that fear based on side effects?

Study

In the study, the researchers looked at 12 clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines. They then compared the number of side effects reported by participants who received a real vaccine with the number of side effects experienced by the control group (who had received a fake injection). Interestingly, nearly one-third of the participants with the sham injection reported at least one side effect after the first dose, the most common of which were headache and fatigue. By comparison, 46 percent of vaccine recipients reported similar complaints.

Nocebo effect

It means that many of the ‘side effects’ occurred among the vaccinated as well as in the control group. And so the researchers conclude that at least some of the side effects mentioned cannot be attributed to the corona vaccine at all, but to the nocebo effect. In fact, the nocebo effect would even be responsible for the lion’s share of the nasty side effects after corona prick. Half to three quarters of the side effects may be a nocebo effect.

Remarkably, the number of side effects mentioned in the control group decreased to 32 percent after the second dose. In contrast, the participants who had received a real vaccine experienced more side effects the second time around. The researchers calculated that the nocebo effect was responsible for nearly 52 percent of the reported side effects after the second dose. The higher number of side effects in the vaccine group, according to the researchers, can be explained by their experience after the first dose, which made the participants more anticipating the second time.

Why do people suddenly suffer from headaches or fatigue? According to the researchers, this may have to do with a certain expectation you have after vaccination. So in that sense it is a bit between your ears. “In fact leaflets about the vaccines, headache and fatigue are often listed as one of the most common side effects,” said researcher Ted Kaptchuk. “This can lead to people becoming hyper-alert, suddenly having a headache and wrongly attributing this to the vaccine.”

To inform

Some researchers believe that informing patients about possible side effects does more harm than good. Nevertheless, according to Kaptchuk, it is ethically necessary to always fully inform everyone about the side effects. However, he also thinks it would be good to mention not only the possible side effects, but also the possible nocebo effects.

Did you know…

…some people deliberately take placebo pills in the belief that they will get them better? Researchers warn against this risky development. Read more here!

According to the researchers, the findings of the study could also convince vaccine-refusers – who often fear side effects – since the majority of the commonly heard side effects are not caused by the vaccine at all. “Medicine is based on trust,” Kaptchuk says. “Our findings suggest that informing the public about the potential occurrence of the nocebo effect may help reduce concerns about COVID-19 vaccination. And that may also remove the doubts that exist about vaccination.”