2.0
Prescribing of Placebos
Malawi Standard Treatment Guidelines, 6th Edition, 2023. Chapter 0, Prescribing Guidelines.
Clinical Description
- Avoid this whenever possible. Instead spend time reassuring and educating the patient
- If it is necessary to prescribe a placebo, always choose a safe, cheap medicine which is not essential for the treatment of other important conditions, e.g., multivitamin tablets or vitamin B compound tablets
- Never prescribe injections as placebo
- Never prescribe tranquilizers e.g., diazepam, phenobarbitone, as placebos
Check doses against the printed guideline and your clinical judgement before treating a patient. Spotted an error? Report it from the contact links below.
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