Research in the fields of chronic pain management, symptomatic treatment of allergic symptoms, enhancing the effect of chemotherapy, support for smoking cessation, replacing caffeine, reducing depression and panic attacks, weight-loss support, etc. …
This is where the experiences shared by those who are happy to share them with us will be collected. Would you like to try it too? Or do you already have an experience you would like to share? Please complete this questionnaire.
My first attempts at sharing the method with others immediately led to interesting results, two of them in fact. People I know reported the same thing: after I had told them my story they said they were keen to try it but none of them actually did. Instead of starting conditioning at home, they simply stopped using the symptomatic medications they had been using for allergies for years. According to my latest information they have not needed them since and are doing well. One of them said they thought it was all in the mind.
I do not yet know how to explains this, but to me it suggests that there are probably many good paths. I hope we will soon know more as people share their experiences...
Most of the studies below are about conditioned placebo; where this is not the case, I have indicated it. For the sake of completeness, I have also included articles in which researchers used a conditioned placebo setup but were not able to demonstrate its effectiveness.
The technique of conditioning has been successfully used to relieve chronically recurring pain. In the first case, after an accident, the oxycodone therapy dose was reduced to zero. Estudillo-Guerra MA, Mesia-Toledo I, Schneider JC and Morales-Quezada L (2021) The Use of Conditioning Open-Label Placebo in Opioid Dose Reduction: A Case Report and Literature Review. Front. Pain Res. 2:697475. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2021.697475
In the second case, the conditioned open‑label placebo technique was used for postoperative pain management after spinal surgery in 51 selected patients. Although there was no significant difference in the patients’ average daily pain levels, a significant reduction was observed in their daily maximum pain scores, and the COLP group’s average morphine milligram equivalent consumption was approximately 30% lower. Flowers KM, Patton ME, Hruschak VJ, Fields KG, Schwartz E, Zeballos J, et al. . Conditioned open-label placebo for opioid reduction after spine surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Pain. (2021) 162:1828–39. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002185 – DOI – PMC – PubMed
They were also able to significantly reduce both the opioid requirements and the pain levels of hospitalized patients. Morales-Quezada, Leona,*; Mesia-Toledo, Inesa; Estudillo-Guerra, Anayalia; O’Connor, Kevin C.a; Schneider, Jeffrey C.a; Sohn, Douglas J.a; Crandell, David M.a; Kaptchuk, Tedb; Zafonte, Rossa. Conditioning open-label placebo: a pilot pharmacobehavioral approach for opioid dose reduction and pain control. PAIN Reports 5(4):p e828, July/August 2020. | DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000828
Another study on opioid analgesia.
A complex experiment was conducted using combinations of morphine, ketorolac, naloxone, and saline. They were even able to neutralize placebo‑induced analgesia with naloxone (a drug used in opioid overdose). This demonstrates that placebo analgesia had triggered the release of endogenous opioids, whose effects could be blocked by naloxone, an opioid‑receptor antagonist.
Neuropharmacological Dissection of Placebo Analgesia: Expectation-Activated Opioid Systems versus Conditioning-Activated Specific Subsystems,
In the treatment of opioid use disorder, 131 patients were evaluated using the COLP method. Although the intervention did not significantly reduce the amount of methadone consumed, it did produce significant improvements in 90‑day program retention rates and in sleep quality. Belcher AM, Cole TO, Massey E, et al. Effectiveness of Conditioned Open-label Placebo With Methadone in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(4):e237099. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.7099
Caffeine and conditioned placebo. Individuals conditioned through habitual coffee drinking were given decaffeinated coffee, caffeinated orange juice, and a neutral beverage. Both the caffeinated drink and the decaffeinated coffee improved subjective and measurable alertness to the same extent. In this case, the conditioned stimulus was the act of drinking coffee itself (the ritual, the smell, etc.).
Another experiment showed that decaffeinated coffee also improves reaction time in sleepy individuals.
House dust mite allergy. Conditioning was performed using desloratadine plus syrup, or a drug‑free tablet plus syrup. In the evocation phase, both groups (including those who had never received the active drug) performed well. Those who had received the medication during the learning phase achieved better results. This indicates that expectations can also have a significant effect.
Cognitive Factors Mediate Placebo Responses in Patients with House Dust Mite Allergy
Vits S, Cesko E, Benson S, Rueckert A, Hillen U, et al. (2013) Cognitive Factors Mediate Placebo Responses in Patients with House Dust Mite Allergy. PLOS ONE 8(11): e79576. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079576
In healthy individuals, itching was induced using histamine iontophoresis, and its intensity was assessed in groups previously conditioned with antihistamines (both open‑ and closed‑label). Only a small difference could be detected between the groups, slightly in favor of the placebo.
An antihistamine tablet was conditioned with syrup; although its effect was weaker than that of the actual antihistamine, the placebo also reduced the allergic symptoms measured by the prick test.
Stefanie HölskenEva HolubekFrederik KreftingSenta MühlhausDaniela BeseJoachim DissemondOliver PfaarWinfried RiefManfred SchedlowskiWiebke Sondermann; Experimental Approach to Inducing Anti-Histaminergic Placebo Effects: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Volunteers. Neuroimmunomodulation 1 January 2026; 33 (1): 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1159/000549975
“Patients who had undergone organ transplantation must continuously suppress their immune system to prevent rejection of the foreign organ. Unfortunately, the side effects of these medications also appear during treatment. In this experiment, the immunosuppressive drug was conditioned to a specific taste. A significant decrease in T‑cell counts was measured when comparing the time points before and after the placebo was administered.
“Similar to the previous experiment, an immunosuppressant was conditioned here as well. They observed that after 14 occasions on which the patient received only the placebo, the effect disappeared. However, when the active medication was periodically reintroduced at a low dose alongside the placebo, the conditioned effect was maintained in the long term.
“Conditioned immunosuppression: even four pairings were enough to establish a lasting association, while a single pairing produced a much weaker effect. When there was no pairing—only expectation—the intervention did not produce measurable results.
Placebo Effects on the Immune Response in Humans: The Role of Learning and Expectation
Albring A, Wendt L, Benson S, Witzke O, Kribben A, et al. (2012) Placebo Effects on the Immune Response in Humans: The Role of Learning and Expectation. PLOS ONE 7(11): e49477. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0049477
Recombinant human interferon‑gamma was paired with orally administered propylene glycol in healthy individuals. The propylene glycol alone was able to elicit the response.
D.L. Longo, P.L. Duffey, W.C. Kopp, M.P. Heyes, W.G. Alvord, W.H. Sharfman, P.J. Schmidt, D.R. Rubinow, D.L. Rosenstein, Conditioned Immune Response to Interferon-γ in Humans, Clinical Immunology, Volume 90, Issue 2, 1999, Pages 173-181, ISSN 1521-6616, https://doi.org/10.1006/clim.1998.4637.
Cyclosporin A was conditioned with a specially flavored drink. In the evocation phase, the drink alone produced a significant, measurable decrease in IL‑2 and IFN‑gamma levels, achieving an effect similar to that of the drug itself. This was the first demonstration of the effectiveness of conditioning‑based immunosuppression.
Cyclosporin A was again conditioned with a distinctive flavor, both in rats and in humans. As in the previous experiment, a measurable decrease in IL‑2 and IFN‑gamma levels was observed after consuming only the flavored drink. In humans after 11 days, and in rats after 6 days, the placebo alone was still able to produce a significant effect without any renewed drug administration.”
Timo Wirth, Kirstin Ober, Geraldine Prager, Magdalene Vogelsang, Sven Benson, Oliver Witzke, Andreas Kribben, Harald Engler, Manfred Schedlowski, Repeated recall of learned immunosuppression: Evidence from rats and men, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 25, Issue 7, 2011, Pages 1444-1451, ISSN 0889-1591,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2011.05.011.
The treatment of breast cancer was — with the patient’s knowledge — supplemented with an infusion of physiologic saline containing no active drug. Conditioning was established between the chemotherapy agent and the infusion. An increase in tumor‑destroying immune cells was measurable in blood samples. I think this is a brilliant idea!
A study is also underway on pain management in patients with head‑and‑neck cancer.
A Nature article reported how open‑label placebo improved weight loss in obesity treatment. In this study, one group received a placebo pill alongside their standard therapy. There was no phase in which the effect of the pill alone was tested, so this was not a case of conditioned placebo. However, participants who knowingly took the inert pill achieved better weight‑loss outcomes.
Oxytocin delivered intranasally was conditioned with a specific scent. The conditioning worked, but the effect faded quickly. Both the conditioning phase and the evocation phase lasted only three days. With a longer conditioning period or with reminder doses, they might have achieved a more durable effect (as seen in the immunosuppressive experiments).
Intranasally administered insulin was paired with the scent of rose oil. The effect depended on sex and health status, but it did reduce hunger effectively. Its impact on lowering blood glucose was weaker. If you’re considering anything in this direction, it’s essential to talk to your diabetologist first!
Another intranasal‑insulin experiment paired the hormone with meta‑cresol (a compound present in many insulin formulations). This study, conducted with 32 healthy men, also showed significant conditioned effects.
Cortisol was conditioned with a distinctive taste over three days. The evocation phase also lasted three days, but unfortunately they could not demonstrate that the placebo alone produced a cortisol‑like effect.
Judith Tekampe, Henriët van Middendorp, Nienke R. Biermasz, Fred C.G.J. Sweep, Onno C. Meijer, Iris C.M. Pelsma, Alberto M. Pereira, Ad R.M.M. Hermus, Andrea W.M. Evers,
Conditioning cortisol in healthy young women – A randomized controlled trial, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 124, 2021, 105081, ISSN 0306-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105081.
In children with ADHD, using the COLP method to reduce the medication dose by half led to fewer side effects while maintaining adequate therapeutic benefit.
A similar experiment was conducted with 26 children with ADHD, aged 7–15. Here too, the medication dose was cut in half, and the previously conditioned placebo was given alongside it. Without the placebo, symptoms worsened; with the placebo, however, significant improvements were observed. The parents and children were fully informed about the study procedure, but the teachers — who provided part of the behavioral assessments — did not know which child received placebo and which did not (single‑blind design).
A qualitative summary was also collected from children with ADHD and their parents about the reduced‑dose therapy supported by conditioned placebo. This was not a statistical analysis but an exploration of personal experiences — the participants’ own reflections were included as well.
Zolpidem‑based sleeping medication was paired with an inert placebo pill. Although the placebo combined with a reduced dose was not as effective as continuous full‑dose medication, the reduced‑dose‑plus‑placebo condition still produced meaningful improvements in sleep.
Michael L. Perlis, Knashawn H. Morales, Ivan Vargas, Alexandria Muench, Mark Seewald, Nalaka Gooneratne, Michael A. Grandner, Michael E. Thase, Ted J. Kaptchuk, Robert Ader,
Durability of treatment response to zolpidem using a partial reinforcement regimen: does this strategy require priming?,
Sleep Medicine, Volume 87, 2021, Pages 56-61, ISSN 1389-9457, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.04.041.
Another zolpidem study showed that even less active medication was sufficient when paired with a conditioned placebo.
Michael Perlis, Michael Grandner, Jarcy Zee, Erin Bremer, Julia Whinnery, Holly Barilla, Priscilla Andalia, Phil Gehrman, Knashawn Morales, Michael Thase, Richard Bootzin, Robert Ader,
Durability of treatment response to zolpidem with three different maintenance regimens: a preliminary study,
Sleep Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 9, 2015, Pages 1160-1168, ISSN 1389-9457, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2015.06.015.
In rheumatoid arthritis, researchers also attempted drug‑conditioning. There was no major difference between patients receiving the full medication dose and those in the conditioned group in terms of disease flare‑ups or TNF‑alpha levels — but interestingly, the placebo‑supported group performed slightly better.
This is still only a research plan, but the goal is to achieve methotrexate dose‑reduction in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis using drug‑conditioning.
In psoriasis, researchers achieved effective treatment even when corticosteroid medication was reduced to half or even a quarter of the original dose, thanks to conditioned placebo methods.
The two studies below used open‑label placebo (OLP), not conditioned open‑label placebo (COLP). Even so, they show something remarkable: placebo effects can persist for years.”
A three‑week open‑label placebo (OLP) treatment showed long‑term benefits — even three years later, patients reported lower perceived pain compared to those who never received OLP.
In a five‑year follow‑up, patients who had received a three‑week open‑label placebo (OLP) treatment showed continued and even further reductions in medication use: – painkillers dropped from 87% to 38% – combination drugs containing analgesics dropped from 80% to 31% – antidepressants from 24% to 11% – benzodiazepines from 15% to 5% Meanwhile, the control group’s need for painkillers increased from 18% to 29%.
Here is another article discussing the effects of placebo and conditioning.
In the pain‑relief studies we saw that opioids can be strongly conditioned. This raises an interesting ethical question: if conditioning (without the drug) increases pain tolerance and enhances performance, does this count as doping in sports competitions?
Attention!
On this website you can find information about how I was able to discontinue the medication that had been prescribed for symptomatic treatment. (I will refer to this as the “method” from here on.) You may feel that you would also like to try reducing — or possibly discontinuing — the medication you take for symptomatic treatment in a similar way.
Before you actually try this, you MUST TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST AND SHOW THEM THIS WEBSITE, so that—being aware of the research findings presented here—they can help you determine whether the “method” poses any risk to your health.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO DISCONTINUE OR ARBITRARILY REPLACE ANY MEDICATION THAT YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE NOT ONLY WHEN SYMPTOMS APPEAR, BUT BECAUSE OF AN EXISTING ILLNESS OR MEDICAL CONDITION (e.g., blood thinners, blood pressure medication, insulin, etc.). STOPPING THESE MEDICATIONS CAN LEAD TO A DETERIORATION OF YOUR HEALTH AND, IN THE WORST CASE, MAY EVEN RESULT IN DEATH.
This also applies to vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, and similar substances that the body cannot produce (in sufficient quantities) even in a healthy state, yet relies on them heavily.
The author of this website, the researchers involved, and the doctors or other individuals appearing on the site assume no responsibility for your health condition, as they do not know you or your medical status or illnesses!
If the “method” works for you as well (as it did for me and for some of my acquaintances), and you are able to reduce or replace your symptomatic medications, YOU SHOULD STILL CARRY THESE MEDICATIONS WITH YOU AS YOU USED TO. There may be situations in which, due to certain circumstances (for example, an infectious illness), the previously experienced placebo effect does not occur, and you may end up needing them after all.
Achtung!
Auf dieser Website findest du Informationen darüber, wie es mir gelungen ist, mein zur symptomatischen Behandlung eingesetztes Medikament abzusetzen. (Dies bezeichne ich im Folgenden als ‚Methode‘.) Es kann sein, dass du darüber nachdenkst, auf ähnliche Weise die Menge deiner symptomatisch wirkenden Medikamente zu reduzieren oder sie möglicherweise ganz abzusetzen.
Bevor du dies tatsächlich ausprobieren würdest, SPRICH AUF JEDEN FALL MIT DEINER BEHANDELNDEN ÄRZTIN/ARZT ODER DEINER APOTHEKERIN/APOTHEKER UND ZEIGE IHNEN DIESE WEBSITE, damit sie anhand der hier dargestellten Forschungsergebnisse gemeinsam mit dir beurteilen können, ob die ‚Methode‘ kein Risiko für deine Gesundheit darstellt.
AUF KEINEN FALL darfst du ein Medikament absetzen oder eigenmächtig ersetzen, das du nicht nur bei akuten Symptomen einnimmst, sondern aufgrund einer bestehenden Erkrankung oder eines dauerhaften Gesundheitszustands benötigst! (z. B. Blutverdünner, Blutdrucksenker, Insulin usw.) Das Absetzen solcher Medikamente kann zu einer Verschlechterung deines Gesundheitszustands führen und im schlimmsten Fall sogar lebensbedrohlich sein!
Dies gilt ebenso für Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, essenzielle Aminosäuren usw., die der Körper selbst im gesunden Zustand nicht (in ausreichender Menge) herstellen kann, auf die er jedoch dringend angewiesen ist.
AUF KEINEN FALL DARFST DU EIN MEDIKAMENT ABSETZEN ODER EIGENMÄCHTIG ERSETZEN, DAS DU NICHT BEI AUFTRETEN DEINER SYMPTOME EINNIMMST, SONDERN AUFGRUND DEINER BESTEHENDEN ERKRANKUNG ODER DEINES ZUSTANDS REGELMÄSSIG BENÖTIGST! (z. B. Blutverdünner, Blutdrucksenker, Insulin usw.) DAS ABSETZEN DIESER MITTEL KANN NÄMLICH ZU EINER VERSCHLECHTERUNG DEINES GESUNDHEITSZUSTANDS FÜHREN UND IM SCHLIMMSTEN FALL SOGAR ZUM TOD FÜHREN!
Das gilt auch für Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, essenzielle Aminosäuren … usw., die unser Körper selbst im gesunden Zustand nicht (in ausreichender Menge) herstellen kann, aber dringend benötigt.
Der Autor dieser Seite, die an der Forschung beteiligten Personen sowie die auf der Website genannten Ärztinnen, Ärzte und anderen Fachpersonen übernehmen keinerlei Verantwortung für deinen Gesundheitszustand, da sie weder dich noch deinen Zustand oder deine Erkrankungen kennen!
„Wenn die ‚Methode‘ auch bei dir funktioniert (so wie bei mir oder einigen meiner Bekannten) und du deine symptomatischen Medikamente reduzieren oder ersetzen kannst, SOLLTEST DU DIESE MEDIKAMENTE TROTZDEM WEITERHIN WIE GEWOHNT BEI DIR TRAGEN. Es kann nämlich vorkommen, dass unter bestimmten Umständen (z. B. bei einer Infektionskrankheit) die zuvor erlebte Placebowirkung ausbleibt und du das Medikament doch benötigst.”
Figyelem!
Ezen a honlapon információkat találhatsz arra vonatkozólag, hogy hogyan tudtam elhagyni a tüneti kezelésre szolgáló gyógyszeremet. (Ezt nevezem a továbbiakban „módszernek”.) Előfordulhat, hogy úgy gondolod, Te is megpróbálnád hasonló módon tüneti kezelésre szolgáló gyógyszereid mennyiségét csökkenteni, vagy esetleg azt elhagyni.
Mielőtt ezt valóban kipróbálnád MINDENKÉPPEN BESZÉLJ KEZELŐORVOSODDAL VAGY GYÓGYSZERÉSZEDDEL ÉS MUTASD MEG NEKI EZT A HONLAPOT, hogy az itt található kutatási eredmények ismeretében segíteni tudjon Neked eldönteni, hogy a “módszer” nem jelent-e veszélyt az egészségedre.
SEMMIFÉLEKÉPPEN NE PRÓBÁLJ MEG OLYAN GYÓGYSZERT ELHAGYNI, VAGY ÖNKÉNYESEN HELYETTESÍTENI, AMELYET NEM A TÜNETEID MEGJELENÉSEKOR KELL HASZNÁLNOD, HANEM A MEGLÉVŐ BETEGSÉGED VAGY ÁLLAPOTOD MIATT SZÜKSÉGES SZEDNED! (pl. vérhígító, vérnyomáscsökkentő, inzulin, stb.). EZEK ELHAGYÁSA UGYANIS EGÉSZSÉGI ÁLLAPOTOD ROMLÁSÁVAL JÁRHAT, LEGROSSZABB ESETBEN HALÁLHOZ IS VEZETHETNEK! Ez vonatkozik vitaminokra, ásványi anyagokra, esszenciális aminosavakra … stb. is, amelyeket a testünk egészséges állapotában sem tud (elegendő mennyiségben) előállítani, viszont nagy szüksége van rájuk.
Az oldal szerzője, a kutatásban részt vevő vagy a honlapon szereplő orvosok, személyek semmiféle felelősséget nem vállalnak az egészségügyi állapotodat illetően, hiszen nem ismernek Téged, sem az állapotodat, betegségeidet!
Amennyiben a „módszer” Neked is beválik, (mint nálam vagy más ismerőseim esetében is történt) és tüneti gyógyszereidet csökkenteni tudod, vagy ki tudod váltani, EZEN GYÓGYSZEREIDET AKKOR IS KORÁBBI SZOKÁSODNAK MEGFELELŐEN HORDD MAGADDAL. Előfordulhat ugyanis, hogy bizonyos körülmények között (pl. fertőzéses megbetegedés esetén) a korábban megtapasztalt placebo hatás nem jelentkezik, és mégiscsak szükséged lesz rá.