Fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath … and on it goes. The list of possible side effects in a medication package insert can be unsettling. So can a preoperative consultation, when the surgeon informs you of all the risks. The problem is that many patients become fixated on potential complications or adverse reactions – which then may occur for no physiological reason, but because of negative expectations. Doctors call this the nocebo effect, the reverse of the placebo effect whereby expectation of a positive outcome increases the effectiveness of a medication or treatment. The effects …