GRE® ARGUMENT188

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT188 - A new report suggests that men and women experience pain very differently from one another, and that doctors should consider these differences when prescribing pain medications. When researchers administered the same dosage of kappa opioids-a painkiller-to 28 men and 20 women who were having their wisdom teeth extracted, the women reported feeling much less pain than the men, and the easing of pain lasted considerably longer in women. This research suggests that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is required, whereas men should be given other kinds of pain medication. In addition, researchers should reevaluate the effects of all medications on men versus women.

In this argument, the author provides a study showing that kappa opioids is more effective on women than men when they were having their wisdom teeth extracted. Them the author concludes that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is needed and the effects of all medications should be reevaluated on men versus women. Yet, close security reveals that the argument is unconvincing and contains flaws.

First of all, the author unfairly assumes that the sex distinction is the main reason of why women reported feeling much less pain. The author fails to consider other difference between the 28 men and 20 women that can result in the different effect of the painkiller on men, such as physical conditions. Moreover, in the study, the level of pain and the easing of pain lasted were reported by patients according to their own feeling. Nevertheless, the feeling is subjective and cannot accurately reflect the real level of pain that the patients suffer. Meanwhile, the author also fails to offer evidence to substantiate that 28 men and 20 women constituted a sufficiently large sample and the sample is representative of most patients suffering pain. Without evidence, it is possible that these patients were all from a small region and could not represent patients of other places. So, the author cannot confidently assure me that the result of the study is credible.

Secondly, even though the result of the study is reliable, the author concludes too hastily that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is needed and men should be given other kinds of pain medication. Due to lack of comparison with other painkillers, the author overlooks some possibilities. Perhaps, there are many other painkillers that are more effective than kappa opioids, and women should take these medications. Or perhaps, the effect of other kinds of pain medication may be worse than kappa opioids, and other painkillers may have more negative effects, so the men should take kappa opioids. Moreover, other kinds of pain may be different from the pain that people suffer when they are having their wisdom teeth extracted and need other different painkillers. Without considering all these possibilities, the author cannot justifiably draw the above conclusion.

Finally, granted that pain medication has different effect on men and women, the author unfairly assumes that the effect of all kinds of medication should be reevaluated on men versus women. The author offers no evidence to indicate there is also difference between men and women in other kinds of medicine. Consequently, the necessarity to reevaluate the effect of all medication is open to doubt.

To sum up, the author's conclusion is not well supported as it stands. To support it, the author needs to offer more statistically reliable and authoritative study and the comparison between kappa opioids and other painkillers.