Antidepressant Prescriptions Surging, But There’s Little Focus On What Happens When Patients Want Off Of Them
Many who try to quit say they cannot because of withdrawal symptoms they were never warned about. In other public health news: TB, brain disorders, cancer treatment, strokes, high blood pressure, and more.
The New York Times:
Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit
Victoria Toline would hunch over the kitchen table, steady her hands and draw a bead of liquid from a vial with a small dropper. It was a delicate operation that had become a daily routine — extracting ever tinier doses of the antidepressant she had taken for three years, on and off, and was desperately trying to quit. “Basically that’s all I have been doing — dealing with the dizziness, the confusion, the fatigue, all the symptoms of withdrawal,” said Ms. Toline, 27, of Tacoma, Wash. It took nine months to wean herself from the drug, Zoloft, by taking increasingly smaller doses. (Carey and Gebeloff, 4/7)
The New York Times:
TB Treatment May Leave Some Patients Contagious
The World Health Organization’s dosage guidelines for two leading tuberculosis medications may be far too low for patients with H.I.V., allowing them to remain contagious for longer than necessary, a new study has found. TB, now the leading infectious killer worldwide, takes over 1.5 million lives per year. Treatment lasts at least six months and can cause serious side effects, making it difficult for patients to stick to it. (Baumgaertner, 4/6)
Stat:
CRISPR Might One Day Reverse Devastating Brain Diseases
It may seem unlikely, then, that such a devastating condition is near the front of the line of brain disorders that scientists believe might one day be treated with genome editing technologies such as CRISPR. By “treated,” they don’t mean just keeping a disease from getting worse. They mean reversing the damage and giving the brain a second chance: CRISPR would penetrate the brain of a patient who has lived with a disorder for years and repair the mutation that caused it, unleashing the brain’s capacity of neuroplasticity to weave new circuitry, grow new neurons, or otherwise do right what it did wrong when the mutant gene called the shots. (Begley, 4/9)
The Washington Post:
How Kindness Can Help Improve Cancer Treatment
Cancer may not be life-ending, but it usually is life-changing. A cancer diagnosis instantaneously turns life upside down for patients and families. Cancer care is a “high-emotion” service, and the care team must not only effectively treat the disease but also address patients’ intense emotions. While accurate diagnosis and effective treatment are paramount, simple acts of kindness can be a potent antidote to negative emotions and may improve outcomes for those experiencing the frightening journey called cancer. A growing body of evidence reviewed at Stanford University shows that kind medical care can lead to faster wound healing, reduced pain, anxiety and blood pressure, and shorter hospital stays. (Berry, 4/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Could This Drug Help The Brain Recover After A Stroke?
Despite years of effort, researchers have so far failed to find a pill you could take or a food you could eat to harden your brain against the injury that could be caused by a stroke. But new research offers the prospect of limiting a stroke's long-term damage in a different way: with a drug that enhances the brain's ability to rewire itself and promote recovery in the weeks and months after injury. In experiments, both mice and macaque monkeys that suffered strokes regained more movement and dexterity when their rehabilitative regimen included an experimental medication called edonerpic maleate. (Healy, 4/6)
The New York Times:
High Blood Pressure Tied To Pregnancy Loss
Women whose blood pressure is high before they are pregnant may be at increased risk for miscarriage, a new study has found. Researchers used data from a study of 1,228 women attempting pregnancy after having previously lost a baby. Of the 797 who achieved pregnancy, 188, or almost a quarter, lost the baby again. (Bakalar, 4/6)
Boston Globe:
Bedtime Becoming Big Business As More Worry About Their Sleep
Corporations are installing nap pods. The health insurance giant Aetna pays employees to sleep — up to $300 per year if they log a lot of shut-eye. (Teitell, 4/6)
Reuters:
More U.S. Teens Seeing E-Cigarette Ads
A large and growing proportion of U.S. teens are seeing e-cigarette ads in stores, online, on television and in newspapers and magazines, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined survey data of exposure to tobacco products collected from a nationally representative sample of thousands of middle school and high school students from 2014 to 2016. During that period, the proportion of youth who reported exposure to at least one source of e-cigarette advertising climbed from 69 percent to 78 percent, accounting for more than 20 million teens nationwide. (Rapaport, 4/6)
The Washington Post:
Capgras Syndrome Causes People To Think Their Loved Ones Have Been Replaced By Imposters
On a beautiful autumn afternoon in New York’s Central Park, Carol Berman had the horrifying realization that her husband of 40 years no longer recognized her as his wife. In his eyes, she wasn’t the real Carol but rather some strange woman pretending to be Carol — effectively, an impostor. They were out for a stroll when he started yelling at a woman with a similar hairdo farther up the street: “Carol! Carol, come here!” Shocked, his wife faced him head-on, looked deep into his eyes and reassured him that she was right here. But he refused to acknowledge her as the real Carol. (Kim, 4/7)
The New York Times:
Marijuana Use Tied To Fatal Car Crashes
April 20 has become known as a day to celebrate the pleasures of marijuana consumption with parties that traditionally begin at 4:20 p.m. But a study in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that the high spirits may have a price: a significant increase in fatal car wrecks after the “4/20” party ends. (Bakalar, 4/4)
