Antidepressant Use Associated With Cognitive decline in Patients with Dementia

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

In this cohort study, use of antidepressants was associated with faster cognitive decline in patients with dementia, in particular SSRIs (i.e., citalopram, sertraline and escitalopram) and mirtazapine. These effects appeared to be more pronounced in patients with more severe dementia. Compared with sertraline, escitalopram presented faster cognitive decline, while citalopram was linked to a slower cognitive decline. Additionally, higher dispensed doses of SSRIs were associated with greater cognitive decline, as well as increased risks of severe dementia, all-cause mortality, and fracture. Our study cannot distinguish whether these findings are due to the antidepressants or the underlying psychiatric indication. Mo, M., Abzhandadze, T., Hoang, M.T. et al. Antidepressant use and cognitive decline in patients with dementia: a national cohort study. BMC Med 23, 82 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03851-3

If I develop dementia no SSRI’s for me please.

Heart Attacks Happen in the Young

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

Dr Ravi Prakash, senior consultant in cardiology at PSRI Hospital, Delhi, said that data from hospitals across India between 2020 and 2023 show that 50% of heart attack patients are below the age of 40. Doctors and researchers are alarmed by the growing number of cardiac arrests among individuals under 40 years of age. Experts attribute this rise to sedentary lifestyle, stress, poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, and even genetic factors. 50% of heart attack cases since 2020 among adults below 40 – https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/xplore/2025/Feb/24/50-of-heart-attack-cases-since-2020-among-adults-below-40

Prevention of MI in young individuals is an important public health problem. Despite being categorized as “low risk” prior to their events, most young individuals who experience an MI have pre-existing risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Tobacco use, which occurs in approximately 50% of young adults who experience an MI, remains one of the most important modifiable risk factors. Additionally, substance abuse, tobacco use, diabetes, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and systemic inflammatory disease are all associated with a worse long-term prognosis in those who experience an MI at a young age. Not All Heart Attacks are Created Equal: Thinking Differently About Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Young – https://journal.houstonmethodist.org/articles/10.14797/mdcvj.345

Yikes.

Underlying Causes and Causal Pathways are Largely Unknown (guess the disease)

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

Using high-quality population-based cancer registry data until 2017, this study presents contemporary trends in early-onset colorectal cancer incidence across 50 countries and territories, including 12 additional countries (Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, France [Martinique], Iceland, Kuwait, the USA [Puerto Rico], Qatar, and Uganda) since the last published report on colorectal cancer incidence trends. The findings show that the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer is no longer limited to high-income countries; it now extends to countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Martinique, and Puerto Rico), Asia (Israel, Japan, Thailand, and Türkiye), and eastern Europe (Belarus). Colorectal cancer incidence trends in younger versus older adults: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(24)00600-4/fulltext

Yikes.

Men Are Bad at Retirement

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

When envisioning retirement, many men imagine traveling, playing with grandchildren and driving that sexy convertible they can finally afford. The reality? For those over 70, 94% of adults watch television every day, with nearly 10% spending more than nine hours a day staring at the shows.

Men die earlier, with an average life expectancy of 73.5 years, according to a 2021 study. That’s about five years earlier than women in the U.S. One study found that men who considered themselves “traditional” men — unemotional and self-reliant — were more likely to ignore medical problems, and suffered worse health outcomes than women. And the problem gets worse as they get older. About 74% of men 55 and older go to the doctor for an annual check-up, compared to 43% of men age 35-54 and 26% of men age 18-34. Why So Many Men are Bad at Retirement https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-so-many-men-are-bad-at-retirement?

This is an interesting article. Just more reasons why I’m not retired.

Retire. Watch TV all day long. Repeat.

Yikes.

There Are Health Related Benefits to Working Past Age 65

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

“Our perceptions of working after age 65 have changed over time, and these data suggest that most older adults who are still able to work after the traditional retirement age derive health-related benefits from doing so,” said poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and associate professor of internal medicine at U-M. “As we learn more about how loneliness, lack of social connection and isolation intertwine with physical and mental health in older adults, the role of work is important to consider.”Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan. “As more Americans work later in life, poll shows positive health impacts, especially for those over 65.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211141049.htm (accessed February 12, 2025)

National Poll on Healthy Aging Team. The Intersection of Work, Health, and Well-Being. University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. January/February 2025. Available at https://dx.doi.org/10.7302/25186

Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (not just for ADHD anymore)

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Llisdexamfetamine dimesylate is currently the only drug to be approved in the USA for the treatment of moderate to severe binge eating disorder (BED) in adult patients. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29134566/

Just a few side effects BTW.

The prescribing information also includes warnings and precautions regarding serious cardiovascular reactions, blood pressure and heart rate increases, psychiatric adverse reactions, suppression of growth, peripheral vasculopathy (reduced circulation of blood flow to body parts), and serotonin syndrome (a potentially life-threatening overage of serotonin). Please see Vyvanse’s full prescribing information for additional details.

The most common side effects in children, adolescents and/or adults with ADHD taking lisdexamfetamine dimesylate capsules and chewable tablets were anorexia, anxiety, decreased appetite, decreased weight, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, irritability, insomnia, nausea, upper abdominal pain, and vomiting. The most common side effects in adults with BED were dry mouth, insomnia, decreased appetite, increased heart rate, constipation, feeling jittery, and anxiety. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-multiple-generics-adhd-and-bed-treatment

Take Home Lesson for Life Underwriters

Know your drugs and read the prescription DB reports. You’re welcome.

Compounding Compounds the Problem

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Compound pharmacies that bulk produce weight-loss drugs without FDA approval are doing so without that oversight.  And because compounding pharmacies aren’t required to report instances of patient harm involving their medications, problems may go undetected.“It’s kind of like ‘Whack-A-Mole,’” said Al Carter, a pharmacist and executive director at the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. He said state boards will only investigate when they receive a complaint.“There are bad actors out there, purporting to be compounding pharmacies that are licensed in specific states or have the credentials to be able to compound when in actuality they don’t,” said Carter. “My understanding is most licensed, legitimate pharmacies aren’t compounding” weight-loss medications. ‘Compounded’ weight-loss drugs are a growing problem for state regulators – https://stateline.org/2024/07/08/compounded-weight-loss-drugs-are-a-growing-problem-for-state-regulators/

A website sold patients obesity drugs at affordable rates. Now they’re paying the price.– https://www.npr.org/2025/02/08/nx-s1-5246124/a-website-sold-patients-obesity-drugs-at-affordable-rates-now-theyre-paying-the-price

“The two main goals of the medication are weight loss and diabetes management, so patients should stay on the lowest dosage possible until they feel like they’ve plateaued,” said Charu Sawhney, DO, MPH, an internal medicine physician with Harbor Health in Round Rock, Texas. When patients move up on the dosage too fast, they’re going to have more trouble, said Sawhney. “This is when we see the most severe side effects like the malnutrition and dehydration that can sometimes land patients in the hospital,” she said. Considerations for Prescribing GLP-1s Get More Complicated – Medscape – February 07, 2025 – https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/considerations-prescribing-glp-1s-get-more-complicated

I admit as a Former Fat Man that the world of obesity and now a miracle drug to fight the disease fascinates the hell out of me. Caveat emptor!

Low Serum Levels of 3 Carotenoids Linked to Increased Risk for Migraine

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

The cross-sectional study, which was performed on a nationally representative United States cohort, indicated an inverse association between serum carotenoid levels and migraine risk in adults. https://www.clinicalpainadvisor.com/news/low-serum-levels-of-3-carotenoids-linked-to-increased-risk-for-migraine/

α-Carotene, β-Carotene, β-Cryptoxanthin, Lycopene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin – https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids

Yum.