MedPage Today (9/29, Grant) reports, “Adults who continued to take their prescribed antidepressants were less likely to have a relapse of a depressive episode,” investigators concluded in a “nearly” 500-patient “double-blind, randomized trial” that assigned “patients on antidepressants to either placebo (discontinuation) or continued treatment (maintenance).” At the 52-week mark, researchers found that “the primary outcome – relapse of depression – occurred in 56% of patients in the discontinuation group and 39% of patients in the maintenance group.” The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Also covering the study are HealthDay (9/29, Norton) and Healio (9/29, Miller).

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (9/28, Stonehill) reports research indicates that “female trainees compared with male trainees still experience disproportionate stress burdens, especially regarding parental leave and breastfeeding support,” investigators concluded after conducting “a web-based survey of 1,719 residents and fellows (497 completed the survey) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to evaluate physician trainee experiences related to parental leave, breastfeeding and child care.” The findings were presented at the Women in Medicine Summit.

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— “Female medical trainees report higher stress levels than male counterparts “Monica Stonehill, Healio, September 28, 2021

Healio (9/28, Marabito) reports, “Medical cannabis dispensary workers such as budtenders, managers and pharmacists often made recommendations on cannabis use to customers based on their personal or coworkers’ experience,” investigators concluded after analyzing “the practices of frontline dispensary workers who interacted with individuals purchasing medical cannabis.” Included in the survey were “434 staff members from 351 dispensaries in the U.S.” The study also revealed that “customers rarely received guidance from these staff members on cannabis use disorder, withdrawal, dangers of driving while using cannabis and psychotic reactions.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Cannabis use guidance from dispensary workers often lack clinician input, safety warnings “Maria Marabito, Healio, September 28, 2021

The Washington Post (9/27, Barrett, Dwoskin) reports that on Monday, the Drug Enforcement Administration “issued a public warning…that a growing number of pain medications bought on the black market are laced with the synthetic opioid fentanyl or the stimulant methamphetamine, driving overdose deaths to record levels.” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told The Washington Post, “We are in the midst, in my view, of an overdose crisis, and the counterfeit pills are driving so much of it.” The Post adds that there were 93,000 overdose deaths last year, up nearly 30% over 2019.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (9/27, Norton) reports, “When mothers suffer depression during or after pregnancy, their kids may be at heightened risk, too – all the way into young adulthood, a new study suggests.” Researchers followed more than 5,000 children until age 24 and found “those whose moms had depression during or after pregnancy tended to report more depression symptoms themselves.” Depression was reported most “among young adults whose mothers had suffered depression both during and after pregnancy.” The study was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Depression During Pregnancy Raises Risk of Mood Disorder in Kids “Amy Norton, HealthDay, September 27, 2021