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Meds for depression remain controversial

Nearly 50 million Americans take antidepressant medications. These include sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), bupropion (Wellbutrin), trazodone (Desyrel), fluoxetine (Prozac) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would like to see many physicians “deprescribe” such drugs. That goal has created consternation among both psychiatrists and patients. The effectiveness of these drugs has been controversial for decades. Twenty years ago, psychiatrists conducted a groundbreaking study they called STAR*D (New England Journal of ...

DEAR ANNIE: How to get rid of torture from roommates

DEAR ANNIE: I’m 26 and sharing an apartment with two roommates who make my home life miserable. There’s constant noise, passive-aggressive notes and one of them regularly invites people over late on weeknights (plus, they usually make dinner without cleaning up). I work long hours and need a peaceful home to recharge. I’d do anything to come home to silence. I’ve tried addressing it directly; it didn’t stick. I’ve found a studio I love that I can afford on my own, technically. But “afford” means rent, utilities, and groceries — nothing left over. No savings, no ...

Senior news

To be included or submit items to be published in the weekly Senior News list, email information to tmunnell@tribtoday.com or dbigelow@tribtoday.com. The deadline is noon Wednesday for inclusion in that week’s list. GIRARD MULTI-GENERATIONAL CENTER: The Girard Multi-Generational Center, 443 Trumbull Ave., Girard, OH 44420, is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Center services and programs are funded by the Girard City Senior Levy and in part by the Trumbull County Senior Levy and Direction Home of Eastern Ohio. LIBERTY SENIOR WATCH PROGRAM: Established in 2008, the ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Let kids help with meal prep

DEAR HELOISE: The best activity for kids before a holiday meal is having them help in preparing it. This is how they’ll learn how to prep for a big celebration, which is the only way to learn how to do anything. Of course, the work must be geared to each kid’s level of ability, and some guidance is required. This will also teach them responsibility and give them pride. —Louis R., in Reseda, California Louis, this is a solution that brings varied results. It’ll all depend on whether the host likes to have everything ready for company before they arrive and whether the ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Deciding on need for MMR vaccine

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, you wrote that people who were born before 1957 are likely to have had measles and don’t need to get the measles vaccine. I was born in 1954 and had measles in 1959 (with photographs to prove it). Last year, I had an MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) titer test, which showed that I had sufficient antibodies for mumps and rubella but insufficient antibodies for measles. I’m concerned because I can’t receive the live measles vaccine unless I suspend my biologic medication for rheumatoid arthritis. This would suppress my immune system for at least two months ...