A Catalyst For Public Debate: Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, And Accountability

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Depression;  Mental Health
Article Date: 03 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

An independent large study conducted by MEDCO Health Solutions Inc. found that women treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer doubled the risk of the disease returning if they used antidepressants--in particular, Paxil and Prozac.

The researchers used medical records to identify 353 women taking tamoxifen plus other drugs that might interfere with it, and 945 women taking tamoxifen alone. Those taking a drug combo did so for about a year on average.

Next, researchers checked to see how many were treated for second cancers in the following two years. "Breast cancer recurred in about 7 percent of women on tamoxifen alone, and in 14 percent of women also taking the antidepressants Paxil and Prozac, and, to a lesser extent, Zoloft."

Medco's chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Epstein, said: If women want to take an antidepressant, "you probably want to stay away from those three."

Source
Alliance For Human Research Protection