Anxiety meds - are Prozac drops safe for those in bc remission?

SoLinda

Hi there - 8 years on I have been diagnosed with anxiety which was causing sporadic, severe breathlessness, sleeplessness, and a racing, erratic heartbeat. I did a zillion tests and other than newly diagnosed high blood pressure, I am fine ... The dr. gave me a prescription for Prozac drops to combat the anxiety ... But, when I googled anti-anxiety meds and breast cancer, it looks as though it may not be such a good idea to take this med right now. I am divorced and live alone and have tried meditation, exercise, and changing my diet. What scared me into going to the doctor was a recent episode where I had sudden vision loss which the dr. thinks was caused by anxiety and high blood pressure.

So, now I have not filled the prescription because I am worried that the meds have the potential to cause more cancer. hahahaha

I would appreciate any advice on this :-) I did take Zoloft for anxiety for about a year and yes, it did help. And at that time, I did not realize there were published studies about these meds. and breast cancer.

ksusan

Are you seeing studies about a past breast cancer warning, or about using Prozac with Tamoxifen?

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SoLinda

I've seen lots of stuff about not using Prozac with Tamoxifen, and other studies as well. Although nothing definitive - not exactly comforting.

https://breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/a...

"Despite their widespread use, there have long been concerns that SSRIs may promote breast cancer by increasing prolactin levels [17, 18, 19], an accepted risk factor for tumour progression [20, 21, 22]. More recently, SSRIs have been shown to increase the rate of brain metastases in breast cancer mouse models, by altering the permeability of the blood–brain barrier [23]. SSRIs may also affect cancer outcomes by interfering with tamoxifen metabolism through inhibition of the CYP2D6 enzyme [24, 25]. In humans, several studies have investigated the association between SSRIs and breast cancer risk, although these have reached inconsistent conclusions [26, 27, 28]. Studies of breast cancer progression are rarer, and have generally focused on patients treated with tamoxifen [29, 30]. Only three studies have considered a broader population of breast cancer patients, and these were limited by their small size and/or other methodological weaknesses (e.g. self-reported medication use) [31, 32, 33]. Consequently, we used routine data from the UK to more robustly assess the association between SSRI use and mortality among a population-based cohort of breast cancer patients."

This is just one example of what I have been reading.

SoLinda

I am still researching and haven't filled the prescription for fluoxetine (Prozac) yet ...

Here's some more stuff:

One of the most prescribed groups of neuroactive medications is anti-depressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Since SSRIs have profound effects on the brain, it is possible that their use in breast cancer patients could affect the development of brain metastases. This would provide important insight into the mechanisms underlying brain metastasis. Surprisingly, this possibility has been poorly explored.

https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11...

LMS

SoLinda I've always had anxiety and I take Exemestane which causes my anxiety to be worse. My doctor prescribed Xanax .5mg 4 times a day. Prozac is for depression. I don't understand why your doctor would prescribe an anti-depressant for anxiety. I had gotten to the point of hyperventilating, shaking, etc., and it was horrible. The Xanax works during the day, and it stopped working at night for insomnia. Went to another doctor who is going to try medical marijuana for my side effects. He said I should stay on the Xanax for daytime. I'll try anything for these side effects and I've got the wrist pain, hot flashes and nausea to go along with this.

I would ask about an anti anxiety medication - Xanax, Valium or Librium.

Please let me know how you make out.

SoLinda

Hi LMS, thank you so much for your reply! Well, the drs. here prescribed generic Zoloft and generic Prozac for anxiety (I read the label, too and it did say they are prescribed for various things, including anxiety). I ended up taking Zoloft for a year and it did help, until the symptoms started returning at night. Rather than having the dosage upped, I went off it and was fine until a couple of months ago when all the symptoms came back and then some. Now, another dr. wants me to take Prozac drops - just 5 in the morning and 5 at night. She said it would help to take the edge off. So far, I have not filled the prescription. I have realized during all of this that I have been fighting anxiety my whole life. But, I guess I am not going to fill that prescription for now - am just going to try the exercise, diet, meditation route ... This past year, my husband and I split up and I am living in a foreign country with no health insurance, so on top of all the health stuff, I have a lot on my plate. I will, however, take meds. again if I start feeling worse.

I am sorry to hear about the Exemestane making your anxiety worse! I took anastrozole and then letrozole for a total of 3 years and 3 months, but the side effects were so horrible I had to stop. I have become very wary of meds after lots of negative experiences. I hope the medical marijuana helps you! I wish it was available where I live. If I feel like I am not coping, I will return to the dr. and ask about Xanax, Valium or Librium. When I took Zoloft, my hot flashes almost stopped. I have had them now since 2010 ... and there appears to be no end in sight :-) Thanks again for your reply LMS - I wish you all the best!