anti depressants and breast cancer

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kathleen1966
kathleen1966 Member Posts: 793
edited April 2017 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I am going to put this in a few spots, but I want to know if anyone has read anything about certain anti-depressants being a factor in being diagnosed with breast cancer. I was on anti-depressants for the two year before I received my diagnosis and I would like to go back on them now. But I am very, very worried about what I have read. I think, at best, there have been a few studies that have shown certain anti-depressants to increase the risk but there have not been enough studies overall to confirm this. Some studies say yes, some studies find no link. Has anyone else done research on this? Significantly, research shows that antidepressants may interfere with the efficacy of Tamoxifen. I don't take this though as my cancer was not hormone positive. The drugs in question are Prozac and paxil with Zoloft showing a slight increase. It is very confusing.

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  • bclibrary
    bclibrary Member Posts: 12
    edited April 2017

    Gees I'd like to know, too. Do you have the sources of the studies you reviewed? I have been in anti-depressants for YEARS and years....

    B

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  • MTwoman
    MTwoman Member Posts: 2,704
    edited April 2017

    So here's what I found. Several studies have indicated a "possible association" with inconsistent results.

    This study looked at whether SSRIs were linked with increased CNS metasteses - found it wasn't

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27289477

    This study looked at whether SSRIs were linked to increased BC risk via altered prolactin levels - found it wasn't

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27165168

    This is an interesting study, quite large, done in the UK. They suggested a slight increase in odds ratio (only 1.12) for SSRI use and breast cancer.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25934397

    So the jury is still out. So far, there have not been conclusive reproducible findings. I think that the risks of a person with significant depression without the benefit of antidepressants is pretty significant. It seems to be another case of having to weigh out various risks from a personal risk tolerance perspective.

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  • Lindzanne
    Lindzanne Member Posts: 94
    edited April 2017

    Interesting. I also have been on antidepressents for years and quite frankly think they saved my life. If there was a tiny percentage of a chance they contributed to my bc, I think to myself, I don't care. My quality of life greatly improved. As you say, a cost benefit analysis. And I don't think I'd have been able to manage my diagnosis and treatment, and now the scary and confusing waters of being a cancer survivor and what that means, without them. As for the interaction with Tamoxifen, yes most anti-depressants do interact negatively with Tamox, but Effexor does not, which I switched to before I started taking Tamox in Feb. I'm grateful to report that it is my favorite antidepressant so far (it's the third type I've tried). And, it helps with some of the side effects of Tamoxifen like hot flashes.

    It would be interesting to me to know more about how some of the REASONS people take antidepressants contribute to bc or other diseases--of course we have heard how stress may play a factor. I have experienced significant trauma and stress throughout most of my life and often think about how it may have contributed to my developing bc.

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  • SSInUK
    SSInUK Member Posts: 245
    edited April 2017

    Some anti depressants can cause weight gain or sleep disturbance - also both linked to increased bc risk. And as Lindzanne says, what about the causes that sent patients to the drugs in the first place? It's a complex web. The biggest clear issue is interference with the action of tamoxifen for those on that drug. Though it's not an anti depressant I was alarmed enough about the possible effect of Valium in relation to cancer risk to avoid it, even for scanxiety dwys.

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