The Antidepressant Paxil Could Lead to Breast Cancer in Women

By Vera Viner

If you are a woman suffering from depression, you may want to speak with your psychiatrist to see if the drugs you are taking are relatively safe and have no known risks for cancer. Taking care of our physical and mental health is very important and those suffering from anxiety, depression, or any other psychological condition should research the risks of the drugs they are taking and discuss any hazards along with benefits of their medication with their doctor(s).

New research from the City of Hope suggests that the antidepressant Paxil has been linked with a weak estrogenic affect that may lead to breast cancer development, according to the Los Angeles Times. This finding is vital to consider, as many breast cancer survivors – as much as 25 percent – are taking anti-depressants due to the toll the disease takes on their psychological well-being. The researchers studied a total of 1,536 compounds to discover which chemicals inhibit aromatase, an enzyme that plays a role in breast cell function.

Because many breast cancer survivors have an excess of estrogen already in their system, this extra boost from Paxil could potentially cause cancer recurrence. If you are a survivor, speak to your psychiatrist and oncologist to discuss alternative options to the antidepressant Paxil. This research has also shed light on previous studies where women who were taking both tamoxifen and Paxil had a higher risk of death from breast cancer. It is surmised that Paxil could have prevented a liver enzyme from metabolizing tamoxifen.

“The paroxetine finding helps explain previous studies showing that it reduces tamoxifen therapy’s effectiveness,” Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., professor and chair of City of Hope’s Department of Cancer Biology and lead author of the study, said in a press release. “And it has implications for patients with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer who are on other medications.”

This type of information is also important to keep in mind. The way medications mix when in your system could be potentially harmful. Discuss ALL of the medications you are taking with your doctor to see if there could be adverse drug reactions.

Another interesting finding from the research shows that two anti-fungal medications (biconazole and oxyconazole) have a similar effect to medication that is used to prevent breast cancer in women. If you are a breast cancer survivor or the disease runs in your family, please keep these findings in mind and discuss all of the medications you are taking with your physician.

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