US Pharm. 2016;41(1):18.
Oakland, CA—In a large study, women with breast cancer who received tamoxifen while taking an antidepressant did not have an increased risk of recurrence, countering previous studies suggesting that antidepressants reduce the anticancer drug’s effectiveness in lowering the subsequent risk of breast cancer. The study population—almost 17,000 early-stage breast cancer survivors treated with tamoxifen, nearly 50% of whom were prescribed antidepressants—were followed for up to 14 years. The risk of recurrence was similar in patients who took antidepressants and those who did not. No increased risk of recurrence was found in patients taking antidepressants regardless of the type of antidepressant used—including paroxetine, which previously was reported to interfere with tamoxifen.
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