Women with breast cancer taking Paxil more likely to relapse
February 9th, 2010 joshua
Women suffering from breast cancer taking the antidepressant Paxil are more likely to relapse and die, according to a new Canadian study on the drug’s effects.
Specifically, women taking the drug tamoxifen to combat the impact of their breast cancer are more likely to die from the cancer if they take Paxil simultaneously. The longer the overlap, the study notes, the higher the risk of dying of cancer.
Paxil interferes with the compound the body uses to process tamoxifen and cause the increased risk of relapse from cancer.
Women are urged to speak with their physicians to determine the best course of action to reduce any risk. It is not advised for women to stop taking either drug immediately, especially tamoxifen.
The study was conducted by Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Ontario.
The study examined records of more than 2,400 women older than 66.
Women who took Paxil for one-quarter of the time they were on tamoxifen had a 25 percent higher chance of dying from breast cancer.
Those taking the drug for 75 percent of their tamoxifen course were 91 percent more likely to relapse and die from breast cancer.
