Healthnewsreviews: Mixed message on antidepressant for hot flashes

Mixed message on antidepressant for hot flashes

Medscape: Possible Link Between SSRIs and Breast, Ovarian Cancer

"In the study, which was published online April 6 in PLoS ONE, Dr. Cosgrove and colleagues examined the potential association between tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or SSRIs and cancer in 35 preclinical and 26 epidemiologic studies."

"If you take women who have the same stage of breast cancer, and half have depression and the other half do not, the women with depression have twice the rate of death...That's enormous. That is so much bigger than the small increased risk shown in this study."

full free access: PLoS ONE: Antidepressants and Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk: A Review of the Literature and Researchers' Financial Associations with Industry

Background

Antidepressant (AD) use has been purported to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, although both epidemiological and pre-clinical studies have reported mixed results [1]–[6]. Previous studies in a variety of biomedical fields have found that financial ties to drug companies are associated with favorable study conclusions [7].......

It is recommended that future research examine this body of literature and investigate the association between industry funding and qualitative conclusions regarding cancer risk.

Treating the Whole Patient Blog: Antidepressant Pretreatment and Chemotherapy > CMELLC - Life Long Learning > Treating the Whole Patient

Question:
"In cancer treatment, should patients undergoing chemotherapy be premedicated with anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants (with or without symptoms of anxiety or depression) to help them feel more responsive to chemotherapy by reducing inflammation in the body? Discuss the pros and cons of this idea."...cont'd

GI Topics, 2010 - Commonly used antidepressants are associated with increased risk of upper GI bleeds

Why Antidepressants Are No Better Than Placebos - Newsweek.com