Breast cancer drug does not work with some antidepressants

Tamoxifen -- a breast cancer medicine used by millions of women -- won't work when taken with some common antidepressants, a new study says. Tumors were more than twice as likely to return after two years in women taking antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, compared with those taking the anti-cancer drug alone, the study showed. The research by Medco Health Solutions was presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando. Doctors began treating hot flashes with antidepressants, an unapproved use, after a study linked the former standard remedy, hormone replacement therapy, to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart attacks. Hot flashes are also a side effect of tamoxifen. Other types of antidepressants, such as Effexor, may be safer for women on tamoxifen, said Powel Brown, a cancer prevention expert at Baylor College of Medicine.