Antidepressant medication use and breast cancer risk.

Regular intake of paroxetine and tricyclic antidepressants may fuel the development of breast cancer.

​This study investigated the antidepressant-breast cancer connection hypothesis. Data on antidepressant usage and breast cancer incidence were obtained using the Ontario Cancer Registry and validated questionnaires. 

Researchers observed a 2-fold increase in the risk of breast cancer among women who used tricyclic antidepressants for more than 2 years. In addition, users of the drug paroxetine had 7 times higher chances of getting breast cancer than non-users of antidepressants. This study demonstrates that the use of paroxetine and tricyclic antidepressants may contribute to the development of breast cancer.