antidepressants

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prv
prv Member Posts: 107
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
anyone know if lexopro is an ok antidepressant to take if you are estrogen+? My primary care dr didn't know. What are other ones that work and are ok with estrogen + cancer.
thanks
prv

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  • pattimc
    pattimc Member Posts: 431
    #2
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    Paxil
    Paxil is one but I know there are a few more. I take Celexa and I know that one is OK.
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #3
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    pattimc said:

    Paxil
    Paxil is one but I know there are a few more. I take Celexa and I know that one is OK.

    effexor
    if you are going to take anti-estrogen therapy. ask your oncologist. effexor is compatible with Tamoxifen
  • Nufferz
    Nufferz Member Posts: 55
    #4
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    New Flower said:

    effexor
    if you are going to take anti-estrogen therapy. ask your oncologist. effexor is compatible with Tamoxifen

    antidepressants that are safe to take with Tamoxifen
    Effexor is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Venlafaxine
    Celexa is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Citalopram
    Lexapro is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Escitalopram

    Strong inhibitors are Prozac, Paxil, Cardioquin, Wellbutrin. NOT safe!

    Moderate inhibitors are Cymbalta, Benadryl, Mellaril, Cordarone, Tagamet, and Zoloft. These meds aren't recommended either.

    I hope this helps.
    Nuff
  • pattimc
    pattimc Member Posts: 431
    #5
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    Nufferz said:

    antidepressants that are safe to take with Tamoxifen
    Effexor is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Venlafaxine
    Celexa is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Citalopram
    Lexapro is safe to take with Tamoxifen. Generic name = Escitalopram

    Strong inhibitors are Prozac, Paxil, Cardioquin, Wellbutrin. NOT safe!

    Moderate inhibitors are Cymbalta, Benadryl, Mellaril, Cordarone, Tagamet, and Zoloft. These meds aren't recommended either.

    I hope this helps.
    Nuff

    Sorry, meant to say
    That Paxil WAS NOT compatible with Tamoxifen.

    Thanks Nufferz for being way clearer than I was!!
  • GrandmaJ
    GrandmaJ Member Posts: 209
    #6
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    antidepressants
    I have been taking Lexapro since about two weeks after my diagnosis last July and it has helped immensely and my tumor was estrogen +. Good luck.

    Judy
  • prv
    prv Member Posts: 107
    #7
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    GrandmaJ said:

    antidepressants
    I have been taking Lexapro since about two weeks after my diagnosis last July and it has helped immensely and my tumor was estrogen +. Good luck.

    Judy

    thanks
    thanks everybody!
    finally talked to an onc doc who said lexapro is ok with my arimadex. Hopefully it will work. She said it takes about 3 to 4 weeks to kick in. Then I was on the internet looking at all the possible side effects! wow!
    thank you everybody - best wishes and God bless you all!
    prv
  • Mama G
    Mama G Member Posts: 762
    #8
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    prv said:

    thanks
    thanks everybody!
    finally talked to an onc doc who said lexapro is ok with my arimadex. Hopefully it will work. She said it takes about 3 to 4 weeks to kick in. Then I was on the internet looking at all the possible side effects! wow!
    thank you everybody - best wishes and God bless you all!
    prv

    2 docs told me paxil was ok
    and both gave me xanax to take for anxiety.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #9
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    Mama G said:

    2 docs told me paxil was ok
    and both gave me xanax to take for anxiety.

    mama G i would check that
    mama G i would check that paxil if you are going on tamoxifen. I take lexapro and it is ok, and helps. Acupuncture helps with the mood too. When i first joined there was a thread about this. Mimi did iyou post the article?
  • prv
    prv Member Posts: 107
    #10
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    carkris said:

    mama G i would check that
    mama G i would check that paxil if you are going on tamoxifen. I take lexapro and it is ok, and helps. Acupuncture helps with the mood too. When i first joined there was a thread about this. Mimi did iyou post the article?

    benadryl
    I did not know that benadryl was not advised for estrogen + bc! I have been taking this for allergies and sleep! Is this true!
    prv
  • Nufferz
    Nufferz Member Posts: 55
    #11
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    prv said:

    benadryl
    I did not know that benadryl was not advised for estrogen + bc! I have been taking this for allergies and sleep! Is this true!
    prv

    Searched for more drug interactions
    prv, I found a website that gives more information on drug interactions.

    Go to: http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/tamoxifen-index.html?filter=3&generic_only=

    I also have another website that I used, and it's a page you can print out. It gives the listing of the ones I posted above, and I printed it out, then I cut out the listing and put it in my wallet. So when I went to my nurse practitioner for and antidepressant, I had her look at it so she was aware of what NOT to prescribe for me.

    Go to: http://medicine.iupui.edu/clinpharm/COBRA/Tamoxifen and 2D6v7.pdf

    Hope this helps.
    Nuff
  • trugrit
    trugrit Member Posts: 10
    #12
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    antidepressants
    My MDs have me on Pristiq, with arimidex - just went off of this and onto femara. No interactions here!!

    Pristiq works wonders, I've been on and off of several for the last 20 years. I'm very happy with it!!! best of luck!!

    trugrit
  • Mama G
    Mama G Member Posts: 762
    #13
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    trugrit said:

    antidepressants
    My MDs have me on Pristiq, with arimidex - just went off of this and onto femara. No interactions here!!

    Pristiq works wonders, I've been on and off of several for the last 20 years. I'm very happy with it!!! best of luck!!

    trugrit

    Thanks for the advice.
    I'm doing rads now and then arimedex. So I'm not sure if I can take paxil or not. I'll check with the doc. I don't really NEED it for my anxiety, but I found my blood pressure went up when I was off of it. Maybe I'll try again.
  • Flakey_Flake
    Flakey_Flake Member Posts: 130
    #14
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    prv said:

    benadryl
    I did not know that benadryl was not advised for estrogen + bc! I have been taking this for allergies and sleep! Is this true!
    prv

    Benadryl before Herceptin Treatment
    They are giving me benadryl through my IV before giving the herceptin. I sure hope it is okay, I am double positive. (I hate benadryl, makes me jittery.) Onc says they give it to try and thwart any allergic reaction I could have from the herceptin. They also give my boyfriend benadryl before his chemo. (throat cancer) I'm going to have to ask now if they just automatically give everyone a dose of benadryl before treatment.
    Sharon
  • lizzie17
    lizzie17 Member Posts: 548
    #15
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    i am estrogen + and it was
    i am estrogen + and it was my oncologist who prescribed lexapro for me.
  • Angie2U
    Angie2U Member Posts: 2,991
    #16
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    prv said:

    thanks
    thanks everybody!
    finally talked to an onc doc who said lexapro is ok with my arimadex. Hopefully it will work. She said it takes about 3 to 4 weeks to kick in. Then I was on the internet looking at all the possible side effects! wow!
    thank you everybody - best wishes and God bless you all!
    prv

    Good luck to you prv. I
    Good luck to you prv. I hope the antidepressants help you.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #17
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    lizzie17 said:

    i am estrogen + and it was
    i am estrogen + and it was my oncologist who prescribed lexapro for me.

    Ditto here.

    Ditto here.
  • rosebud5
    rosebud5 Member Posts: 15
    #18
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    Flakey_Flake said:

    Benadryl before Herceptin Treatment
    They are giving me benadryl through my IV before giving the herceptin. I sure hope it is okay, I am double positive. (I hate benadryl, makes me jittery.) Onc says they give it to try and thwart any allergic reaction I could have from the herceptin. They also give my boyfriend benadryl before his chemo. (throat cancer) I'm going to have to ask now if they just automatically give everyone a dose of benadryl before treatment.
    Sharon

    Benedryl+chemo okay...Benedryl + tomaxinfin not okayl
    I received benedryl injections the day of my chemo. The drug interaction that people are talking about here are taking benedryl while being on tomoxfin. (Of course my spelling is horrible, excuse me.) But I diffently suggestion your talk to your chemo doc.

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