Shockingly, one in 10 Americans is prescribed some type of antidepressant, with those numbers reaching one in four for women in their forties and fifties, according to The New York Times. The fact that such a large portion of the U.S. is on antidepressants is incredibly alarming when considering the multitude of side-effects caused by the drugs.

One of the most frightening potential side effects of antidepressants, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is the development of cancer.

Efforts to prove the link between antidepressants and cancer, namely breast cancer, have been stalled as study results seem to go both ways: Some finding a link while others did not. This may be due to inconclusive studies, or it could be a result of Big Pharma protecting its products.

Whatever the case may be, in his book titled Cancer Is Not a Disease – It’s a Survival Mechanism, Andreas Moritz, independent author and natural healer, discusses the link between pharmaceutical drugs and the onset of cancer.

Antidepressants disturb some of the body’s most powerful brain hormones

“Some of the most powerful direct and indirect causes of cancer are pharmaceutical drugs,” writes Moritz.

“Most drugs consist of a combination of synthetically derived chemicals that hook to the receptors of a cell in order to invoke or suppress specific responses that, for some reason, no longer occur naturally.

“Although this intervention on the cellular level sounds very logical and desirable, it can have serious consequences. It actually prevents your body from restoring its own natural responses when you try to determine the root causes of your health issues.

“After a while, your body will have no choice but to forsake the production of its own natural chemicals and become dependent on the drugs.

“Take for an example, antidepressants. Many selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) disturb the body’s natural interactive cycles of serotonin/melatonin production, two of the body’s most powerful brain hormones.”

Low melatonin levels in blood increase cancer risk

“…serotonin is associated with positive moods, appetite, and satiety, and melatonin is, among other things, a sleep-inducer, providing the body with deep and rejuvenating sleep.

“By inhibiting the breakdown of serotonin in the body, these drugs disrupt the melatonin cycle and affect proper sleep induction.

“As the ongoing Nurse’s Study and other recent cancer research have shown, low melatonin levels in the blood greatly increase the risk of cancer. Melatonin controls a gene responsible for inducing normal cell death; low blood melatonin reduces that gene’s activity, which in turn causes cells to live much longer than their normal lifespan. These uncontrolled cells become cancerous.

“Antidepressants upset the most fundamental functions in the body, including the digestion of food and cell metabolism. Patients given the popular antidepressant paraoxetine (Paxil), for example, may suddenly feel much hungrier than usual and not feel full after eating.”

Antipsychotics, weight gain and cancer

“Thus, they eat more and more, a sure way to gain weight and become obese. Obesity is now considered the main risk factor for most chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

“Some common antipsychotic drugs such as olanzapine (Zypr-exa) can bring about a weight gain of 30 pounds in a short period of time. These drugs boost dopamine, the hormone that causes food cravings.

“This class of drugs also decreases levels of leptin, a protein that suppresses appetite. In other words, those who take antidepressants may develop an unnaturally strong appetite that they cannot control by eating more.

“Think of the confusion and chaos this causes in the rest of the body, from producing more insulin and digestive juices, such as hydrochloric acid, bile, and enzymes, to having to eliminate ever-increasing amounts of harmful waste material. Elevated insulin secretions alone increase the risk of cancer in the body.”

Additional sources:

Moritz, Andreas. Cancer Is Not a Disease – It’s a Survival Mechanism

NaturalNews.com

AHRP.org

Journals.PLOS.org