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Dr. Delia Chiaramonte

Baltimore Health Examiner
Dr. Delia Chiaramonte is the founder and president of Insight Medical Consultants, a private medical advising and patient advocacy company. She is board certified in family medicine and is Medical Director for Hospice of Baltimore.
Fish oil beats cholesterol drug in heart failure
Hospice: not just for cancer anymore
West Nile Virus: mosquitoes are more than an annoyance
Top health tips for back-to-school children
Do not ignore these symptoms!
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    Women: a new use for Viagra?

    POSTED July 25, 2:21 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
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    Men of a certain age love Viagra. Now it seems that it might benefit certain women too.

    A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that in women with sexual dysfunction related to antidepressant use, Viagra may reestablish healthy sexual functioning.

    A class of antidepressants called Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors accounts for 90% of the antidepressant prescriptions written annually in the U.S. While they can be effective at alleviating depression, they can also rain on the sexual function parade. Approximately 30-70% of women on these antidepressants will experience decreased sexual interest, decreased genital sensitivity and lubrication, or delayed or absent orgasm. Not surprisingly, many women discontinue the antidepressants on their own in part due to these sexual side effects.

    It seems that Viagra can help.

    In this study, 98 women with sexual dysfunction attributed to antidepressants were given either Viagra or placebo twice a week before sexual activity and they were asked to rate their symptoms. The mean age of the women was 37 years old. The women taking Viagra had improvements in their sexual side effects that were much less common in the women on placebo. However, Viagra did not increase sexual desire.

    So it seems that, just as for men, Viagra doesn’t create a sex drive that isn’t there – but it does make the process work better once it gets started.

    One caveat: the lead author has affiliations with Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, and received a grant from Pfizer to complete this study. The discussion of drug company influence on medical research is a topic for another time, but I thought you deserved to know the whole picture. Does this mean that the results are faulty? No, but it does mean you should take the results with a grain or two of salt.

    Be Well,

    Dr. C
    www.insightmedicalconsultants.com

    (photo courtesy of drugs.com)

     

     

    Topics: sexual health

    More from Baltimore Health Examiner

    Fish oil beats cholesterol drug in heart failure

    POSTED September 3, 10:37 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
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    Adding fish oil to standard therapy for patients with heart failure was more helpful than adding a potent cholesterol drug, according to a study published in The Lancet. The fish oil reduced hospital admissions and death, while the cholesterol... Read More
    Topics: cardiology

    Hospice: not just for cancer anymore

    POSTED September 1, 12:25 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
    SUBSCRIBE
    No one wants to hear, “it is time to call hospice.” No matter how serious a disease you are facing, it can be difficult to accept that cure is no longer an option.Yet delaying entrance into hospice is often a mistake. The transition... Read More
    Topics: end of life

    West Nile Virus: mosquitoes are more than an annoyance

    POSTED August 27, 12:26 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
    SUBSCRIBE
    Mosquitoes are more than annoying – they can be dangerous.Mosquitoes annoy me, but they don’t usually scare me.  However, when I was in Africa I felt differently.  In the early afternoon, when the mosquitoes were trolling for a... Read More

    Top health tips for back-to-school children

    POSTED August 25, 10:03 PM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
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    Life is changing for many children and their parents – summer vacation is over and a new school year is about to begin.  Here are 8 tips for staying healthy during the school year.•    Don’t pick your nose. ... Read More
    Topics: children's health

    Do not ignore these symptoms!

    POSTED August 22, 11:27 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
    SUBSCRIBE
    Some symptoms should not be ignored. Most people know to go to the ER for chest pain and in a recent blog I discussed the symptoms of stroke. But there are some symptoms that people routinely ignore – sometimes with devastating consequences.Bleeding... Read More
    Topics: cancer

    Sleep Deprivation in Children - bratty or just tired?

    POSTED August 18, 1:21 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner
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    Kids change when they don’t sleep enough.  Most parents have experienced this phenomenon first hand.My youngest daughter went to a sleepover party last night and, despite the mom’s Herculean efforts, she didn’t get to sleep until... Read More
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    Diarrhea without a diagnosis -- what could it be?

    POSTED August 15, 1:39 AM
    Dr. Delia Chiaramonte - Baltimore Health Examiner