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Women: a new use for Viagra?
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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)
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