WEDNESDAY July 23, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study
suggests that Pfizer's male importance drug Viagra may be used to help overcome
the side effect of antidepressants on the sexual performance of women who were
taking the drugs.
The study involved 98 women who had arousal problems and
were all diagnosed with major depression and taking a specific class of
antidepressants known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or
SSRIs.
About 6 million women in the US suffer from major
depression. Antidepressants are the most common drugs used to treat the mood
disorder, but often have side effects on sexual performance.
All women were premenopausal and divided into two groups
with one group assigned Viagra one to two hours before sexual activity for
eight weeks and the other given a placebo.
At the end of the trial, 72 percent of women in the Viagra
group reported improvement in sexual performance compared to 27 percent of
those taking the placebo.
Women reported best performance tended to have high levels
of testosterone, a similar phenomenon seen in men taking Viagra.
The side effects of Viagra the women experienced were
typically associated with the drug including headaches and flushing.
The findings were reported yesterday in the Journal of the
American Medical Association.
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