ss_blog_claim=05016498bc2b955d34a84ae9266e9f5e

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Viagra May Help Women Achieve Orgasm

Viagra, the drug that has helped the sex lives of many older men has proven in a small trial to also help women on antidepressants who experience sexual dysfunction.


The eight-week study (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association) found that Viagra, also known as sildenafil, helped women achieve orgasm. The study's authors wrote that, sildenafil treatment of sexual dysfunction in women taking SRIs was associated with a reduction in adverse sexual effects. However, the lead author of the study, Dr. H. George Nurnberg, of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, in Albuquerque, declined to be interviewed for this result.

According to the study, selective and nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor, comprise up to 90 percent of the 180-million antidepressant prescriptions filled in the U.S. each year. However, while these medications are very effective at treating clinical depression, one of their known drawbacks is sexual side effects.

Previously, Nurnberg and his colleagues have reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, that Viagra was helpful for men who suffered from erectile dysfunction associated with the use of antidepressant medications.

In the recent study, undertaken at seven research centers, those researchers have turned their attention to women. The study included 98 women, half of whom received Viagra and half who received a placebo, who were told to take the pills before sexual activity.

According to the study authors, women taking Viagra reported an improved ability to reach orgasm and increased orgasm satisfaction. However, 43 percent of the women taking Viagra also reported headaches, versus 27 percent of those on placebo. Almost one-quarter of those using Viagra reporting flushing, while none of the women on placebo did, and 37 percent of women taking Viagra reported nasal congestion compared to 6 percent of women on placebo. Nausea and anxiousness were reported more often in the group-taking placebo.

According to Dr. Judi Chervenak, a reproductive endocrinologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, "The libido response in women is such a complex problem. If women are unhappy in a relationship, it can affect libido. If it hurts, it can affect libido. If she does not feel good about herself, it can affect libido. It's hard to tease all of those factors out."

Chervenak added, "There's no definitive answer to date on how antidepressants cause a lack of libido. It could be because they're affecting dopamine, and women may be experiencing changes in dopamine that indirectly affect vaginal lubrication and arousal and cause decreased blood flow." Moreover, she said, "It's an enticing study, and it makes me want to know more. Does it make me want to prescribe Viagra right off the bat? Not at this point. I would suggest first that patients keep a symptom diary, so we can figure out what their issue is. Is it arousal? Is it decreased blood flow? Is it an orgasm problem?"

Undoubtedly, the study has opened up many questions; further studies are still needed to find out more about the issue. On the other hand, a spokesperson for Pfizer, which manufactures Viagra, stated that the company has no plans to find approval for using the drug as a treatment for female sexual dysfunction. According to the spokesperson, the company ended its own research on Viagra for women in 2004.

Thank you for visiting SurayBlog

No comments:

Useful Posts