Viagra study suggests little blue pill could help women on depression meds
Story by ABC News
8:56 a.m. Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Americans filled more than 230 million prescriptions for antidepressants in 2007, making them the top seller among all classes of prescription drugs.
However, many patients buy the pills and promptly stop taking them due to unpleasant side effects. One of the most frequent complaints is sexual dysfunction, which affects somewhere between 30 to 70 percent of patients.
Men and women alike complain about suffering from low libido and an inability to perform as desired.
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The study results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, a new study suggests that Viagra, mostly associated with male sexual dysfunction, may also be able counteract the sexual side effects from antidepressant treatment in women.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico tested 98 women who experienced sexual dysfunction while taking an antidepressant; half of the participants took Viagra and the others took a placebo.
Women taking Viagra experienced improvements in sexual desire and performance.
Previous research has shown similar results for men, suggesting Viagra may be helpful to both sexes for managing the side effects of antidepressants.
The new Viagra findings are based on an eight-week experiment.
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