CHICAGO (AP) — Viagra's effect in women has been disappointing, but a new
small study finds those on antidepressants may benefit from taking the little
blue pills. The research involving 98 premenopausal women found Viagra helped
with orgasm. But the benefits did not extend to other aspects of sex such as
desire, researchers report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical
Association.
"For women on antidepressants with orgasm problems, this may provide some
wonderful relief," said psychologist Stanley Althof, director of the Center for
Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida in West Palm Beach, who was not
involved in the study. "But it will not improve their desire or arousal."
Antidepressants can interfere with sex drive and performance even as the drugs
help lift crippling depression. Switching drugs or reducing the dose can help.
But many people, men and women, stop taking them because of their sexual side
effects.
The complaints are common. More than half the people who take antidepressants
develop sexual problems, prior studies have found, especially for people taking
Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and other drugs that work by increasing the chemical
serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is thought to slow down orgasm, perhaps by
diminishing the release of another brain chemical, dopamine. Viagra increases
blood flow to sex organs.
Pfizer Inc. spokeswoman Sally Beatty said the company currently has no plans to
pursue FDA approval for using its drug Viagra as a treatment for female sexual
dysfunction. The company ended its internal research on Viagra for women in
2004. While Viagra was found to be safe, the results were inconclusive, Beatty
said in an e-mail.
The search for a Viagra equivalent for women has been disheartening. A
testosterone patch was sent back for more safety study by the Food and Drug
Administration. A handheld vacuum device that increases blood flow to the
clitoris does have FDA approval, and BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. is testing a
testosterone gel called LibiGel.
The new Viagra findings are based on an eight-week experiment. The 98 women were
using antidepressants successfully but were having sexual problems. Their
average age was 37.
The women agreed to attempt sexual activity at least once each week. Each time,
they took a pill, not knowing whether it was Viagra or a matching dummy pill.
While 72 percent of the women taking Viagra reported improvement on an overall
scale, only 27 percent of the women taking the placebo reported improvement.
Althof said it's "worrisome" that 43 percent of the women on Viagra experienced
headaches, compared to 27 percent of the women on dummy pills. Indigestion and
reddening of skin (flushing) also were reported more often by the women taking
Viagra.
Psychologist Leonore Tiefer of New York University School of Medicine said
industry-funded research has oversimplified women's sexual experience. She noted
the new study, funded by a Pfizer grant, found more side effects than benefits.
"Where's the question to the women: Is it worth it?" Tiefer said.
An earlier study in men taking antidepressants found more pronounced sexual
benefits with Viagra than the benefits found for women, said lead author Dr.
George Nurnberg, a psychiatrist at the University of New Mexico School of
Medicine in Albuquerque.
But the message for men and women who need antidepressants is that Viagra may
help them stay on the drugs, he said.
"We're not talking about a lifestyle issue. We're talking about a medical
necessity issue," Nurnberg said.
Pfizer had no influence on the design, findings or manuscript, Nurnberg said. He
and several of the other authors disclosed financial ties to Pfizer and other
drugmakers.
Source : The Associated Press
