Viagra effective for depressed women

Viagra, a popular treatment for impotence, may help some women on antidepressants have better sex. Women on antidepressant pills generally complain of sexual dysfunction, which prompts them to stop taking drugs to treat depression. To evaluate the effectiveness of Viagra for women on antidepressant pills, researchers studied 98 women, aged around 37 years, who had symptoms of sexual dysfunction, including female orgasmic disorder or lack of arousal, and whose depression was in remission after treatment with antidepressants. From the 98 study participants, 49 were randomly assigned to take sildenafil (Viagra) or a placebo at a flexible dose starting at 50 mg to 100 mg before sexual activity. Women's hormone levels were assessed and they were asked to complete questionnaires on their sex lives.It was found that women on antidepressants who took Viagra had fewer sexual side effects than those who took a placebo. While 73 percent of women taking the placebo reported no sexual improvement, only 28 percent of women taking sildenafil failed to benefit. The above findings are important not only because women experience major depressive disorder at nearly double the rate of men and experience greater sexual dysfunction than men, but also because it establishes that drugs such as sildenafil are effective in both sexes for this purpose.

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