It's a common side effect of many antidepressants: decreased sexual function. For years, doctors have known that men with the problem can get help from Viagra. Now a study confirms that the little blue pill may also help women.
The research, which appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, found that women who took Viagra reported increased levels of sexual functioning, compared with those who took a placebo.
"It worked well for this group, not quite as strong as the men, but better than any other medicine [for sexual dysfunction]," said Dr. Paula Hensley, a University of New Mexico psychiatrist who is one of the study's investigators.
The study was funded by Pfizer Inc., the drug company that makes Viagra. Pfizer says it has no plans to market the drug to women.
Sexual medicine experts said the results were intriguing, but not groundbreaking, since some specialists already use Viagra for some female patients with sexual problems.
"This is empowering women who have sexual problems," said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego.
Goldstein said he already uses Viagra with many of his female patients, but agreed that it doesn't work for all women.
Others were less impressed. "It's not a blockbuster study, but it's interesting," said Leonard Derogatis, director of the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Towson. "The large majority of women with sexual dysfunction do not respond to Viagra."
Sexual problems are widespread - about 40 percent of women and a third of men report problems. Researchers and drug companies have developed a variety of treatments, but there are no drugs specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help women with sexual problems. Goldstein said that any attention to the issue of female sexual dysfunction is welcome.
But many researchers questioned how useful Viagra would be for women. Most women with sexual problems suffer from a lack of desire, while men with sexual problems are more likely to suffer from lack of arousal, the physiological ability to become excited. In men, Viagra works on arousal by increasing blood flow to the penis.
"Viagra is not a desire drug. It dilates the blood vessels, allowing intercourse to occur," said Rutgers University psychology professor Barry R. Komisaruk, an expert on sexual dysfunction.
