Tuesday, 22 Jul, 2008 Health & Fitness

The drug that helps people with erectile dysfunction, Viagra, proved to be effective in curing sexual dysfunction in women suffering from depression, study says.

It is worth mentioning that sexual dysfunction is usually provoked by antidepressants, which is why a lot of people stop taking them. According to the authors of the study women are prescribed twice as many antidepressants as men, but it is not approved for women to take the drugs that can help deal with sexual dysfunctions in men.

Viagra was tested on 98 women who had their depression in reduction, but who were still suffering from sexual dysfunction including lack of arousal and/or pain during intercourse. The participants were told to take a Viagra pill one to two hours prior to intercourse during a period of 8 weeks. Half of all women who participated in the study were given placebos pills, which did not have any pharmacological effects.

The results showed that73 percent of women who took placebos pill reported no improvement. However, only 28 percent of women who took Viagra reported no progress in their issue. The study and its results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A number of women had such side effects as headaches, flushing and indigestion, but none withdrew from the research.

"By treating this bothersome treatment-associated adverse effect in patients who have been effectively treated for depression, but need to continue on their medication to avoid relapse or recurrence, patients can remain antidepressant-adherent, reduce the current high rates of premature medication discontinuation, and improve depression disease management outcomes," wrote George Nurnberg, the lead researcher of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

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