Video: Viagra helps women with antidepressant side-effects

Larger screen

Some women taking antidepressants stop, not because the drug isn't working, but due to one of it's unwanted side effects. A new study finds there may be a better answer.

Women rarely talk about it, but many who take certain kinds of antidepressants are experiencing sexual side effects.

"The newer forms of antidepressants have had a problem with reaching orgasm," said Dr. Samuel Keith, psychiatrist. "There's a delay in reaching orgasm."

Researchers have found that Sildenafil, better known as Viagra, appears to be able to help.

"We were assessing specifically whether there was an improvement in libido, the arousal phase of sexual function, orgasm and overall satisfaction," said Dr. George Nurnberg, University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Nurnberg led a team of researchers who followed about 100 women over an eight week period. The women were between 18 and 50 years old, with their depression in remission and continuing to take an antidepressant with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SRI. Half of the women were given Sildenafil to treat sexual side effects, the other half, a placebo.

"There was an overall improvement in sexual function on a global measurement but that the more specific finding was that orgasm delay, which was a symptom of SSRI sexual dysfunction, improved significantly," said Nurnberg.

Psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Keith, who treats women with depression, feels the finding will help women remain on antidepressant medication they need.

"We don't need to change medications because they're all basically similar and you can stay with the medication that worked but now you have a treatment for the side effect," said Keith.

Researchers say about seventy percent of the patients who took Sildenafil had improved sexual function compared to about thirty percent of the patients who took placebo. The study appears in this week's journal of the American Medical Association.