Sildenafil and Sexual Dysfunction in Women Who Take Antidepressants

Men and women who take selective or nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) commonly report sexual dysfunction; the main difficulties among women are orgasmic dysfunction and problems with arousal, including lubrication. Studies of selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (sildenafil [Viagra], vardenafil [Levitra], and tadalafil [Cialis]) as therapy for women with sexual arousal disorder have produced mixed results. In this multisite trial, funded by sildenafil’s manufacturer, researchers enrolled 98 women (mean age, 37) who had normal sexual function before treatment for depression, were being treated successfully with SRIs (usually fluoxetine, sertraline, or paroxetine; mean treatment time, 28 months), and had substantial s…