A reason for women to buy Viagra

“Viagra isn't just for erectile dysfunction any more,” said Alexis Madrigal in Wired magazine’s Wired Science blog. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the little blue pill that is so popular with men might be helpful for women experiencing sexual dysfunction because of antidepressant drugs. If nothing else, the findings will “create an entirely new subgenre of the Viagra joke.”

This is no laughing matter for the women it could help, said SavvyHealthGirl’s Blog. They’re “in a dark place called depression,” but the one thing that helps comes with devastating sexual side effects. If doctors can tell patients they don’t have to give up orgasms to get help, maybe more of them will stay on their antidepressants.

That’s “a very expensive proposition,” said Philip Dawdy in the blog Furious Seasons. Viagra costs $10 a pop, and that’s on top of the cost of the antidepressants. Maybe the answer lies elsewhere, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or some other treatment for depression.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up