Posted by Liz on April 15, 2000, at 12:49:52
In reply to Re: sign me up! (to liz) any opinion Cam?, posted by CarolAnn on April 11, 2000, at 18:05:27
I was cruising through some pharmacy sites this morning and got interested in some of the new drug trials, etc. There is a drug in trials right now from Zonagen, Inc. called Vasofem. (They already market a drug called Vasomax for men which is used treat erectile dysfunction in men.) The oral tablet for women had positive results in pilot studies and is proceeding to phase I trials. The drug is described as "an alpha adrenegic receptor blocker" designed to increase blood flow to the genitals. (generic name: phentolamine mesylate) The initial tests used only post-menopausal women that had complained of vaginal dryness, decreased sexual response, pain w/intercourse and/or anorgasmia. Apparently all the women reported an improved sexual response, enough to encourage further study at least! Also of interest was a summary of the use of Viagra for women. (Pasted quote below) The main point is that research has shown that women who suffer sexual dysfunction due to SSRIs seem to have the best response to Viagra!
"Studies of Viagra in women whose sexual dysfunction may stem from antidepressant use report a more significant effect, however. One study assessed 50 mg Viagra in 9 women who reported sexual dysfunction induced by antidepressant medication, primarily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Patients were instructed to take Viagra approximately 1 hour before sexual activity and were told to increase the dose to 100 mg on the next occasion if they experienced a partial response or a lack of response. The nine patients, all of whom had experienced either anorgasmia or delayed orgasm with or without associated disturbances, reported significant reversal of sexual dysfunction, usually with the first 50 mg dose of Viagra."
Now for the guys: Another drug just got FDA approval and should be available by prescription by mid-summer; its called Androgel and is for a topical application of testosterone to be applied at 24 hour dosing intervals to the upper torso area. Its a colorless get that dries quickly, then is absorbed into the blood stream. I understand that prior to this, men who benefitted from increasing their level of testosterone had previously a choice between deep muscle injections or transdermal patches only. The condition for which it is to be prescribed is called hypogonadism, which I think is another name with perhaps additional symptoms that all result from low levels of testosterone. Anyway, the last sentence of the summary states that virtually all men (w/ lowered testosterone levels) in the study reported an increase in libido, pleasure, ability to maintain erections longer, etc; they also reported significant anti-depressive results from the gel. Are men screened for lower than average testosterone levels as a routine part of their healthcare?? Seems like that would be a place to start for many men w/ a sexual dysfunction. I thought this might have bearing on the libido vs. erection discussion we've been having here....maybe depressed mean with lower libido complaints would benefit even if their testosterone levels are within "normal" ranges.
Just a thought...
PS I'm supposed to be packing our family to catch a plane to Florida tomorrow and here I am, spending hours surfing the web instead...where has all my usual anxiety and panic gone??!! Today I might benefit from no meds! For anyone who might miss me, I'll be severed from my computer for more than a week; I'll look forward to catching up with babblelanders on my return. Liz
*************************************************Your reasoning sounds right to me, liz. Also, the dopamine factor intrigues me. If the drug signals the hypothalmous to release dopamine, I wonder if it could be researched as a possible antidepressant? At any rate, if dopamine affects the genitals the way it affects the brain, well, that's got to be a good thing! CarolAnn
poster:Liz
thread:29285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30099.html