Posted by Scott L. Schofield on April 16, 2000, at 13:59:08
In reply to CarolAnn, et al: an update/Vasomax Vasofem, etc , posted by Liz on April 15, 2000, at 12:49:52
> 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!
Thanks mucho for this post.
All of this time while watching the Johnny-On-The-Spot commercials, I had no idea that Vasomax was actually phentolamine. This drug is also used as an antihypertensive and is called Regitine. It was at one time available as an oral preparation, but was discontinued in favor of the injectable. It is always available in hospital emergency rooms, and has been considered the treatment of choice for MAO-inhibitor related hypertensive reactions, such as the tyramine "cheese-effect". I've been hoping that an oral form would again appear so as to carry it around with me as a safety precaution. Previously, I had been using nifedipine (Procardia), to be administered sub-lingually (under the tongue, similar to nitroglycerine). I am hoping that Vasomax would be more effective than Procardia.
When I looked into the Vasomax / Vasofem situation, I discovered why there would be "one for him" and "one for her". Vasofem and Vasomax are both preparations of phentolamine. However, Vasofem is a vaginal suppository that is thought may be more effective than the oral preparation for treating the more severe cases of sexual impairment.
Have you seen anything regarding the use of Vasomax in females?
> 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!
With regard to Uprima (apomorphine), I think somebody at CNN really screwed-up. Uprima does not induce the release of dopamine from the hypothalamus, it induces the release of oxytocin. This oxytocin then travels through the blood-stream to reach its target tissues. The little red line on the CNN graphic should have been labelled "oxytocin", not "dopamine". I believe oxytocin is also responsible for the ejection of milk through the nipple in lactating women (as opposed to lactating men).
Apomorphine is actually fake dopamine. It is similar in this regard to such drugs as bromocryptine (Parlodel), pergolide (Permax), and pramipexole (Mirapex), all of which have been used with reported success for treating depression, along with their primary indications for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease.
- Scott
poster:Scott L. Schofield
thread:29285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30225.html