Drug Said To Boost Women's Sex Drive
By Julia McNamee Neenan
HealthSCOUT Reporter
Women with low sexual desire may get a dramatic boost by taking a drug that helps people ease depression or stop smoking, says a new study. Anecdotal evidence began to accumulate five or six years ago, says Dr. R. Taylor Segraves, a psychiatry professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Now, Segraves' study shows that the drug Wellbutrin, a form of bupropion hydrochloride, can more than double interest in sexual activity for women with low libido. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, and another version of the drug, Zyban, is used to help smokers quit. Women who participated in his study wanted to continue taking the medication once the study ended, says Segraves, who called the results "exciting news." Segraves presents his findings today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Chicago. Women "might have liked even a bigger change, and I'm wondering whether a longer treatment might have had more of an effect," he says. Sponsored by the drug's manufacturer, Glaxo Wellcome Inc., the study included 66 women, whose ages averaged 41. All suffered from low sexual desire for at least six years. Participants were screened for depression, marital problems and major life stresses to limit the study, as much as possible, to women with sexual problems of a physical nature, Segraves says. For four weeks, the women took a placebo, and none improved. The women then were given 300 milligrams of bupropion hydrochloride daily, and after eight weeks, Segraves says, about a third reported significant improvement. Researchers believe the drug increases the amount of dopamine released by the brain, enhancing feelings of pleasure. Statistically, the women went from being interested in sex 0.9 times every two weeks to 2.3 every two weeks. Actual sexual arousal increased from 1.3 times to 2.4 times every two weeks. And fantasies, ranging from romance to explicit sexual imaging, climbed from .7 times to 1.6 times every two weeks, the study says. "No one became a nymphomaniac," but the women's increased interest in sex "in some cases might be enough to remove some friction in a marriage," Segraves says. Results in eight weeks is quite an accomplishment, says Dr. Anita Clayton, associate professor and vice chairman of the psychiatry department at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Right now we haven't got any decent treatments," Clayton says. She cites one recent report that says 43 percent of women suffer from sexual disorders, and most of them are women with low sexual desire. Women's sexual desire problems are a tangle of physical and psychosocial problems that make them historically difficult to resolve, Clayton says. A longer treatment with the drug might allow more time for the array of problems to play out and improve, she says. Still, she says, normal is hard to define because individual bodies are so different, as are life circumstances that can affect sexual desire. For instance, some women in Segraves' study said their sexual desire declined after they had children, which Clayton says may stem both from physical changes and from the stress of raising children. Also, some women reported less interest in sex after menopause because of physical changes like vaginal dryness, while others in the study say their sexual desire "fizzled for no identifiable reason." Whether the drug would increase a normal sexual drive hasn't been determined, says co-researcher Kathleen Segraves, an associate professor at Case Western University. "But because the drug did not augment women to the point of attacking their next-door neighbors, my guess is it would be minimal," she says. A small number of study participants reported what the researchers called minor side effects, including some insomnia and nervousness. What To Do The study was very small, and the researchers assessing the participants knew whether they'd taken the drug being tested. Future research will correct both issues and extend the length of treatment to determine whether the drug can improve desire for a greater percentage of women, Segraves says. Reduced sexual desire in women can be related to depression. To read more about women and depression, visit the National Institute of Mental Health online. 
|
