An open trial of oral sildenafilin antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of cyclic GMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 that has been associated with greater improvement of erectile function compared to placebo among men with erectile dysfunction. The goal of our study was to evaluate its efficacy in a small sample of outpatients with antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction.
METHODS: We studied the first 14 depressed outpatients (9 men and 5 women; mean age: 46.4 +/- 8.4) who were consecutively treated with oral sildenafil. Twelve of the 14 patients were treated with an SSRI and 2 with mirtazapine. All patients were prescribed oral sildenafil tablets at the initial dose of 50 mg q.d. p.r.n., with the possibility of increasing the dose to 100 mg q.d. p.r.n., if clinically indicated. We administered a sexual functioning questionnaire derived from the Guided Interview Questionnaire for females and males and from the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale to all patients before and after at least 4 weeks of treatment with oral sildenafil. The mean sildenafil dose in our 14 patients was 57 +/- 18 mg/day.
RESULTS: All 14 subjects completed the follow-up assessments and no subjects discontinued the drug prematurely. We observed statistically significant improvements in all domains of sexual functioning, including libido, arousal, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and (in males only) erectile function, with a 69% rate of patients reporting themselves as much or very much improved. Oral sildenafil treatment appeared…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a clinical trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 14 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Drug repositioning: a brief overview
- Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in Drosophila melanogaster
- Time-resolved in silico modeling of fine-tuned cAMP signaling in platelets: feedback loops, titrated phosphorylations and pharmacological modulation
- Current View on Green Tea Catechins Formulations, Their Interactions with Selected Drugs, and Prospective Applications for Various Health Conditions
- In silico Structure-based Identification of Novel Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Controlled Release Viagra® Containing Poloxamer-188 Using Gastroplus™ PBPK Modeling Software for In Vivo Predictions and Pharmacokinetic Assessments
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.