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Viagra, the blockbuster anti-impotence pill for men, appears to help some women, a new study has found.

Researchers who tested the drug in women experiencing sexual side effects from antidepressants found those taking Viagra showed greater improvement in sexual function - specifically, improved orgasms and partner satisfaction - than women in the placebo group.

The, study, funded by drug-maker Pfizer, is important for two reasons, the researchers say: Compared with men, women are prescribed antidepressants at rates of two to one, and the sexual side effects can keep them from taking their antidepressants long enough to get to remission.

“And once they get well, if they have sexual dysfunction, people are likely to say, ‘I’m feeling so much better; who needs this grief?’ increasing the chance of relapse,” says Dr. Harry Croft, co-author of the study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

“For some women for whom sexual dysfunction is a deal-breaker, either in taking their drugs to remission or taking their drugs through the continuation phase, this is an option which may work.”

But some critics worry the study will be used as a way to promote Viagra - which has not been approved for use in females - to otherwise healthy women. Even the lead author refused media interviews Tuesday, forcing a spokesman for his medical school at the University of New Mexico to make apologies.

“He doesn’t want to deal with it, which is really a shame. (He’s worried about) more of a flippant attitude toward the research than something that’s very serious and can provide a lot of hope.”

Viagra did nothing for the sex drive or desire of the women in the study.

“The most definitive tie to antidepressants is delay in orgasms,” says Wende Wood, a psychopharmacologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. “A lot of us had written off Viagra for women. This shows there is some women this may be helpful for.”

For the study, 98 women, aged 18 to 50, with major depression in remission, were randomly assigned to receive either sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) or a “dummy pill” that looked like Viagra. The women only started experiencing sexual problems after taking antidepressants known as serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, a class that includes Prozac and Paxil.

The women had to agree to try to engage in sexual activity (masturbation or intercourse) at least once a week, and to take their pill an hour or two before they wanted to have sex.

About 72 per cent of women on Viagra - versus 26.5 per cent on placebo - reported their sexual function was “much” or “very much” improved. The improvement was in two areas: orgasm and partner satisfaction.

The drug may work by increasing blood flow to female genital tissue, the same way it increases blood flow to the penis.

Still, the researchers said it’s not clear whether women would be willing to keep taking Viagra.

“I’m going to get myself in big trouble for saying this, (but) I’m not sure women are willing to pay eight bucks a pop to have sex,” says Croft, medical director of the San Antonio Psychiatric Research Centre. “Guys are.”

And this is only one study. “It has not been replicated yet.”

“Sex is much more complicated in women,” Croft says. “There are those experts who might argue maybe medication is not the right way to go after it. The reality is, it’s the best we’ve got, for now.”

But Leonore Tiefer is troubled by the idea of using drugs to deal with the side effects of other drugs, and says orgasm delay “is not such a big problem for women” on antidepressants if they know it’s due to the drug.

“I see it as an incentive to get off the drug at some point,” says Tiefer, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.

Twenty-two per cent of the women dropped out of the trial before it ended. The most common side effect was headache, reported by 42 per cent of the women on Viagra compared to 27 per cent on placebo. Flushing and indigestion were also reported frequently during treatment, though no women withdrew because of serious side effects, the researchers said.

Five of the study’s six authors reported receiving research support, speaker or consulting fees from drug companies.