‘Desi Viagra’is turn-on for women too
Men may be from Mars and women from Venus but the little blue pill seems to have bridged the divide, at least in the bedroom. A study
conducted by a private drug company in eight Indian cities on the effects of the desi version of sildenafil citrate, or ‘desi Viagra’, on women has revealed that what’s hot for men may be happening for women as well.
“The study says that the 100-odd women surveyed, who had complained of sexual dysfunction like lack of interest in sex, frigidity and delayed or no orgasm, reported overall sexual satisfaction after taking sildenafil citrate,” said Ahmedabad-based psychiatrist Mrugesh Vaishnav, whose hospital was one of the centres for the trials.
Vaishnav had 20 women patients enrolled, and 14 cases were studied. After using the ‘desi Viagra’ 80% of them at this centre reported overall sexual satisfaction. Unlike earlier tests which had used sildenafil citrate on women with sexual dysfunction, this test did not consider women who suffered from a dysfunction stemming from emotional problems, marital discord or social disharmony.
It concentrated on women who suffered from sexual frigidity despite living a happy married life. They were advised to take a 50 mg pill one-and-a-half hours before sexual intercourse. “Nearly 70% of the women put on the off-label use of ‘desi Viagra’ also reported orgasms and 90% reported lubrication, which is commonly known as sexual arousal,” said Vaishnav.
On the flip side, women reported side-effects like headaches, visual disturbances, vomiting and abdominal disturbances, forcing some to drop out of the study.
