Levitra has mental health benefits, study suggests
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The impotence drug Levitra (also known as vardenafil) improves erectile function and depression in men with both disorders, research shows.
Although depression is common among men with erectile dysfunction (ED), previous studies have not investigated the potential mental health benefits of Levitra in men with ED, investigators point out in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr. Raymond Rosen from UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of Levitra in the treatment of 280 men with ED and untreated depression. The men were assigned to Levitra or placebo for 12 weeks.
All erectile function parameters improved significantly with Levitra treatment, the authors report. Levitra treatment was associated with significant improvements in intercourse satisfaction, orgasmic function, overall satisfaction, and sexual desire.
Moreover, depression scores improved significantly during Levitra therapy, the researchers note, and significantly more patients treated with the drug (58 percent) experienced a remission of depressive symptoms than did patients treated with placebo (32 percent).
This study, the authors conclude, suggests that Levitra treatment can improve depressive symptoms in men with ED and depression, regardless of whether ED is causally related to their depression.
“This reinforces the concept that treatment of physical symptoms in depression can enhance treatment outcomes and overall quality of life and reduce the risk of relapse,” they add.
SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry January 2006.
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