The drug Viagra is well known and well documented for its use in treating male impotency, but now it seems it may have a role to play for women.
Researchers in the U.S. say women taking antidepressants who were given Viagra had fewer sexual side effects than those who took a placebo.
Drugs which treat depression often cause sexual dysfunction and this unwanted side effect often prompts many people to stop taking the medication.
Some research has suggested that Viagra might help these women, but this latest study is one of the first to show this benefit.
The researchers from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque say by treating this unwanted side effect effect patients remain on their antidepressants and have improved depression outcomes.
The most commonly used antidepressants, including selective and nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI's) are associated with sexual dysfunction.
SRIs include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa and Anafranil and between 30 to 70 percent of people taking these antidepressants experience sex-related problems.
For women this can manifest as a decrease in genital sensitivity, vaginal dryness, delayed or absent orgasms and dissatisfaction with sex in general.
According to the researchers SRI's represent 90 percent of the 180 million antidepressant prescriptions filled in the United States each year.
Viagra works by improving the blood flow to the penis, causing an erection and in women blood vessels in the vagina and clitoris also swell in response to the drug.
Scientists say Viagra does not directly enhance libido and they suggest the drug was not such a success on women because their pattern of arousal, desire and orgasm is more complex than men's.