You may be SOL as the fan may ne internally regulated for 40W MAX. If that is the case, you can swap out for a CFL, if they make one that small, or go with a clear lamp instead of the frosted ones that come standard with the fan.

I tried 40watt clear bulbs, and they do make CFLs with candelabra base, but they tend to flicker. Guess I'm just SOL.....

But can you buy a fan that uses regular base bulbs and doesn't restrict them to 40watts?

You can by a fan that uses regular bulbs, however you may have to search for them.
Same goes for the 40 watt restriction. This is set by the manuf., so you will need to look for a fan from a manuf. that increases the max. wattage.

Get some table lamps; they provide far more pleasant light.

Energy Conservation Act at work. One solution is to add recessed lighting if that option is possible for you. The days of being able to depend on a fan light to actually light a room are over due to the wattage restrictions. Adding 4 75 Watt recessed fixtures will usualy do the trick and yes be sure to add some lamps as well. I disagree with the previous post about the clear bulbs. They are awful and will only create glare. It is a total falicy that clear light bulbs have greater lumen output. What they product at the wattages over 25 is glare......the cfl's will not be brighter unless you can find the small ones in 23 watts. Please do not use the spring type in an open glass. UGLY.. Look for an enclosed one that looks more like a standard A type bulb. ginger@yourlightsite.com