Sexual Health – Addyi

Transcript

“Another medication that has been FDA approved to be used for female sexual dysfunction, specifically decreased libido, or what’s called hypoactive sexual desire disorder is Addyo or Flibanserin, and Addyi or Flibanserin is a pill that can be taken every day. And it was originally thought to be related to depression, but it was actually found in clinical studies to help with reduced libido. And it can be taken every day and have an impact on improving multiple aspects of the sexual cycle. So it improves desire. It can improve also arousal and orgasm, but it does so in a very small amount. So we know that there is also a placebo effect, meaning that when a woman thinks she’s getting a medication that will improve her sexual response on her sexual cycle, she has almost a 50% improvement. And we know that Addyi creates a statistically significant improvement over placebo in female sexual function.

And it does so specifically for premenopausal women and it is known to be reasonably effective and reasonably safe. Now, what do you need to watch for if you’re taking a medication called Flibanserin or Addyi, you need to be aware that if you take it with alcohol, so you’ve had a glass of wine or a drink, you can have a reduction in blood pressure, and it can even lead to feeling a little faint or in really rare circumstances. It can lead to passing out or fainting completely or losing consciousness. So any time you’re taking a medication, you want to be aware that you could have a problem with blood pressure, a problem with flushing, a problem with feeling faint, a problem with a heart rate or a problem with actually passing out from that medication. So making sure that you’re monitoring for all of those things and having a really good conversation with your doctor about the pros and the cons about the contraindications or the reasons you should not take Addyi or Flibanserin, and to determine if you’re a really good candidate for that medication. And you’d be a good candidate for Addyi if you had decreased libido or hypoactive sexual desire disorder, if you’re premenopausal, meaning you haven’t been through menopause. And if your lack of sexual desire is not related to another medical condition, and if your lack of sexual desire is having a significant detrimental impact on your relationship.”