Photo Credit: by Valentina Botta, flickr.com
Good news for the ladies out there: there’s a Viagra-like option on the market to treat your own instances of sexual disinterest or dysfunction, and what’s more, you can get it discreetly shipped straight to your door for a low cost. If you’ve never before heard of what some refer to as the “female Viagra” or the women’s libido pill, well, prepare for your life to change!
According to The National Women’s Health Network (NWHN), Addyi is “the first F.D.A. approved drug to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women.” If you struggle with a loss of sexual interest, Addyi -- also known by the generic name Flibanserin -- may be the drug for you. Addyi, which is classed as a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, is a medication that women can use to treat decreased sexual desire they may be experiencing. This condition, when diagnosed in its full expression, is formally known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD.
And now, Addyi is available through a mail order pharmacy. That means no awkward trip to the pharmacy and no having to make a special trip out of your way just to get your libido boosted. To learn more, read on.
What you need to know about Addyi, the women’s libido pill
While some call Addyi the female Viagra, it is important to point out that while Viagra treats erectile dysfunction in men -- a physical inability to achieve and maintain an erection -- Addyi does not affect a woman’s ability to have sex, nor does it affect the quality of sex or the ability to achieve an orgasm.
Instead, the drug works by altering a premenopausal woman’s brain chemistry, increasing her libido, or her desire for and interest in sex. So, if you are perfectly healthy sexually but seem to find yourself with no desire for it, that’s when Addyi may be a good fit for you.
According to Tech Times, “Addyi became popular because people referred to it as the female version of men’s Viagra. However, there is a big difference and significant distinction between the two drugs. Viagra targets men’s physiological functions to improve their erection. The drug stimulates the proper blood flow into the men’s genitals.
On the other hand, Addyi targets women’s neurological functions to improve their desire for sex. The drug stimulates the neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brains of women to increase their sexual appetite. While Viagra delivers the desired result after 30 to 60 minutes of taking the tablet, it would take four to six weeks of ingesting Addyi nightly, prior sleeping, before the drug takes effect.”
In addition, another new viral Viagra for females was recently released: Amag’s auto-injector Vyleesi. Some predict that Vyleesi could become the next Addyi, though it does not come without its own set of issues.
Vantage reports, “Apart from the questionable efficacy of Vyleesi – the FDA noted no difference between the drug and placebo in the number of satisfying sexual events in phase III – side effects might hold back sales. Patients are meant to inject Vyleesi at least 45 minutes before having sex, but their plans could be scuppered by nausea, which was reported in 40% of subjects, often within an hour of dosing. At least Vyleesi can be taken alongside alcohol, unlike Addyi.”
Launch (and approval) of Addyi in 2015
Addyi was officially approved by the FDA in 2015. It was accepted by the FDA as a treatment option for HSDD, which affects approximately one-third of adult women in the U.S. Women on Addyi take the small pink pill orally once daily, at bedtime. Taking the pill at bedtime is important because taking Addyi at any other time can increase the risk of hypotension, syncope, and somnolence. Results typically show up as early as 4 weeks into the Addyi course of treatment, but if a woman has taken Addyi for 8 weeks and seen no improvement, then she should discontinue her use of Addyi.
According to the Addyi website, “Addyi has been shown to increase sexual desire and satisfying sexual events, and decrease distress associated with HSDD. Addyi is a non-hormonal, multifunctional serotonin agonist antagonist (MSAA). Specifically a serotonin 1A agonist and a serotonin 2A antagonist. Though the exact mechanism of action of Addyi in the treatment of HSDD is not understood, Addyi theoretically improves sexual functioning by enhancing downstream release of dopamine and norepinephrine while reducing serotonin release in the brain circuits that mediate symptoms of reduced sexual interest and desire. … The approved 100 mg dose of Addyi was administered to 2997 premenopausal women with acquired, generalized HSDD, of whom 1672 received Addyi for at least 6 months.”
Doctors can administer a short survey tool called the Decreased Sexual Desire Screener (DSDS), available on Addyi’s website, to assist in diagnosing HSDD and to help decide whether Addyi may be a right fit for the patient.
The Yale School of Medicine recently reported that HSDD is a complex issue. MedTruth reports, “Science will continue to investigate new ways to treat HSDD, but lack of libido, especially in women, is a complex topic. The Yale School of Medicine wrote to this effect, explaining ‘many experts believe that a women’s libido reacts to social, emotional, biological, and psychological conditions rather than representing a regular baseline of sexual arousal.’ … The pharmaceutical industry, however, continues striving to medicalize women’s loss of libido, branding it a health-related dysfunction that needs to be fixed with a pill, rather than lifestyle changes that address greater underlying issues.”
Regardless, Addyi is intended for women whose lack of interest in sex has reached a critical level for her. For example, if her decreased sexual appetite is chronic or ongoing, or is a major issue for her or her sexual relationship, then Addyi may be useful for her. It’s not meant for women whose loss of sexual interest is a side effect of another medication she’s taking, or the result of another condition, or if her lack of sexual interest is due to relational issues. Addyi is exclusively intended for the woman who is truly suffering from a medical condition that’s hindering her sex life.
Benefits, side effects, and safety of Addyi
The main benefits of Addyi include potential relief from a chronically low level of sexual desire and the stress that results from that. The relief and happiness that could result from the return of a woman’s interest in sex is hard to quantify. A fulfilling sex life is important to a woman’s mental, emotional, and even physical health. If a prescription for Addyi can help to provide that, the benefits to her could be manifold.
It’s important to note that Addyi has only been tested in a small subset of women. Thus, it’s hard to make claims about its effectiveness or its ability to work for a large demographic of women, since its early results have limitations. According to the NWHN, “The participants who enrolled in the initial clinical trials for Addyi were premenopausal, heterosexual, and generally very healthy women. The overwhelming majority of these women identified as White ( >85%), non-Hispanic ( >86%), and non-smokers ( >85%). Given the extensive list of exclusion criteria for the trials, the extent to which the trials’ results can be generalized to the public is unknown.”
Also, hormonal contraceptives may interfere with Addyi, so women who are on birth control should first talk to their doctor about using Addyi. Addyi is also contraindicated in patients with hepatic impairment and patients taking moderate or strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Other medications -- including antiepileptic drugs, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, narcotics, vaginal lubricants, and even St. John’s wort -- may also interact with Addyi, so you should discuss your medical history and current medications, as well as your interest in taking Addyi, with your doctor before you begin taking it.
It’s also important to note that women should avoid drinking alcohol while taking Addyi. Serious interactions can occur, so women should not drink while taking Addyi. Because Addyi can cause fatigue, low blood pressure, and even fainting, which are all made more severe by alcohol, it is not recommended to mix these two drugs in the slightest.
However, the FDA recently modified its alcohol warning for Addyi, saying that there is no need to avoid it completely while taking the drug. Instead, women should discontinue drinking alcohol at least two hours before taking the drug at bedtime, or just skip the dose altogether that evening.
According to Medscape, “Alcohol consumption is no longer a strict contraindication for the use of flibanserin (Addyi, Sprout Pharmaceuticals) to treat women who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), according to the latest information from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although there is still a concern about consuming alcohol shortly before taking flibanserin, there is no need to avoid alcohol completely, the FDA said in a statement released April 11.”
Still, Addyi should not be used by women who have gone through menopause or, obviously, in men. It will not increase or improve sexual performance or desire in men.
There are some side effects to Addyi and some adverse reactions that showed up during clinical trials. The most common included dizziness, nausea, insomnia, somnolence, anxiety, and dry mouth.
Is Addyi worth a try?
Many women wonder if Addyi is worth a try. If they’ve struggled with a loss of sexual interest for a while, they may be feeling desperate and willing to try whatever they can to experience relief from their debilitating loss of interest in sex. Taking a daily pill that’s reasonably priced may be a small price to pay for major benefits to her sexual health and satisfaction.
There’s good news for women who may have considered or wondered about Addyi in the past but felt it was cost prohibitive: the company is making the unusual, nearly unprecedented move of cutting the cost of the drug in half, so the price of Addyi has been reduced from $800 down to $400 for a monthly prescription, making it more accessible than ever. For the uninsured or people whose insurance does not cover Addyi, the cost is only $99 a month. For many women, that price point is worth it to experience a fulfilling, exciting, and satisfying sex life again.
Best of all, you don’t have to make an embarrassing trip to the pharmacy to purchase or acquire Addyi. You can get it sent to you in the mail through a mail order pharmacy, meaning your Addyi prescription can arrive right to your door with no hassle at all on your part.
Information and educated views on Addyi from sexual health doctors
Sexual health physician Dr Rosie King spoke to Australia’s ABC News in 2015, when Addyi was approved by the FDA. She shared some of the trends she sees through her sexual health practice and the place she thinks Addyi will have in helping women resolve these issues.
“Partners unhappy because the man’s libido is higher than the woman’s account for around 75 percent of couples Dr King sees. She said the distress it causes can be ‘tremendous.’ For men, it is less about not getting sexual satisfaction and more about not having their emotional needs met, she said. ‘A lot of guys have no other way of getting their emotional needs met. As a result they feel rejected, abandoned, unloved, undesirable, resentful, and angry. They can be hostile. And they can get depressed.’ But women too can be deeply hurt by not wanting the sex they know their partner yearns: ‘Women say to me: “I want to want.”’
She adds, “I think it will have a place for a selected group of women who are very carefully vetted and counselled.” Because the drug supposedly works by altering the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain that are linked to sexual function, it may not work for everyone, and would not work for women who are suffering from sexual dysfunction for reasons other than an imbalance of brain chemicals.
Another doctor -- Dr Quirk, a clinical professor in the school of medicine at Deakin University -- agreed that Addyi could offer benefits to women who are suffering or experiencing distress due to a loss of sexual interest. She points out that when men went to their doctors with sexual problems, there has been a solution to offer them for many years now. But there has not been something similar to offer to women who were suffering from sexual dysfunction. Dr Quirk told ABC News, “I see it as a game changer more broadly, a tipping point where women can really start talking about their sexual wellbeing and it be recognised as important. … It’s a cause for celebration as far as I’m concerned.”
Where to buy Addyi in North America
If you want to go to your doctor about whether Addyi may be right for you, keep in mind that only certified healthcare providers can prescribe Addyi. Fortunately, the process to get certified to prescribe Addyi is relatively simple.
Want the best news of all? You can acquire Addyi easily -- we offer Addyi for sale on our very website! We stock a brand from Sprout Pharma in Canada (which starts at $10.50 per pill, and costs $325 for a monthly supply). We now offer Addyi at cheaper prices than ever before: the cheapest option is to order three-month supply of 90 tabs for $857.99, which breaks down to $9.53 per pill.
In addition, the company is making an unusual move: they cut the cost of the drug in half, so the price of Addyi will reduce from $800 down to $400 for a monthly prescription, meaning that it will be more accessible to women than ever before. And for people who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover Addyi, the cost could be as low as $99 a month.
While Addyi is not a perfect fit for everyone, we like to point out that in a clinical trial that tested thousands of women suffering from HSDD, Addyi increased the average amount of satisfying sexual events each month by 10%. While this may seem like a relatively low or unimpressive increase, keep in mind that 16 million women are affected by low sexual desire -- so even if only 10% of them see results, that is still 1.6 million women effectively treated and now living more sexually fulfilling lives!
You can get your prescription of Addyi and other medications for women’s health here at Canada Pharmacy Online. Addyi and its generic equivalent are available on our website in 100mg tablets. Contact us today to place your order of Addyi and see if the prescription may help you improve your sexual satisfaction by reviving your interest in and desire for sex.
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