Addyi

Addyi, a commercial name for filibanserin, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015, acts on the hypoactive disorder of women’s sexual desire.

10% of women suffer from it and manifest themselves with the persistent or recurrent absence of fantasies and receptiveness with respect to sexual activity. The causes can be age, use of certain drugs, emotional conditions (depression, anxiety and stress) or relationships (conflicts, anger, lack of trust). But above all the imbalance between dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, neuro-chemicals involved in the mechanisms underlying female desire.

Addyi, also known as the “pink pill”, is the product conceived by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, useful for stimulating women’s sexual desire. The goal is to solve problems of a hormonal nature that result in lack of libido, in such a way as to give it a more peaceful and satisfying intimate life. This is not a real drug but rather a food supplement and this is why it may sometimes not be effective, given that the decline in desire in the female sex is caused by both physical and psychological problems. Here is everything you need to know about this product.

In fact flibanserin, discovered in the 1990s, has always been tested as an antidepressant: the molecule acts on the receptors of serotonin, the “happiness” neurotransmitter whose deficiency is involved in mood disorders, and on two other fundamental brain transmitters, dopamine and noradrenaline. The studies were promising, it seemed that he acted faster than the “classic” antidepressants they serve on average a couple of weeks before seeing the effects on the symptoms. But the change in the purpose of the drug occurred during human experimentation: the women involved often reported an unexpected “side effect”, or a substantial increase in sexual desire. Thus, in the 2000s, a study was started on pre and post-menopausal women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Since then there has been a moderate effectiveness of the drug on volunteers, unlike testosterone in patches or gel rejected by regulatory bodies due to total ineffectiveness.

FDA communiqué states the following: “Addyi (flibanserin) is a 1A receptor agonist of serotonin and receptor antagonist 2A, but the mechanism by which the drug improves sexual desire and related disorders is unknown”.

Addyi treats libido problems and acts on brain receptors, aiming to increase sexual desire. For women, the path is much more complex than for men. Flibanserin combats those “hypoactive sexual desire” disorders, a lack of desire in a more or less long period that can cause stress, problems interpersonal and in some cases depression.

The pink pill must in fact be taken regularly, every night and not before the sexual act, preferably just before going to sleep, and it starts giving its effects after 6-8 weeks.

According to pre-production clinical trials, the use of Addyi in postmenopausal women is safe and effective. However, the advisability of flibanserin therapy in this subcategory of patients is not backed by any adequate benefit to risks ratio, since the hypoactive sexual desire disorders (HSDD) in postmenopausal women are explained by hormonal disruptions and other natural factors, for which there exist successful therapies with better studied effects and fewer adverse events. Talk to your doctor if you would like to receive Addyi in postmenopausal age; it is a subject to individual prescription.

Unlike sildenafil used in Viagra, which acts on erectile dysfunction complicating men’s plans, Addyi comes into play in the central nervous system, acting directly on neurotransmitters: it stimulates the release of dopamine, linked to the mechanisms of pleasure and contentment and of noradrenaline, released when we respond to external stimuli. Viagra, on the other hand, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction that follows a simple mechanism for a simple physical problem: it sends more blood to the penis to keep it erect and presupposes that sexual desire is present.

The different way of treating the drop in female libido is also reflected in the differences in the dosage between Viagra and flibanserin.

There are certain side effects to Addyi that have fueled the debate on flibanserin in recent years. The drug can cause hypotension and loss of consciousness. The risk increases significantly when there is interaction with alcohol, whose intake during treatment is strongly contraindicated.

Simultaneous use of alcohol and flibanserin can lead to sudden and severe drop in blood pressure. It is forbidden to drink alcohol or ingest other drugs. Only in this way can you take the pink pill without risk. The conditional is a must because the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the product after a very long approval procedure interrupted twice because of the risks related to the presence of different side effects. In fact, the drug can cause hypotension and loss of consciousness, a risk that increases significantly when there is interaction with alcohol, whose intake during treatment is therefore contraindicated.

Addyi is available both in local pharmacies and online, with a significant difference in the price. Traditionally, products in e-tailing stores cost much less, thanks to the model of direct sales, fewer staff members employed, the absence of necessity to rent vending areas and stock rooms, and a number of similar expenditures that get obliterated when it comes down to a transition from bricks to clicks. Although one can safely buy Addyi online at a discount price, it is nevertheless very important that you seek doctor’s advice before you consider ordering flibanserin on the Internet.

Remember that Addyi is a prescription drug with a number of contraindications that should be considered. Alternatively, you can use the services of a drugstore that offers consultations online with the cost of doctor’s attending already included in the price of the drug you will order; although this service slightly increases the cost of Addyi, it provides an additional layer of safety – and the price for flibanserin ordered in this way still remains much lower comparatively to its brand analogs sold in the drugstores of your city.