If you’re a woman experiencing a loss of sexual desire or low libido, you may have heard about “female Viagra” and it’s recent approval in many countries. There’s actually a few medications that have been given this nickname in recent years, but the most well-known one is called flibanserin, which is sold under the brand name Addyi. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the name for the disorder that affects a woman’s libido or urge to have sex. Addyi is a daily-dosed medication in the form of tablets that has effectively restored women’s sex lives to much acclaim.
Addyi has been compared to the male impotence drug Viagra because it creates sexual stimulation in women, however it’s a bit different from how men on Viagra feel. While Viagra improves a man’s ability to gain an erection due to increasing blood flow, Addyi creates feelings in women that can be somewhat more emotional and pleasurable.
This is because it was originally formulated to act as an antidepressant and it belongs to a class of antidepressants known as serotonergic medications. These drugs release more serotonin in a woman’s body, which is a chemical in the human body that contributes to feelings of happiness and connectedness with others.
It’s for this reason that Addyi can create sexual feelings in women as they often feel more intimate and aroused, not just on a physical level, but from a mental standpoint as well. Many middle-aged and premenopausal women taking Addyi have stated that they are able to gain back the sexual desires they had when they were younger, without it being too extreme of a feeling. This creates a feeling of normalcy during moments of intimacy with others, where many forget that they have even taken the tablets earlier in the day.
Similar to other medications within the same family, Addyi can often take many weeks to build up in some people’s systems before noticeable effects begin to take place. However, others have reported that they were able to notice the benefits right away within the first few days. So the initial improvement may not be noticed immediately in some people.
The recommended dosage for most women taking Addyi is 100mg once per day. The optimal time to take this dosage is at night, just before bedtime. As stated previously, it can take time to build up within your system so you should not skip doses once you begin taking it to ensure it remains effective. If you miss a dose, you should not double dose or take more than one dosage daily as this can result in adverse effects. It should not be taken with alcohol and those with liver problems should speak to their doctor before taking Addyi.
Amongst the female Viagra-like drugs, Addyi has quickly become the preferred option for many women and for good reason. It’s given women back the spark that their sex lives have been missing all this time and it’s easy to see why it’s gaining such rave reviews now that it’s hit the market.
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