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Flibanserin, A new pill dubbed the female Viagra and promising to boost a woman’s libido has been proven to be little more than a placebo – with a high risk of uncomfortable side effects.
Flibanserin was approved last year in the US to treat low sexual desire but a new study revealed that the benefits are ‘marginal’, according to lead author Dr Loes Jaspers.
The side effects are, among others, dizziness, nausea, sleepiness, and fatigue. These are the findings of a study conducted by Erasmus MC in cooperation with colleagues from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Amsterdam Medical Center, which was published in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine on February 29, 2016.
The scientists included five published and three unpublished studies assessing the benefits and risks of this medical treatment. The pill’s active substance is flibanserin, the American brand name is Addyi. The authors discovered the pill is even less effective than previously denoted.
Women who took the pill had one additional satisfying sexual event per 2 months. In addition, they had to take the pill daily and were not permitted to drink alcohol to prevent side-effects such as low blood pressure and fainting. The pill was approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Epidemiologist Loes Jaspers, first author of the scientific publication states: “Flibanserin is not yet available for prescription in the Netherlands. My advice to women with low sexual desire and their partners is to discuss the issue with their family doctor or get a referral to a sexologist. These health care professionals can provide information about the sexual desire pill and give advice on existing therapies, such as psychological support, couples therapy, and sex therapy.
Agencies/Canadajournal
