The FDA recently approved a new drug to treat sexual dysfunction in women. Flibanserin (or Addyi, to refer to it by brand name) is being called the “female Viagra.” While it may seem appropriate at first glance, the nickname is misleading. Addyi and Viagra have some striking differences.
Recently, The Atlantic published an article entitled “Why Flibanserin Is Not the ‘Female Viagra,’” in which writer Cari Romm describes a critical distinction between the two drugs: “Viagra is taken before sex and increases blood flow to the genitals; flibanserin is supposed to be taken daily and aims further north, changing the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.”
Feeling unsettled? Maybe try this video from Even the Score, celebrating the FDA’s decision to legalize Addyi. I get the impression it’s supposed to make us ladies feel empowered. Personally, it left me feeling queasy. To each their own, I suppose. Its website describes what is referred to as the issue: “For decades men’s sexual dysfunction has been prioritized over women’s. It wasn’t until August 2015 that the FDA approved a first medical treatment option for women's most common sexual dysfunction, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.”
Okay, so flibanserin was approved to treat “women’s most common sexual dysfunction!” Sounds good. But what actually is Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder?
Well, at least there’s still that lingering hope of adequate performance. Yuck.
“HSDD is a medical condition marked by a lack of sexual thoughts and desire for sexual activity, which causes a woman distress or puts a strain on the relationship with her partner, and cannot be accounted for by another medical, physical or psychiatric condition, or as a result of other medication.”
Some women, for a variety of reasons, just aren’t that interested in sex. Are some of them suffering because of this? Undoubtedly. Women have spoken out about how this has negatively affected their lives, and it is not my intent to trivialize their pain. That being said, I can’t help but wonder if there is an explanation for it besides a disorder.
It just seems questionable to categorize a lack of interest in sex as a disorder, especially when HSDD seems to refer specifically to women whose lack of libido is not the result of other conditions. And of those who are suffering, how many are doing so as a result of distress due to the fact that their partners cannot accept the reality of their sexuality (or lack thereof)?
I can’t help but be skeptical of the claim that Sprout, the pharmaceutical company manufacturing the drug (in addition to being one of Even the Score’s sponsors) is motivated purely by its prioritization of women’s health. I have to wonder if there is at least some degree of exploitation involved here. HSDD is a “disorder” that’s basically just...not wanting sex. And while I certainly believe that’s something that can cause problems for people, I’m not sure I’m sold on it being a medical disorder just because it’s making people unhappy.
I’m also not trying to argue that women can’t suffer from medical conditions of a sexual nature: My issue here is with this specific “condition,” and this specific remedy.
Viagra is a drug designed to help men who already want to have sex be physically able to do so. Addyi, on the other hand, is intended to make women who do not experience sexual desire (or experience it infrequently) want to have sex by altering chemicals in their brains. That is a significant contrast. So at the very least, let’s not call it the “female Viagra.”
Oh, and, I’m sorry, but:
How can you not be creeped out by this?
