Is "female Viagra" right for you?
Two medications have been approved to treat female sexual dysfunction—but do they really work?
Jan, 2026
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If you're a woman dealing with low sex drive, there are several treatments that may help. These include two medications, sometimes touted as “female Viagra,” which have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat sexual dysfunction in premenopausal women.
In August 2015, following a trio of clinical trials, the FDA approved Addyi (flibanserin). Four years later, in June 2019, another medication called Vyleesi (bremelanotide) got the FDA’s go-ahead. Both are available only by prescription. Addyi is a once-a-day pill, while you take Vyleesi via injection as needed, with some restrictions.
Find out how these drugs work—and whether they could be right for you.
Written byMichael Gollust.
Medically reviewed byJoanne Perron, MD.
Sources: CenterWatch.org. Addyi (flibanserin). Accessed November 7 + 14
- CenterWatch.org. Addyi (flibanserin). Accessed November 7, 2022.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drug Trials Snapshots: ADDYI. Page last updated October 14, 2015.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA approves new treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Page last updated June 21, 2019.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drug Trials Snapshots: Addyi. Current as of October 14, 2015.
- Goldstein I, Kim NN, et al. Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) Expert Consensus Panel Review. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92:114-128.
- NIH: DailyMed. LABEL: ADDYI- flibanserin tablet, film coated. Updated September 1, 2021.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA orders important safety labeling changes for Addyi. Page last updated April 11, 2019.
- RXList. Addyi. Updated October 8, 2021.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. January - March 2021 | Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). July 13, 2021.
- Eric Sagonowsky. Sprout's female libido drug Addyi back in FDA's crosshairs years after controversial approval. FiercePharma. July 14, 2021.
- Alicia Ault. FDA Approves 'Female Viagra' Flibanserin (Addyi). Medscape. August 18, 2015.
- Robert Lowes. ”Female Viagra' Foes Denounce PR Campaign to Win FDA Approval. Medscape. August 10, 2015.
- Vyleesi.com. Important Safety Information.
- Simon JA, Kingsberg SA, et al. Efficacy and safety of flibanserin in postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: results of the SNOWDROP trial. Menopause. 2014 Jun;21(6):633-40.
- Baid, Rashmi, Agarwal, Rakesh. Flibanserin: A controversial drug for female hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Industrial Psychiatry Journal. 2018;27:154-157.
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