Erasmus: Female libido pill shows only “marginal” improvement

The female libido pill Flibanserin, also known as women's viagra, only has "marginal" benefits and comes with side effects, according to a study done by Erasmus MC in Rotterdam in cooperation with colleagues from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and Amsterdam Medical Center. The researchers looked at a total of eight studies involving the drug, five published and three unpublished, to assess the benefits and risks of using it to treat women with low sexual desire. The results were disappointing. Women who took the pill had only one extra satisfying sexual experience every two months. In addition to that, they pill has to be taken daily and the women can not drink alcohol while on it. Flibanserin also comes with a number of side effects, including dizziness, nausea, sleepiness and fatigue. It can also cause low blood pressure and fainting if taken while drinking alcohol. Flibanserin was approved in the United States last year under the brand name Addyi. It 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", said epidemiologist and first author of the study Loes Jasper.