Moxie

By Lauren Linhard – moxie.lauren@gmail.com

I’m just not in the mood. I ate too much. I’m really tired. What you actually want to say is, “I’m going to put on my sweats, eat a gallon of waffle-cone ice cream and watch ‘Survivor.’ So keep your hands to yourself.”

Women often get the false stereotype of never being “in the mood.” For some, though, zero sex drive is a real problem – but there’s a new pill that could help change that. This week, the FDA  approved  “pink Viagra”, or Addyi, the first prescription drug meant to enhance female sexual desire, produced by Sprout Pharmaceuticals. How many partners do you think turned to their ladies when the story hit the news and said, “You know, you could really use some of that”?

For the record – this pill is not about men. Women like sex. We are sexual beings who deserve to enjoy sexual activity (Oh my god —  I said it, and there was no smiting!). This drug is for the one-third of women who suffer from hypoactive sexual desire, an actual condition where chemical imbalances cause a lack of interest in sexual activity.

It’s not so men can make less effort in the bedroom, or so “it” can happen any time, even on a paddle boat (according to commercials). It’s so each woman can have a full and healthy sexual relationship with their partner.

Here’s the question: Was Addyi approved because it’s a top-notch totally FDA sanctioned treatment, or because it’s the start to a bigger conversation?

Let’s dig a little deeper.

During testing, the 100 mg bedtime dose of the pink pill increased the average number of satisfying sexual events by .75 per month over the placebo pill, along with an average .35 increase over the placebo sexual desire score.

The FDA must think the equivalent of less than one quicky a month is worth the huge label warning slapped on the box, alerting users to the side effects of severely low blood pressure and high chances of fainting. And don’t even think of hitting up a happy hour while on the drug —  alcohol makes these side effects almost a total certainty. So much so that doctors are to evaluate patients for their potential to abstain from alcohol before prescribing.

And why do you have to take Addyi before bedtime anyway? To decrease the risk of hypotension, syncope, sleepiness and sedation during the day. Basically, you may be horny, but you won’t be awake to enjoy it unless you follow directions.

Having laid that all out (pun intended), there are also a number of social side effects, even though they won’t necessarily be featured on the prescription label.

There are currently 26 FDA-approved treatments for erectile dysfunction, while women have the one, which was just approved practically one second ago. I kid you not – 26. Those numbers are far from equal, reflecting the amount of attention and acceptance society has for the sexualized male, but not for the sexualized female.

Though pink Viagra may or may not prove to be the best form of treatment, it has cleared the way in the FDA for other pharmaceutical companies to develop medical aids for women to achieve sexual satisfaction.

And all of this segues quite nicely into the current “pro-life vs. pro-choice vs. men trying to regulate women vs. women taking control of their bodies” debate that has taken spotlight in congress and the current presidential race.

The FDA, a major governmental entity, has essentially taken a stand behind female rights groups of all kinds in agreement with the “her body, her decision” thought process, finally acknowledging that yes, women enjoy and want sex. Groups like Even the Score, backed by more than 15 nonprofits and seven health organizations, is not going to let them forget it.

Maybe this isn’t just a pill for sexual desire, but a desire for change (nailed it. pun intended).