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The FDA recently approved Addyi (flibanserin), the first female libido drug. And, considering all the sex-enhancing drug options men have had for years now, it seems like a win for gender equality — and sex. But, as Femme Ed host Laura Willcox found out, the pill might not be quite the godsend it's cracked up to be.
First, it's important to remember that, despite its nickname, Addyi doesn't actually work like Viagra. Rather than addressing physical challenges to having sex, it acts on your brain chemistry. As sex therapist Leora Manischewitz, PsyD, tells Laura, that makes its effects harder to define and, therefore, study.
Taking Addyi also comes with some fun (read: not fun) side effects. It costs about $800 per month, and you can't drink alcohol while taking it, because doing so may cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. So, as Laura says, "if you have a very specific kind of low sex drive, hate drinking, and have an extra $800 a month laying around, then this is the drug you have been waiting for." To learn more, check out the video above, and be sure to read the backstory on how this drug came to be.