Pink Viagra is designed to increase the lust of women

In the US, the first pleasure pill for the woman has been approved
Yesterday in the US started the sale of the first pleasure pill for the woman. The drug called "Addyi" is said to increase the craving for sex. While Viagra works organically with the man, the "Viagra for the woman" is more likely to have a psychological influence on the pleasure sensation. The messenger flibanserin serves as a trigger for messenger substances in the brain.

While men take Viagra once, women first have to build up a remedy for weeks. Already twice the manufacturers had requested an approval. In mid-August, the FDA had received approval for the US market.

In the US, a pleasure pill specifically for women was approved by the FDA. The effects should be low. Image: Mathier - fotolia

Experts doubt the success
According to a news agency dpa, several experts doubt that the product will be a success, both in business and in its effect. Actually, a remedy for sexual aversion in women long overdue, as the gynecologist Karen Adams of the Health and Science University in the state of Oregon said to the "Forbes" magazine. "Between 40 and 50 percent of all women have some sort of sexual disorder. So this is very common and so seen in the pharmaceutical development market has not done much, "said the doctor.

A German invention
Originally Flibanserin was a development of the Rhineland-Palatinate Boehringer Ingelheim. The small US company Sprout Pharmaceuticals from North Carolina had taken over the patent after the Rhineland-Palatinate had failed at the US Drug Administration (FDA). In 2013, the Americans failed, too, this year they were successful. Immediately thereafter, Canadian pharmaceutical giant Valeant swallowed Sprout Pharmaceuticals in August. The active substance flibanserin was actually developed to relieve depression. During the development, the researchers of the pharmaceutical company discovered that the substance can also increase the sense of pleasure of women.

Effects only in a few women
Despite the nickname, the preparation is not comparable to Viagra for men. The blue pill acts directly on the body and helps men get an erection. It is about the ability, not the will. For many women, however, the problem is not physical. Some people rarely or never feel like having sex, and when it comes to it, they do not enjoy it. This is usually a burden for the women themselves, but not infrequently also for the men or the relationship. The drug, which influences messenger substances in the brain, should bring these women back the desire.

While Viagra works directly and affects almost 100 percent of men, Addyi is significantly less efficient and more risky. The tablet must be taken daily. Only after a few weeks do slight effects become apparent - and only in about one in ten women.

Health experts warn against risks
Besides, they are not completely safe. Many doctors warn about health risks. The remedy often has strong side effects such as dizziness, tiredness and nausea. In addition, women should not drink alcohol for the entire duration of the intake so as not to exacerbate the threatening side effects. Many gynecologists, as well as Karen Adams, advise her patients not to rush to the supposed miracle cure. It would be better to check for sexual discomfort first other factors: For example, the physical and mental health or even the state of the relationship.

Often problems with a couple therapy could be solved. "It's really inappropriate to start with a tablet," Adams says. "You have to first look at the reasons why a woman does not want to have sex." Quite essential is obviously stress. According to a survey, he is the number one lust killer for women in Germany. Almost three-quarters of them also said a pleasure pill for women was "not an option" for them. (Sb)