How long does it take for female viagra to work?
Over the years, with growing age women have experienced low sex drive often due to changes in relationships, stress and physical changes like pregnancy and menopause. This condition is called hypoactive sexual desire disorder. About 10% of women experience low sex drive and often take viagra to treat it. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is also called female sexual interest/ arousal disorder.
Flibanserin (Addyi) and bremelanotide (Vyleesi) are two drugs approved by FDA (Food and drug administration) that address low desire or arousal in females but both the drugs are approved for use only in women who have not yet entered menopause.
What is Vyleesi ?
Vyleesi is used to treat FSIAD in premenopausal women. It is injected in thighs or stomach before 45 minutes of having sex. Its effect lasts for about 24 hours. This is recommended not to use it more than eight times in a month.
What is Addyi ?
Addyi is also a drug approved by FDA for treating FSIAD in premenopausal women and it comes in pills. This medicine is to be taken daily before going to bed even if there's no sex that day. It takes 8 weeks to show effect in increasing sexual desire. Some people see results sooner.
How does the female viagra work ?
Addyi changes the brain's serotonin system and affects your dopamine. Low sex drive is linked with serotonin level in brain while dopamine is linked with pleasure and motivation.
Vyleesi targets melanocortin receptors (linked to sexual function) by modulating brain pathways.
Both Addyi and Vyleesi boost the activity of chemical messengers in your brain, called neurotransmitters, that are key to helping you feel aroused. You take addyi every day, whether you plan to have sex or not. You inject Vyleesi only when you need it. It’s important to note that both the drugs does not makes sex better. They just make you more likely to feel the mood.
Your doctor can recommend you to try sex education and counseling along with the medication. You can also need hormone therapy, if you deal with any physical issues that affect sex, such as vaginal dryness.
How to get a female viagra ?
You need to be diagnosed by a doctor with HSDD in order to be prescribed either drug. It is done by asking screening questions, such as:
• Were you satisfied with your level of sexual desire before?
• Is your sex drive getting lower?
• Does the lack of libido bother you?
• Do you want to increase it?
• Are there any other things (medication, pregnancy, surgery, stress) that could be affecting your sex drive?
If your answer to the first four questions is yes and there’s no other cause for your low sex drive, you probably have HSDD.
What are the side effects and risks of female viagra?
Researchs have been made on how the medicines work in women who haven’t gone through menopause yet. So both drugs are approved for premenopausal women only. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding must not use either of two.
The medications should not be taken by some of the people like those who:
Have liver disease
Have cardiovascular disease
Take medication for HIV, hepatitis C, or high blood pressure that’s not under control
Women using HSDD medications are advised not to drink alcohol from 2 hours before they take the drug until the following morning, as it can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.
The drugs cause side effects, such as:
Nausea
Headache
Flushing (red, warm skin)
Dizziness and fainting
Tiredness
Dry mouth
How long does its effects last?
Addyi lasts for around 11 hours and it can last for 26 hours if a person has even a mild liver problem. Vyleesi lasts around 2.7 hours; it takes 6.5 hours to clear the body.
Do they work effectively?
To measure how well these drugs treat HSDD, doctors analyse at whether sexual desire has gone up and if distress about it has gone down. There is no normal amount of sex desire. Hence if there's a change in the distress a woman feels about her sex drive is often a key sign of how well the treatment is working.
If you try the medicine for 8 weeks and you haven’t felt any change, then your doctor may recommend you stop taking it.
How to access these drugs ?
Any person can buy these drugs online but this is not recommended due to a lack of safety protocols on websites.
But any person concerned about their sexual health can talk to a health care professional for advice and information.
Conclusion
Viagra for women i e Addyi takes upto 4 weeks to work. It is not a quick and easy fix. It doesn't work immediately hence can't be misused. It is to be taken everyday during bedtime even if there's no sex to be done. It can also take 24 weeks as well for treatment. Vyleesi on the other hand can be injected before having sex. It lasts about 2 hours in the body. Viagra is safe for any premenopausal women but has a few side effects. It is recommended to consult a doctor before taking it or know about its dosage.
References
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/viagra-for-women
https://www.webmd.com/women/features/guide-to-female-viagra