Flibanserin Side Effects: Female Viagra’s Good and Bad Sides

Okay, so them Boehringer Ingelheim peeps have developed a female version of Viagra, should ladies jump up and down because they now can match their partners in the bedroom? Not so fast, my friend. First of all the Flibanserin (aka female Viagra) is not yet approved by the FDA, who knows maybe them FDA peeps will find something in the drug which would cause them to not approve its sale to consumers.

Anyhoo, if you’re wondering about the good and bad effects of this Flibanserin (geeze Boehringer peeps, can you coin a word that’s easier to pronounce), here’s what a study established. Let’s look at the good thing first; it increases your sexual desire:

This study, which was funded by the drug’s manufacturer, looked at women who reported Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, a persistent lack of sexual desire. They looked at 1,378 women. About half of them took Flibanserin for 24 weeks. Researchers found the women who took Flibanserin reported an 18 percent improvement in sexual desire compared to the placebo group.

Another one of the studies, which was also funded by the drug manufacturer, found that it started to work after four weeks, with higher sexual desire and lower distress.

And the bad side effects? According to the manufacturer, the most common side effects are “dizziness, nausea, fatigue and insomnia”.

More from CBS’s Early Show:

UPDATE: In June 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected flibanserin following its finding that the drug is no better than a placebo. The FDA also concluded that flibanserin didn’t significantly increase female sexual desire and that whatever benefits it provides do not outweigh its side effects such as dizziness, nausea and fatigue.

Some women in the medical field also raised questions about the effectiveness of the drug. See what some of them (as quoted by CBS News) are saying below:

Paula Hillard, gynecologist from Stanford University School of Medicine: Not convinced of the clinical meaningful benefit of flibanserin.

Leonore Tiefer, NYU School of Medicine: I think it’s a scam.

Thea Cacchioni of the University of British Columbia: Thinly veiled marketing campaign filled with bias, misinformation and celebrity endorsement.

Elena Yanchar, a graduate student at Georgetown Medical Center: Women don’t need treatments with real side effects for imaginary diseases designed by a marketer.

Your turn, Boehringer Ingelheim! What say you to these ladies?

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