Here's Where You Can Get Female Viagra

After previous rejections, the FDA approved flibanserin safe for use in the treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in pre-menopausal women on Tuesday. Obviously, that’s great news for a third of women in the U.S. who suffer from a deficiency in sexual desire. But when and where can you get the drug? Well, I have the answer for you. So, get ready to mark your calendars because the days of you being frustrated due to sex may finally be over.

According to Sprout Pharmaceuticals, flibanserin or “Addyi” will be made available in the U.S. by October 17, 2015. Like Viagra, you can only get flibanserin through a prescription from a certified prescriber and pharmacy.

We live in a time where women can make all kinds of decisions regarding sex, their sexuality, and their sexual health. While some women may choose to remain conservative in their views on the subject, others choose to explore their sexual freedom and all it has it offer. However, what happens when all the fun stops? What happens when that desire for sex just suddenly goes away? While that might be OK to some, to others, it may cause distress or frustration. That’s where Addyi comes in.

“I think that as a society, we’re really quick to reduce all things in the bedroom for men to biology—as witnessed by all the treatment options available to them—and all things related to sex for women to psychology. If we do that, we’re actually underselling both,” Sprout Pharmaceuticals CEO Cindy Whitehead tells Bustle. “Sex is complex. We bring a lot of things into the bedroom. We bring our religion, our upbringing, we bring what’s going on with us personally, what’s going on in the relationship. But men and women alike bring biology into the bedroom and that’s where women have been really under served.”

According to Whitehead, HSDD has been medically characterized for almost 40 years, but progress has been remarkably slow due to our tendency to oversimplify. “Sex is complicated whether I’m a man or a woman. I think what we needed to do was have a conversation around the biology of sex for women. Now, with all this new and emergent scientific understanding, we’re equipped to do that.”

Well, the trials have been completed, the conversation has been made, and the FDA has finally given women an option where there wasn’t one before.

However, just because the FDA gave flibanserin its stamp of approval, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. Like going on The Pill, you have to get informed, know the facts, and consult with your doctor to make the best decision for you.

“My big belief is we all have our own definition of normal. Our own individual sexuality,” Whitehead says. “[HSDD] is prevalent. It’s affecting a lot of women. It’s affecting them personally. It’s affecting their relationships. Hopefully they feel empowered to discuss it, but I think the decision is completely theirs. You know, with all drugs, ultimately it comes down to benefit and risk. Make that decision on what makes sense for you.”

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