Highlights From This Issue

Topics: Addyi | Depression | Health Apps | Low libido | Vyleesi

Vyleesi and Addyi are FDA approved for low libido in women, but their benefits are modest and their risks give us pause. A host of anti-inflammatory medicines are effective in treatment-resistant depression, particularly celecoxib. Prescription apps have arrived, but Dr. Torous reminds us that the key ingredient in a mental health app is the therape

Treating Sexual Dysfunction in Women

Topics: Addyi | Alternative treatments | Bupropion | Complimentary treatments | Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder | Female Issues in Psychiatry | natural treatments | Sex Therapy | Vyleesi

With the marketing of two new treatments for female sexual dysfunction, one thing is certain: You can expect to see more patients asking for these medications. What’s less certain is whether they will work. Flibanserin (Addyi) and bremelanotide (Vyleesi), the two FDA-approved treatments, both have small effect sizes (0.3–0.4) on various measures o

FDA Approves a Hormonal Injection for Low Libido in Women

Topics: Addyi | Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder | Female Issues in Psychiatry | Low libido | Sexual Dysfunction | Vyleesi | Women’s Issues in Psychiatry

On June 24, 2019, the FDA approved Vyleesi (bremelanotide injection) for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women. Bremelanotide is an analogue of the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which activates melanocortin in the nervous system. This hormone was originally explored as a sunless tanning agent in the 1980s.