So, this drug (flibanserin) is one of the big players in the debates over Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder/Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder – it’s one of the main drugs being developed to specifically target people with FSAID/HSDD, and thus is also closely tied in with lobbying to keep FSAID as a recognized condition in the first place. It’s been rejected by the FDA twice previously, but an advisory panel has this time hesitantly recommended it, so it’s not clear yet which way things will go this time.
I think this is something that’s worth keeping an eye on for the ace community, because the approval of a drug to treat supposedly low libido would add a new element to attempts to “cure” asexuality, and it’s something that ace activists and advice blogs might want to be prepared for.
I’m glad somebody posted about this here. There was a lot of good discussion about flibanserin on Twitter earlier today from David Jay, Dr. Lori Brotto, and others.
There seem to be two main concerns here. First, given that most medical professionals don’t seem to be aware of asexuality or they may actively invalidate and pathologize it, there’s a concern that aces could be prescribed flibanserin in an attempt to “fix” us.
David Jay and other asexual activists also pointed up that much of the language being used to market and promote flibanserin is very sex normative and tends to pathologize people with low sexual desire or who do not have or want sex. This can be harmful to aces in itself.
Second, a number of concerns have been raised about how flibanserin works. Forbes had a good article on this. Calling it “female viagra” is highly misleading. Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis to help sustain erections. By contrast, flibanserin is a mood-altering drug that started life as an anti-depressant. It is also a sedative and has some significant side effects, while the benefits are modest at best. Only heterosexual women were included in the trial.
There’s definitely a lot of reason to keep a wary eye on it.
That said, some of us who normally have very high sex drives have gone through periods of low drive that have been very emotionally difficult and contributed to an overall lack of well being, there have been times when a pill that increased my sex drive would have made me feel a lot more okay, because for me sexuality is one of the key ways I connect with my body.
Thoughts From The Peacock Angel 