Is there a Viagra for women?

There is no Viagra for women. The Viagra label says plainly that it is not indicated for use in women, and in the largest trial in women, sildenafil did no better than placebo. Two other drugs are FDA-approved for women with low sexual desire: Addyi (flibanserin), a pill taken every night, and Vyleesi (bremelanotide), an injection used before sex. Neither works like Viagra. Viagra helps blood flow; Addyi and Vyleesi act on receptors in the nervous system, and their labels say exactly how they improve desire is unknown.

Both are approved for one specific condition, acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD): low desire that developed after a time without problems, happens in every situation and with every partner, causes marked distress, and isn’t explained by another medical or mental health condition, relationship problems or a medicine. Here is what each label says, and what the trials found.

The options at a glance

Scroll sideways to see the full table

What sildenafil did in women

Sildenafil has been tested in women several times, with mixed results:

• Arousal problems, broad group: in a trial of 577 women with normal estrogen levels and 204 with low estrogen, all with female sexual arousal disorder, sildenafil (10 mg to 100 mg) was no better than placebo on any patient or partner measure (Basson et al., 2002).
• Arousal problems after menopause, no desire problem: in a 12-week trial of 202 postmenopausal women with arousal disorder whose hormone levels were in a set range or who were on hormone therapy, sildenafil improved genital sensation and satisfaction. It helped women whose problem was arousal alone, but not women who also had low desire (HSDD) (Berman et al., 2003).
• Antidepressant side effects: in an 8-week trial of 98 premenopausal women whose depression was in remission on serotonin reuptake inhibitors but who had sexual side effects, sildenafil reduced those side effects more than placebo (Nurnberg et al., 2008).

The pattern is that sildenafil does not treat low desire. A clinician may still prescribe it off-label for a narrow problem, such as antidepressant-related sexual side effects. Headache, flushing and indigestion were common in these trials, as they are in men.

Addyi (flibanserin)

Addyi was approved on August 18, 2015. Its current label, revised in December 2025, covers women under 65 with acquired, generalized HSDD. It is not for men and not for enhancing sexual performance.

How it’s taken. One 100 mg tablet every night at bedtime. It is taken at night because taking it while awake raises the risk of low blood pressure, fainting, injury and sleepiness. Stop after 8 weeks if your symptoms haven’t improved.

The boxed warning. Addyi’s boxed warning is about severe low blood pressure and fainting in three settings:

• Alcohol. The label says to “wait at least two hours after consuming one or two standard alcoholic drinks before taking ADDYI at bedtime or to skip their ADDYI dose if they have consumed three or more standard alcoholic drinks that evening.” After taking it, avoid alcohol until the next day. A standard drink is a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot.
• Some medicines. Moderate or strong CYP3A4 inhibitors are contraindicated with Addyi. The label’s examples include antifungals such as ketoconazole and fluconazole, antibiotics such as clarithromycin and erythromycin, several HIV drugs, diltiazem and verapamil, and grapefruit juice.
• Liver disease. Addyi is contraindicated in anyone with liver impairment.

What the trials found. In three 24-week trials of premenopausal women, monthly satisfying sexual events rose more on Addyi than on placebo:

Distress about low desire also eased more than on placebo. The daily desire diary used as a main measure in the first two trials didn’t separate from placebo; a desire questionnaire pointed the same way in all three trials and was a main measure, met, in the third.

Side effects. In the premenopausal trials, dizziness affected 11.4% of women on Addyi (2.2% on placebo), sleepiness 11.2% (2.9%), nausea 10.4% (3.9%) and fatigue 9.2% (5.5%). The label says to avoid driving or other activities that need full alertness until at least six hours after each dose and until you know how it affects you.

Vyleesi (bremelanotide)

Vyleesi was approved on June 21, 2019. Its label covers premenopausal women with acquired, generalized HSDD and says it is not for postmenopausal women, men or enhancing performance.

How it’s used. You inject 1.75 mg under the skin of the belly or thigh with an autoinjector, at least 45 minutes before sex, only when you need it. No more than one dose in 24 hours, and more than 8 doses a month isn’t recommended. Stop after 8 weeks if there’s no improvement.

What the trials found. In two 24-week trials of 1,267 premenopausal women, the desire score (on a scale of 1.2 to 6) rose by 0.5 and 0.6 points on Vyleesi, against 0.2 on placebo, and distress about low desire fell more. The number of satisfying sexual events didn’t differ from placebo.

Side effects and warnings. Nausea affected 40% of women, against 1.3% on placebo, usually within an hour of the dose and mostly after the first one. Flushing affected 20%, injection-site reactions 13% and headache 11%. Each dose briefly raises blood pressure, by up to 6/3 mmHg, and lowers heart rate, usually for up to 12 hours, so Vyleesi is contraindicated with uncontrolled high blood pressure or known heart disease. About 1% of women developed darker patches of skin. It can also sharply lower levels of oral naltrexone.

Online, PT-141 is the name used for bremelanotide, and most of what telehealth clinics sell is compounded, sometimes as a nasal spray or troche. Compounded PT-141 is not Vyleesi and not a generic of it: a pharmacy prepares it, it isn’t FDA-approved, and forms other than the injection are off-label. It costs $129 to $280 a month at the providers that publish a price, as of October 2026. See bremelanotide and PT-141 providers.

After menopause

Low desire after menopause has other causes and other options:

• Addyi is now labeled for naturally postmenopausal women under 65, based on one 24-week trial. Vyleesi isn’t approved after menopause.
• Testosterone at doses that keep levels in the normal premenopausal range has trial evidence for HSDD in postmenopausal women, the only use of testosterone in women that the 2019 Global Consensus Position Statement considers evidence-based. No testosterone product is FDA-approved for women in the US, so it is prescribed off-label, and it is a controlled substance. See low testosterone in women and testosterone for women.
• Vaginal dryness or painful sex is a different problem from low desire. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is approved for atrophic vaginitis due to menopause, the thinning and drying of vaginal tissue.

Online menopause clinics can assess these together. Compare them on our menopause hub and in the menopause provider rankings.

Before you ask for a prescription

Both approved drugs are for a diagnosis, not a wish for more desire. The labels require that low desire isn’t better explained by another condition, a relationship problem or a medicine, so expect questions about mood, stress, pain, sleep, your relationship and what you take. Antidepressants are a common cause of sexual side effects, and a clinician may adjust those first.

Bring up blood pressure, heart and liver problems, how much you drink, and every medicine and supplement you take. Those decide whether Addyi or Vyleesi is safe for you at all.

The bottom line

Viagra isn’t approved for women and didn’t help with low desire in trials. Addyi, a nightly pill now labeled for women under 65, and Vyleesi, an injection for premenopausal women used before sex, are the FDA-approved options for acquired, generalized HSDD. Both gave modest gains over placebo in trials, and both have real warnings: alcohol and fainting for Addyi, nausea and a short rise in blood pressure for Vyleesi. After menopause, off-label testosterone is the other option with evidence behind it. A licensed clinician can tell you which, if any, fits.