Dear Editor,
PHARMA scores a new $$$$$$$$$$$ victory at the FDA. The female Viagra called Addyi manufactured by Sprout….with one huge windfall difference: while the expensive blue pill for men should be taken before engaging in sexual activity, women are to take the pink pill daily and the use is not tied to specific sexual activity.
Now add that to the little blue pill called Truvada for sexually active women and men to protect themselves from possible transmission of HIV in condom-less vaginal or anal intercourse (big subway campaign in NYC sponsored by the NYC Health Department that promotes condom-less sex by implication), and we see the further chemicalization of the sex life of an individual who wishes to be sexually active. There is no mention in announcement of the possible serious side effects or the interaction with other medications, including the widely prescribed anti-depression/anxiety drugs. Or the shedding of the chemicals in the body fluids of the people engaged in sexual activity.
It appears it can only be prescribed to pre-menopausal women, as in those capable of getting pregnant . Oh really? The book The Female Brain speaks of the 50s and 60s as a woman’s peak years, and others report the female libido is strongest in their 40s and 50, but a woman is excluded from use if menopause sets in. Is that good or bad?
Also, what are the potential side effects? The actual name of the chemical is flibanserin:
http://www.vox.com/2015/8/18/9173067/flibanserin-female-viagra-science
http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F2015%2F8%2F18%2F9173067%2Fflibanserin-female-viagra-science&h=iAQHhQfx0AQGBrvSfG7M4egX9yekZFMg5zyrWgBmPG-t_9Q&enc=AZMmyyP3SsUAaThe6lbHm5Q6-HCb7UPsakUezsbAGp6Cmv6j38hLsUqo4GBAyxIRVQpov6Q3FQxl1c2ja6KkgIkoDdUnlCv6Kq0g3mhxaTj1esASJganNjUmdbQZOUWHlYIeDbMk7inm6NneygfcnCgXnRnkv6lNkXc-ZnolaP2wnGK_Po4uZa6tNibYh4h8xCA&s=1Wild as this next statement may sound I am still going to suggest that there is a darker Big Brother aspect: the policy of keeping people in a constant state of sexual arousal to keep them distracted from the economic reality of their lives reminds me of what happened in NYC right after the Stonewall Rebellion.
There were well know cruising areas along the waterfront in the far West Village and the lower West Side that the police department would selectively police. The cops, usually at the request of the owners of those piers that had not been abandoned and by the owners of the trucking services that legally parked on the West Side waterfront, patrolled the area. For gay men it was a dance of hide and seek. But later, the police no longer policed these areas because of a tacit agreement between the city’s policy leaders, mainly in response to the political demands of the Gay Activist Alliance and later a small group of activist in sex panic. The results were the trucks and Piers at night became more dangerous with pickpockets, rapists and assault because the police no longer were patrolling. While the demands of these activists addressed police harassment of homosexuals looking for sex, I believe there was another political goal: keep them in a constant state of sexual stimulation and tumescence and they will stop their police and politician confrontations on other issues that impacted the lives of lesbians and gay men.
So here we are again in 2015: the good goal of having a healthy sexual life for men and women suffering from mental or physical dysfunction is exploited to keep people quiet. Now please reread and think about the consequences of what the police policy did in the gay male community in the 70s and what one of the potential side effects of Sprout’s Addyi can be. Women will once again be pressured not to say no…just like what happened when the “pill” was introduced to women in the 60’s. Addyi really benefits men as it makes their sexual demands (chemically initiated) on women medically possible. Whether Addyi shares any similarities with the rape drug I will wait to hear from women. As to the name—oh please, it seems to be rooted in the biology of women and conception, despite the fact that the statistics point to older women and sexual function.
So caution is in order with Sprout’s Addyi as it was with the Pill and the introduction of Viagra.
Sincerely,
Jim Fouratt
