Can I Drink Alcohol While Taking Addyi (Flibanserin)?
This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please click here.
This post was originally published on the GoodRx website.
For more writing samples, please visit my Muck Rack portfolio.
Key takeaways:
Addyi (flibanserin) is a medication that treats hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) — a type of low sex drive — in premenopausal people assigned female at birth.
Drinking alcohol too close to your Addyi dose may lead to fainting due to drastically low blood pressure.
Please talk with your healthcare provider before mixing alcohol and Addyi.
Low sex drive (libido) over time might be normal for many people. However, for some people assigned female at birth, distressing feelings about their low sexual interest — for at least 6 months — might lead to hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). It’s estimated that about 10% of people assigned female at birth experience HSDD.
In addition to feelings of distress or anxiety about low libido, people with HSDD may also experience symptoms of little motivation or desire to take part in sexual activity. Fortunately, there are available treatments for HSDD. If medication is necessary, Addyi (flibanserin) is a possible option for premenopausal people assigned female at birth.
If you begin to take Addyi to help raise your libido, you might be thinking about having a little bit of alcohol on date nights. But before you get ready for these dates, it’s important to understand the possible risks of mixing Addyi and alcohol.
In this article, we’ll discuss alcohol’s effects on libido and Addyi.
What is Addyi?
Addyi is an FDA-approved medication that treats HSDD. Addyi is thought to improve HSDD by influencing the activities of naturally-occurring brain chemicals — mainly serotonin, and sometimes dopamine. However, the way it works isn’t fully understood. Addyi is available as 100 mg tablets to be taken every night at bedtime. A generic version isn’t available yet.
Although Addyi is a potential treatment option for HSDD, this medication is not the go-to choice. In fact, experts recommend saving Addyi until after trying other options.
Your healthcare provider will try to find other possible HSDD causes. Sometimes, the cause could also be another medical condition — like sleeping troubles. Medication and alcohol use can also lead to low libido. Your healthcare provider may try to help alleviate medication or condition-related effects to indirectly help improve libido.
Counseling or support services may also be helpful to discuss potential relationship problems that could be leading to a low sex drive over time.
Can I take Addyi with alcohol?
When Addyi was initially approved, the FDA recommended avoiding alcohol altogether. The FDA also required the manufacturer, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, to perform additional clinical trials (post-approval studies) to learn more about the interaction between Addyi and alcohol.
After obtaining more safety data from these studies, the FDA made changes to its original recommendations. Although the FDA is still concerned about the interaction between Addyi and alcohol, people with HSDD don’t have to completely avoid alcohol while taking this medication.
So, in short, you can drink alcohol with Addyi. But there are limitations, which we’ll discuss next.
Is having one or two drinks OK?
Before you have an alcoholic beverage, it’s important to know what “one drink” means. In the U.S., one standard drink is one of the following:
12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol by volume (ABV)
5 ounces of wine with 12% ABV
1.5 ounces of liquor with 40% ABV
Compared to many medications, there’s more available research about the interaction between alcohol and Addyi. If you’re planning on drinking one or two drinks, wait at least 2 hours before taking Addyi at bedtime.
However, if you’ve had three or more alcoholic drinks in an evening, then skip your Addyi dose. Also, if you already took your Addyi dose for the night, don’t drink any alcoholic beverages until the next day.
Are certain people more at risk when combining Addyi and alcohol?
Everyone experiences different side effects from alcohol — depending on many factors, which may include current medications and health conditions. However, the following people might be at higher risk when combining alcohol and Addyi:
People who have gone through menopause: Addyi isn’t recommended for people who have gone through menopause or older adults over 65 years old. There has been one report of death in a 54-year-old postmenopausal person assigned female at birth — who also had 1 to 3 drinks every day. This individual passed away from a high blood alcohol level after taking Addyi for 14 days. The manufacturer isn’t sure how this happened.
People with liver conditions: The liver is responsible for breaking down Addyi. You should avoid Addyi if you have any degree of liver dysfunction. People with a lower-functioning liver tend to have higher amounts of the medication in their bodies. This puts you at higher risk for serious side effects — especially when mixing alcohol and Addyi.
People who slowly break down Addyi: CYP2C19 is one of the proteins in the liver that helps break down Addyi. If your CYP2C19 protein breaks down Addyi slower than it does in other people, a higher amount of medication will be in your body. This can lead to worse side effects. Although this can affect anybody, people of East Asian descent may be at higher risk. Your healthcare provider can perform a blood test to see if you’re at risk for a CYP2C19 alteration.
How does alcohol interact with Addyi?
Drinking alcohol too close to your Addyi dose might lead to fainting due to extremely low blood pressure.
What are the typical side effects?
In addition to the risk of fainting from low blood pressure, alcohol might worsen the following common side effects for Addyi:
Dizziness
Drowsiness or sleepiness
Dry mouth
Nausea
Sleeping problems
Are there any serious risks or side effects from Addyi?
Serious side effects are possible with Addyi. As mentioned, a serious side effect is fainting due to dangerously low blood pressure. This side effect can happen with or without alcohol. Although moderate sleepiness is a common side effect, it can also be excessive or severe in some cases.
The risk of serious side effects are higher when Addyi is taken during the day or with alcohol. These serious side effects may also worsen with certain medications or herbal supplements. So, if there are any changes to your medications, please talk with a pharmacist or healthcare provider.
When should I seek medical attention?
If you experience any of the following symptoms of dangerously low blood pressure — usually a blood pressure below 90/60 mm Hg — please seek immediate medical attention:
Dizziness and lightheadedness that won’t go away
Blue skin tone
Cold and sweaty skin
Fainting
Rapid breathing
Weak and fast heart beat
When can I start drinking after I’ve stopped taking Addyi?
If you and your healthcare provider decide to stop Addyi, you might be able to safely have an alcoholic beverage the day after your last dose from the previous night.
How long does Addyi stay in your system?
Your body will typically need at least 55 hours (more than 2 days) to completely get rid of Addyi.
However, if you have a liver protein (CYP2C19) that breaks down Addyi slower than in other people, then it might take almost 68 hours (close to 3 days) for most of the medication to clear your body. If your liver isn’t working as well, the time to completely get rid of Addyi rises to more than 5 days.
Are there any similar medications that don’t interact with alcohol?
Bremelanotide (Vyleesi) is another FDA-approved medication to treat HSDD. Vyleesi is thought to work by mimicking another naturally-occurring hormone in the brain — melanocortin. Melanocortin has many functions — one of which includes sexual behaviors. It’s available as an injection under the skin that can be given before sex.
Like Addyi, Vyleesi isn’t a first-choice treatment option for HSDD. But unlike Addyi, Vyleesi doesn’t have serious side effects when combined with alcohol. When people mix Vyleesi and alcohol, they might experience flushing and headaches. However, these side effects — including blood pressure changes — don’t appear to drastically worsen with alcohol.
Although Vyleesi is a potential HSDD medication that doesn’t appear to interact with alcohol, to be safe, please talk with your healthcare provider before taking Vyleesi or Addyi with alcohol.
The bottom line
Addyi is a medication that treats HSDD in premenopausal people assigned female at birth. Addyi has some common side effects — like sleepiness — that alcohol might worsen. Additionally, drinking alcohol too close to your Addyi dose might lead to fainting from dangerously low blood pressure.
Although you don’t need to completely avoid alcohol, there are a number of things to remember when mixing alcohol and Addyi. So, to be safe, it’s recommended you talk with your healthcare provider before drinking alcohol while taking Addyi.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ross earned her doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). Her years of experience practicing in various pharmacy settings also lead to multiple board certifications, including ambulatory care, geriatrics, and pharmacotherapy. She currently serves as the director of the PharmacyChecker international verification program.
Ross also founded Off Script Consults, a pharmacy consulting business. She strives to combine her passion for pharmacy, education, and writing to improve the quality of life and financial outcomes for people with chronic medical conditions, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
She particularly enjoys creating relatable and helpful content for her readers and viewers. For writing samples, please visit her Muck Rack portfolio. For videos, please visit her “Off Script Consults” YouTube channel.
Ross currently resides with her husband and two dogs in her home state of Texas to be closer to family. She also tries to find time for hobbies, which include rock climbing, running, and playing pickle ball.
Find out more about Ross via phone, e-mail, or social media (LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest).