Can I take Addyi while drinking alcohol?
Women taking Addyi can drink alcohol, BUT only under certain circumstances. Taking Addyi and alcohol together close in time increases the risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting.
Women who take Addyi should wait at least two hours after consuming one or two standard alcoholic drinks before taking Addyi at bedtime, or skip their Addyi dose altogether if they have consumed three or more alcoholic drinks that evening.
Once the dose of Addyi has been taken at bedtime, no more alcohol should be consumed until the following day.
Examples of 1 standard alcoholic drink include:
- one 12-ounce regular beer
- 5 ounces of wine
- 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits or shot
What is Addyi?
Addyi is a prescription medicine used to treat hypoactive (low) sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women who have not gone through menopause.
When Addyi was first approved in 2015, the product label carried a Boxed Warning advising women taking Addyi not to drink ANY form of alcohol because of the risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting (loss of consciousness).
In April 2019, the FDA ordered changes to Addyi’s labeling to clarify that while there was still concern about consuming alcohol close in time to taking Addyi, it does not have to be avoided completely.
References
- Food and Drug Administration. Addy Product Label. Available at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/022526s009lbl.pdf [Accessed February 11, 2021]
Drug information
- Addyi Information for Consumers
- Addyi prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Addyi (detailed)
Related support groups
- Addyi (4 questions, 12 members)
- Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (4 questions, 27 members)
