Finally, an accurate and honest review of what really happened once Sprout worked so hard championing for women to get the FDA approval of ADDYI.
Years of hard work, clinical studies and women waiting patiently...only to have their dreams destroyed by "the process". If you have been following this story, please read to gain some clarity and understanding of what really happened.
I, for one, am still getting my ADDYI filled and continue to champion for women like myself who suffer from HSDD.
Critics can say what they want but until they walk a mile in my shoes, I hope they refrain from passing judgement, offering me their "cures" or trying to tell me I just need "TALK THERAPY". Hello?? If it were that easy I would have been cured years ago!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/business/female-viagra-addyi-valeant-dysfunction.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0
Monday, April 11, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Life BEFORE, DURING & hopefully never AFTER ADDYI
It's a breezy Sunday afternoon here in Nashville and my husband and I are heading out for a walk. After receiving a message from someone who read my blog, it occurred to me that it has been months since I posted an update and I apologize.
Life with six kids, five dogs, a husband and extended family has been busy, but good! As with most women, it is easy to become bogged down in the every day hustle of life and fail to give certain areas of your life much needed attention.
So, here I am, taking a moment to reflect on these past six months back on ADDYI and provide updates or insights into my progress.
I am ecstatic to report that, yes, the second time around ADDYI has restored my lack of desire back to where it was several years ago when this process started. And, once again, with minimal or no side effects! Once again "wanting to want" my husband is a reality and those sporadic, erotic thoughts enter my mind on random occasions with no "trigger" necessary. It is good to be back.
Having said that, I will also share that unlike when I was on the clinical trial, when my now husband and I lived in two separate homes with 2 and 4 children respectively, we are now all under one roof and happily married. With that comes a new set of challenges, however, that were absent before.
Where we used to have every other weekend "alone" and the privacy of our home, we now seem to have little, if any, alone time. Between the six children (we have three in college and three in high school) and the regular routine of weekends with or without kids has sort of gone out the window. So, where we were used to having known "alone" times, we now often are surprised by an unexpected visitor. Of course we are delighted to have one of our collegiates back home, but it does pose a challenge for our intimate times.
As I have always said, and as the company has said, ADDYI is not an aphrodisiac and will not cure a relationship problem or work in the face of surprise visitors or complicated schedules. So I interject here that while ADDYI works beautifully, there are times when it's effects are not apparent...as in the above mentioned times. The good news about that is, when the house is once again quiet or the crisis is over, ADDYI is still in my system and once again rescues my desire.
It is very much like a flower that blooms and thrives in the sunlight but when the sun goes down it withers up and is no longer shining in the light. Once the clouds or darkness lifts, the chemicals inside the flower respond to the light exposure again and the bud once again blooms. So does my desire...ADDYI has restored it and it is there, ready and waiting. What a relief to know that my flower can and does bloom and I "want to want" again.
So, for those wondering, I am not hyper-sexual and we are not having sex 24/7...and we did not expect to be. We have found our new normal now that we have combined households and live with six children, six dogs, 3 cats and a partridge in a pear tree! :-) ADDYI was and continues to be instrumental in maintaining that normal for us!
Honestly, without ADDYI, I am confident that my "want to want" would once again disappear and life with these new norms would be distressing...as distressing as it was 5 years ago before ADDYI first appeared into our lives. I never miss a pill, it is as important a part of my day as taking my vitamins and brushing my teeth. I am comfortable with it's safety, confident in it's efficacy and committed to never sinking back into the hole of guilt and shame I felt before and after the clinical trial.
Life is Good!
If you are still contemplating speaking with someone or think you might have HSDD, please feel free to reach out to me for a referring physician...
Life with six kids, five dogs, a husband and extended family has been busy, but good! As with most women, it is easy to become bogged down in the every day hustle of life and fail to give certain areas of your life much needed attention.
So, here I am, taking a moment to reflect on these past six months back on ADDYI and provide updates or insights into my progress.
I am ecstatic to report that, yes, the second time around ADDYI has restored my lack of desire back to where it was several years ago when this process started. And, once again, with minimal or no side effects! Once again "wanting to want" my husband is a reality and those sporadic, erotic thoughts enter my mind on random occasions with no "trigger" necessary. It is good to be back.
Having said that, I will also share that unlike when I was on the clinical trial, when my now husband and I lived in two separate homes with 2 and 4 children respectively, we are now all under one roof and happily married. With that comes a new set of challenges, however, that were absent before.
Where we used to have every other weekend "alone" and the privacy of our home, we now seem to have little, if any, alone time. Between the six children (we have three in college and three in high school) and the regular routine of weekends with or without kids has sort of gone out the window. So, where we were used to having known "alone" times, we now often are surprised by an unexpected visitor. Of course we are delighted to have one of our collegiates back home, but it does pose a challenge for our intimate times.
As I have always said, and as the company has said, ADDYI is not an aphrodisiac and will not cure a relationship problem or work in the face of surprise visitors or complicated schedules. So I interject here that while ADDYI works beautifully, there are times when it's effects are not apparent...as in the above mentioned times. The good news about that is, when the house is once again quiet or the crisis is over, ADDYI is still in my system and once again rescues my desire.
It is very much like a flower that blooms and thrives in the sunlight but when the sun goes down it withers up and is no longer shining in the light. Once the clouds or darkness lifts, the chemicals inside the flower respond to the light exposure again and the bud once again blooms. So does my desire...ADDYI has restored it and it is there, ready and waiting. What a relief to know that my flower can and does bloom and I "want to want" again.
So, for those wondering, I am not hyper-sexual and we are not having sex 24/7...and we did not expect to be. We have found our new normal now that we have combined households and live with six children, six dogs, 3 cats and a partridge in a pear tree! :-) ADDYI was and continues to be instrumental in maintaining that normal for us!
Honestly, without ADDYI, I am confident that my "want to want" would once again disappear and life with these new norms would be distressing...as distressing as it was 5 years ago before ADDYI first appeared into our lives. I never miss a pill, it is as important a part of my day as taking my vitamins and brushing my teeth. I am comfortable with it's safety, confident in it's efficacy and committed to never sinking back into the hole of guilt and shame I felt before and after the clinical trial.
Life is Good!
If you are still contemplating speaking with someone or think you might have HSDD, please feel free to reach out to me for a referring physician...
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Butterfly Kisses
So today marks my first day of the second month back on ADDYI!
As I left town Tuesday night, I left a card on my husband's pillow. Guess what it was covered with? BUTTERFLIES!!! Symbolic for my "flutters" I get while on Addyi!
Last week he got a larger than life butterfly on his bathroom mirror.
Today, I texted him a picture of a bottle of his new favorite beer, NOONER. My question was, NOONER or LATER??
She's baaacccckkkkkk!
Interestingly, I was asked yesterday what exactly was a "flutter" if it wasn't in my heart? I was a bit caught off guard because I guess I assumed it was self explanatory. But in case you are wondering, it is similar, I would imagine, to the feeling men get when they see a pretty girl and begin to get aroused. There is definitely a rush of blood to my V and simultaneous subtle but real contractions which are involuntary. Signaling that, hey, I'm in the mood!!
It is totally refreshing to have that sense of desire again, even if not everyday. It's never been about every day or achieving a hyper sexual state. It's ALWAYS been about getting back those flutters that I used to have years ago.
No, they don't happen every day.
No, that's not the only thing I feel.
Yes, I have thoughts and daydreams again about being with my husband.
Yes, I have the desire again to journey out and leave him romantic and intimate reminders that hey, honey, I love you and I WANT you.
I officially want to want again, HALLELUJAH!!
5 years of struggling is now over and we're ON THE ROAD AGAIN!! Destination Who Cares!!!
If you are still struggling and have not spoken with your doctor, please do. It is critical that you speak honestly and frankly with your provider and NOT listen to all the garbage in the news. Somewhere in between all the negativity (fear of the unknown) and the advocacy (experienced users) lies an opportunity for you! But you will never know if you don't ask about HSDD, if you are a candidate for ADDYI and actually take it for a while.
Happy Endings are the bomb!!
As I left town Tuesday night, I left a card on my husband's pillow. Guess what it was covered with? BUTTERFLIES!!! Symbolic for my "flutters" I get while on Addyi!
Last week he got a larger than life butterfly on his bathroom mirror.
Today, I texted him a picture of a bottle of his new favorite beer, NOONER. My question was, NOONER or LATER??
She's baaacccckkkkkk!
Interestingly, I was asked yesterday what exactly was a "flutter" if it wasn't in my heart? I was a bit caught off guard because I guess I assumed it was self explanatory. But in case you are wondering, it is similar, I would imagine, to the feeling men get when they see a pretty girl and begin to get aroused. There is definitely a rush of blood to my V and simultaneous subtle but real contractions which are involuntary. Signaling that, hey, I'm in the mood!!
It is totally refreshing to have that sense of desire again, even if not everyday. It's never been about every day or achieving a hyper sexual state. It's ALWAYS been about getting back those flutters that I used to have years ago.
No, they don't happen every day.
No, that's not the only thing I feel.
Yes, I have thoughts and daydreams again about being with my husband.
Yes, I have the desire again to journey out and leave him romantic and intimate reminders that hey, honey, I love you and I WANT you.
I officially want to want again, HALLELUJAH!!
5 years of struggling is now over and we're ON THE ROAD AGAIN!! Destination Who Cares!!!
If you are still struggling and have not spoken with your doctor, please do. It is critical that you speak honestly and frankly with your provider and NOT listen to all the garbage in the news. Somewhere in between all the negativity (fear of the unknown) and the advocacy (experienced users) lies an opportunity for you! But you will never know if you don't ask about HSDD, if you are a candidate for ADDYI and actually take it for a while.
Happy Endings are the bomb!!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Return of the FLUTTER
Let me tell you a story about a girl named 'Manda
She's waited 5 long years for to get a helping handa!
And then last week as she was driving down the road
She got that certain feeling that was her special code.
FLUTTER, that is! Spontaneous, Thrilling!!
So, here's my update!
Last Friday, day 17 of beginning Addyi again, my husband came home for lunch. Not to HAVE me for lunch ( as I suggested 5 years ago when I was on the trial) but simply to eat.
As he sat at our kitchen table, I was busy working at our computer helping a child with a school project.
We chatted back and forth as I worked and he ate but I literally had no time to even stop and visit.
He left and I ventured to the school to drop the project off. I know, I know...but I was only retyping what he did!! :-)
About halfway to school, I felt it! That familiar flutter I had felt years ago when I first realized ADDYI was working! Same time of day but totally spontaneous. Somewhere among the hustle and bustle of computer work and my husband eating his sandwich, my mind began thinking without me even knowing it. Not until he had been gone a few minutes did those receptors in my brain send the signal down south and voila! A FLUTTER!!!
Quickly and without hesitation, I texted him the following..."Guess what????"
His response??? "I LOVE Butterflies!! They F L U T T E R their wings!!"
3 days later, while driving to the doctor this morning, another one!
I cannot begin to tell you how exhilarating it is to experience this return and needless to say, so is my hubby!!
We cannot wait for the next few weeks to see how things progress but as we are heading into the holidays, this woman is going to twinkle like the lights on the tree without him having to "plug me in". I have once again recaptured my own source of energy and desire!
Welcome back, desire!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
It's not easy talking about SSS EEE XXX
Struggling with bringing the subject of low desire up with your partner or health care provider?
Here's an excellent discussion by Lisa Larkin, MD and scientific director of Even the Score.
I know Lisa personally and she is completely articulate and understanding of FSD/HSDD.
Take a minute to read and gain a few pearls of wisdom from her before initiating the conversation! Help is available with ADDYI but also in support of your journey.
https://storify.com/Eventhescore/askets
Here's an excellent discussion by Lisa Larkin, MD and scientific director of Even the Score.
I know Lisa personally and she is completely articulate and understanding of FSD/HSDD.
Take a minute to read and gain a few pearls of wisdom from her before initiating the conversation! Help is available with ADDYI but also in support of your journey.
https://storify.com/Eventhescore/askets
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
ADDYI to the rescue!
After 5 long years, today makes day 7 of being back on ADDYI!
I am so happy to report, again, no side effects!!!
I will be happier to report, in a week or so more, that the ONE side effect is RETURN of DESIRE!
A few reminders for those that are taking it for the first time from one who has taken it:
1) Take only ONE pill at BEDTIME
2) If you forget you dose, don't take it the next morning...wait until next night
3) It is not Viagra so don't expect it to work quickly. Rather enjoy the thoughts of feeling that flutter again....ANTICIPATION!!
4) Don't drink...for me choice between alcohol and sex drive??? NO BRAINER!!
5) If you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime!
Cannot wait to hear your success stories!!
Desparately Seeking Desire-----soon to be Have Sex Drive, Will Initiate Again!!
I am so happy to report, again, no side effects!!!
I will be happier to report, in a week or so more, that the ONE side effect is RETURN of DESIRE!
A few reminders for those that are taking it for the first time from one who has taken it:
1) Take only ONE pill at BEDTIME
2) If you forget you dose, don't take it the next morning...wait until next night
3) It is not Viagra so don't expect it to work quickly. Rather enjoy the thoughts of feeling that flutter again....ANTICIPATION!!
4) Don't drink...for me choice between alcohol and sex drive??? NO BRAINER!!
5) If you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime!
Cannot wait to hear your success stories!!
Desparately Seeking Desire-----soon to be Have Sex Drive, Will Initiate Again!!
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Here's the INSIDE scoop on ADDYI
A brief, yet accurate portrayal of what my time on ADDYI was like in 2009-2010 and what we know will return in a few weeks!
Day 4 back on ADDYI and the countdown to DESIRE is on!
Have you started yours? Message me with questions or comments....would love to hear your experiences on ADDYI!
It's time to upgrade your sex life and get your sexy BACK ON!!
http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/12540-meet-the-woman-using-female-viagra-to-spice-up-her-relationship-i-felt-that-flutter
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