The pharmaceutical industry gifted men with Viagra in March, 1998, and it completely revolutionized the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Up until then, the most user friendly alternative for the treatment of ED was a shot in the penis or a pellet in the urethra. Taking a pill an hour before intercourse changed everything.
Meanwhile, there was very little progress that was made for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction, and hypoactive sexual desire disorder. That changed with the introduction of Addyi, and later Vyleesi in June, 2019. Vyleesi in particular modulates brain pathways with an excellent safety profile and minimum side effects. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-019-01187-w In other words, it works in a completely different pathway compared to pde5-inhibitors.
How Does PT-141 Work?
Pt-141 is a melanocortin receptor agonist. It was the end-product of research intended to allow people to tan without exposure to the sun, by releasing melanocyte stimulating hormone. PT-141 was a happy consequence of that research and was discovered fortuitously. In that way, its discovery was similar to the invention of Viagra.
PT-141 acts more like an aphrodisiac, with responses at the level of the hypothalamus and limbic system. While drugs like Viagra work at the level of the corpora cavernosa, increasing blood flow, PT-141 has an impact on the brain, mimicking the response of “getting turned on.” Â
How Is PT-141 Administered?
The most effective way to administer PT-141 is subcutaneously into a fat pad. The usual dose is 2mg, although sometimes this is administered as two 1 mg doses separated by 30 minutes.
Is PT-141 Commercially Available?
Vyleesi is FDA approved for premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder that causes distress. Vlessi is sold as an autoinjector of 1.75 mg/0.3 ml. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/210557s000lbl.pdf
What Are The Side Effects Of PT-141?
Nausea, flushing, injection site reactions, headache and vomiting occur in less than 4% of patients. It can cause a rise in blood pressure and decrease in heart rate. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension or cardiac disease should not use Vyleesi.
How Often Can Vyleesi Be Used?
PT-141 should not be used more than 8 times per month.
How Much Does Vyleesi Cost?
With coupons that are readily available online, the cost of Vyleesi is $230-$250. https://hellohippo.com/vyleesi
Use of PT-141 In Men
Pt-141 has been studied in men, although it is not FDA approved for use in men. Molinoff and associates f reported in 2006 that administration of PT-141 resulted in dose dependent erections in both normal men and men with erectile dysfunction. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb03167.x
Furthermore, it has been reported that PT-141 is effective even in treating patients who previously failed to respond to Viagra. In the same study, even using doses as high as 10mg, it was reported that the medication was well tolerated. Evaluation of the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects of subcutaneously administered PT-141, a melanocortin receptor agonist, in healthy male subjects and in patients with an inadequate response to Viagra