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Key takeaways
Addyi is one of only two prescription medications FDA-approved to treat hypoactive sexual dysfunction disorder in pre-menopausal women.
As a brand-name drug, Addyi costs over $1,000 per month and is often not covered by health insurance.
To avoid the cost of Addyi, non-pharmacological options are available, including behavioral therapy and lifestyle modifications.
Using a SingleCare discount card and comparing pharmacy prices are two options for reducing the out-of-pocket cost of Addyi.
Addyi (flibanserin) is a prescription medication used to treat low sexual desire in pre-menopausal women (hypoactive sexual desire disorder or HSDD). Without insurance, Addyi costs $1,173 for 30, 100 mg tablets. Although there are no generic or over-the-counter alternatives, there are several ways to make an Addyi prescription more affordable.
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Different pharmacies offer different prices for the same medication. SingleCare helps find the best price for you.
How much does Addyi cost without insurance?
Addyi’s average cash price is $1,173 for 30, 100 mg tablets for people without insurance coverage. Each tablet costs $39. Addyi must be taken daily for weeks or months in order to work. Much like an antidepressant, the active ingredient in Addyi changes the chemical balance of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. It takes four weeks for its effects to be noticeable and may take longer to produce its maximum benefits. This means Addyi treatment could add up to approximately $14,000 if it continues for a year.
Unlike erectile dysfunction treatment for men, such as Viagra, pharmacological options specific to the management of low libido in women are limited. Besides Addyi, Vyleesi (bremelanotide) is the only other drug FDA-approved to treat low sex drive in pre-menopausal women. It’s administered as an injection and taken as-needed 45 minutes before sexual encounters. The cash price for Vyleesi is more than $2,000 for eight doses, the maximum number of doses recommended per month.
Doctors sometimes use drugs off-label to treat HSDD, including the antidepressant bupropion or the male sex hormone testosterone. Both are effective, but testosterone has worrisome side effects. The only other pharmacological treatment options are over-the-counter supplements, which are not proven therapies.
A variety of other treatment options are available to improve low libido, including lifestyle modifications, cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling, relationship therapy, or other types of psychotherapy. An underlying medical condition may be causing the symptoms. Possible causes include low estrogen levels, underactive thyroid, high prolactin levels, depression, or other mental health conditions. Treating the underlying condition may improve sexual interest and activity.
Sexual performance may also be affected by current medications, so get medical advice from a healthcare professional who can help review prescription drugs and herbal supplements that may be contributing to low libido. For instance, many antidepressants cause sexual dysfunction, including SSRIs, SNRIs, and tricyclic antidepressants. Prescribers could lower the dose or switch to antidepressants that either do not cause sexual dysfunction or have a less severe effect on libido. Options include bupropion, mirtazapine, nefazodone, vilazodone, and vortioxetine.
How much does generic Addyi cost?
Addyi is currently only available as a brand-name drug. A generic version of Addyi will not be available until 2028 at the earliest.
Compare Addyi prices to related drugs |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Drug name | Price without insurance of brand-name drug | SingleCare price | Savings options |
| Addyi (flibanserin) | $1,173 per 30, 100 mg tablets | $930 per 30, 100 mg tablets of brand-name Addyi | See latest prices |
| Vyleesi (bremelanotide acetate) | $2,252 per 8, 4 mL of 1.75 mg/0.3 mL pens | $1,907 per 8, 4 mL of 1.75 mg/0.3 mL pens of brand-name Vyleesi | See latest prices |
| Ristela (French maritime pine bark extract, L-arginine, L-citrulline, rose hip extract) | $41 per 60 tablets (30-day supply) | $24 per 30 tablets of brand-name Ristela | See latest prices |
Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs (unless otherwise specified). The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the “Savings options” link to see the latest drug prices.
Is Addyi covered by insurance?
Addyi is not usually covered by commercial health insurance, but some plans do, such as Cigna or Anthem, sometimes as a non-formulary drug. Medicare plans do not generally cover Addyi since the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for use in women past menopause. Medicaid coverage will vary by state.
Addyi copays will vary by plan, but insurance plans generally place Addyi in higher copay tiers, including non-preferred or non-formulary tiers.
How to get Addyi covered by insurance
Insurance companies will likely turn down an Addyi prescription because they don’t cover it. The only recourse is to file a formulary exception. The first step is to talk to an insurance representative to determine what paperwork the prescriber must submit.
If Addyi is covered, it could be turned down because not all the diagnostic criteria are met, or prior authorization is needed. Meeting the diagnostic criteria is challenging. To qualify as a legitimate diagnosis, low sexual desire in a woman must be acquired (experienced for the first time), be generalized (occurs no matter what the circumstances), cause distress, and have nothing to do with physical problems, mental health problems, drugs, or relationship issues. That last requirement—that low sexual desire is not due to other problems—is difficult to demonstrate and requires a thorough history and lab tests. The insurance provider may have additional criteria. For perspective, see UnitedHealthcare’s requirements here.
Prior authorization involves the prescriber providing evidence that all the requirements for treatment and coverage are met before the drug is authorized.
Refills will be denied if the medicine doesn’t work or if quantity limits are exceeded.
How to get Addyi without insurance
Premium-priced medications like Addyi can be challenging to pay for month after month. Fortunately, there are alternatives to paying the full price of your Addyi prescription without insurance. Manufacturer coupons and patient assistance programs are sometimes available, but eligibility is not always a sure thing. Here are some more dependable ways to save money on Addyi:
1. Use a SingleCare discount card
A SingleCare discount card may help reduce the cost of Addyi from $1,173 per month to as low as $930 per month at participating pharmacies, a savings of $260. The savings could add up to more than $3000 in a year. Visit SingleCare’s Addyi coupons page to find the best price. While there, make sure to sign up for SingleCare’s loyalty program. You can earn bonus savings on Addyi refills and other drugs.
2. Compare prices at multiple pharmacies
Prices for Addyi vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. Scope out different pharmacies to see where you can get the lowest price and maximum savings. Pharmacies may also provide discounts or savings offers, so make sure to speak to your pharmacist.
3. Try non-pharmacologic approaches
If cost is a barrier to Addyi, ask your healthcare provider about non-pharmacological alternatives like psychotherapy, sexual counseling, or relationship therapy to better address potential causes of low libido.
4. Ask the prescriber about underlying conditions
The prescriber will try to identify possible underlying conditions that cause low libido, including low estrogen levels, other hormone disorders, mental health problems, diabetes, and liver disease. Addyi works by changing brain chemistry, not by fixing any underlying cause. If it hasn’t been tried, talk to the prescriber about testing hormone levels or assessing for mental health or physical problems.
5. Ask about supplements or alternative treatments
Alternative treatments may also be effective. A hormone-free dietary supplement known as Ristela has been used to improve sexual health in women. Other alternative treatments, such as mindfulness exercises or meditation, can address some of the factors that contribute to low sexual desire.
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- Addyi, Sprout Pharmaceuticals
- Addyi drug patent profile, Drug Patent Watch
- Addyi flibanserin tablet prescribing information, DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine)
- Antidepressant-induced female sexual dysfunction, Mayo Clinic Proceedings
- Antidepressants: which cause the fewest side effects?, Mayo Clinic
- Female sexual interest and arousal disorder, StatPearls
- United Healthcare Addyi coverage criteria, United Healthcare
- Vyleesi bremelanotide injection prescribing information, DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine)