What Is Bremelanotide and How Does It Work?

What exactly is bremelanotide and how does it work? Find out everything you need to know about its purpose and benefits right here.

1 in 10 women has HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder).

The disorder is defined as the absence of sexual thoughts and fantasies and the absence of the desire for sexual activity. Due to the lack of these feelings and desires, the disorder often leads to difficulties or distress within a woman’s life or a relationship.

Some women have a low libido but do not have any distress with their partner. The distress is a sure component of HSDD.

If you suffer from a low sex drive and want to make a change, bremelanotide may be able to help. To learn more about it and how it works, keep reading!

What Causes HSDD?

There isn’t one defining cause of HSDD. In fact, there are many causes. Some of the causes of HSDD are:

• Relationship issues
• Body image issues
• Depression or anxiety
• Stress
• Low sex hormone levels
• Tiredness
• Sexual trauma in one’s past
• Medical issues such as heart problems, MS, bladder problems, or cancer
• Certain medicines like blood pressure medicine, antidepressants, or chemotherapy
• Recent pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding

Sometimes, there’s an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. As a result, this inequality, or lack of chemicals, can inhibit sexual excitement and desire.

What Is Bremelanotide?

Bremelanotide is a medicine used to treat women with HSDD. It falls within a class of medications called melanocortin receptor agonists. It works by activating specific natural substances in the brain.

Those substances control thoughts and moods, and can help improve women’s low libido.

The medicine binds to the melanocortin receptors in the brain. These receptors play a significant role in biological functions, such as food intake, pain regulation, and metabolism. It’s unclear how exactly the drug works to boost sexual desire, but the leading theory is that it increases dopamine in the brain.

Who Should Use Bremelanotide?

While bremelanotide is an excellent option to treat a woman’s low sex drive, it’s not for everyone. To reiterate, some of the loose requirements for women to try the medicine are:

• They have not experienced menopause
• They have not had issues with low sexual desire in the past
• Their low sexual desire isn’t due to medical or mental health issues
• Their low sexual desire isn’t because of another type of drug use

Patients with heart disease or low blood pressure shouldn’t use bremelanotide. Also, if there isn’t an improvement in sexual desire and related distress within 8 weeks, patients should stop taking bremelanotide.

Bremelanotide is a treatment for low libido that is generally used for women but can also be used for men.

How Is the Medicine Used?

Bremelanotide comes as a solution in a pre-filled injection device. You inject it under the skin at least 45 minutes before sexual activity.

Each patient talks to their doctor about the best time to inject bremelanotide. This will depend on how your body reacts to the medication and whether or not you experience any side effects.

Always follow your doctor’s directions carefully, and don’t use more than what’s prescribed by your doctor. Use the injection precisely as specified, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions.

Don’t use more than 8 doses of bremelanotide injection within a given month, and don’t use more than 1 dose in a 24-hour period. Make sure your doctor or pharmacist shows you how to inject it properly before your first use.

It should come as a pre-filled automatic injection device.

Don’t ever share or reuse devices, and be sure to discard any used automatic injection devices in a puncture-resistant container. Make sure the box is out of reach of children and that you know how to discard it correctly.

When you inject bremelanotide, you’ll do so on the front of the thigh or into the skin of your stomach area. Be sure to avoid the 2-inch area surrounding your belly button, though. Don’t ever inject into areas where your skin is sore, irritated, red, hard, bruised, or scarred.

Choose a different injection site each time. Don’t ever inject through your clothes, either.

Before you inject your bremelanotide solution, look at it and make sure it’s free and clear of particles. Don’t ever use the solution if it’s colored, cloudy, or contains particles.

What Are the Side Effects of Bremelanotide?

Some people experience minor side effects when using bremelanotide. If yours are severe or persistent, be sure to talk to your doctor. Some side effects you may encounter while using bremelanotide are:

• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Headache
• Flushing
• Cough
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Nasal stuffiness
• Redness, bruising, pain, itching, tingling, or numbness in the injection site area

Even though nausea is the most common side effect, it usually only occurs after the first dose and lasts for about 2 hours.

Bremelanotide Could Alleviate Your Low Libido

Many women suffer from low libido. Low libido is caused by many different factors, such as low sex hormones, depression, anxiety, stress, certain medications, past sexual trauma, recent pregnancy, and various medical conditions.

Whatever the cause of your low libido, if you lack sexual desire and it’s causing you distress, bremelanotide could be precisely what you need.

The medicine is easy to use, but make sure you talk to your doctor about how to inject it and what dosage to use. Don’t ever use more than the recommended dose, and be sure to check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

Are you ready to learn more about bremelanotide and find out how it could benefit you?

Contact us at (509) 474-0597 to set up an appointment so that we can help!