Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to sexual enhancement.
Scream Cream is a female sexual enhancement product that’s used on the skin. It requires a prescription, and is sold at a variety of online retailers.
But is Scream Cream actually proven to improve sexual function in women? Is it dangerous? Does it cause side effects? And how does Scream Cream compare to other popular women's sexual health products like Ristela?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Scream Cream to give our take on whether or not it’s likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also discuss side effects, and compare Scream Cream to other popular women's sexual health products to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- We can't find evidence any active ingredients are effective
- Scream Cream may cause side effects
- We do not currently recommend Scream Cream
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Scream Cream sold by CareFirst Pharmacy (which claims on their website to be a nationally accredited compounding pharmacy), are shown below:
image source: https://www.cfspharmacy.pharmacy/scream-cream
We’ve seen different Scream Cream ingredient lists across different online retailers, which raises red flags in our opinion.
Aminophylline is the first-listed ingredient, and seems like a very strange choice for a sexual enhancement cream, as it’s a bronchodilator, meaning it prevents airway obstruction when inhaled.
We can’t find any clinical evidence that topical aminophylline improves sexual function in women, nor can we even find any clinical trials even testing it for this effect.
L-arginine is an amino acid, and while a 2021 medical review concluded that this compound may be effective at increasing libido in women when administered orally.
However, we can’t find any evidence it’s effective when administered topically, nor does the pharmacy mentioned above cite any on their product page.
Testosterone is a male sex hormone, as we documented in our Weider Prime review article.
We haven’t come across any medical studies suggesting that topical testosterone is effective or safe in women for improving sexual drive or performance.
It’s also notable that Scream Cream does not appear to be clinically tested, which raises questions about long-term safety.
Overall, we cannot find any evidence suggesting that Scream Cream is effective, and we do not currently recommend this product.
Is Scream Cream Dangerous?
As stated in the ingredient analysis section, Scream Cream does not appear to be clinically tested. It’s also not currently FDA-approved, both of which may increase the potential for side effects since there is a lack of research on the safety of these ingredients combined.
The fact that Scream Cream is topical may reduce the risk of severe side effects compared to oral medication, because less of the active ingredients may be absorbed.
Testosterone may cause acne and hair loss in women, among other side effects, according to a medical review published in the Systematic Reviews journal.
It’s unclear if these effects occur during transdermal use, or only with oral testosterone.
Pentoxifylline can cause dizziness, headache, anxiety and confusion as documented in a 2014 medical review.
Overall, we’re unable to make any specific determination about the likelihood of side effects for Scream Cream, which is why it seems so risky.
We’d certainly recommend that patients speak with a doctor about using these ingredients topically and potential risks.
Scream Cream vs. Women's Libido Products
Here's how Scream Cream compares to other popular women's libido products, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion: test
Flibanserin
Flibanserin is a prescription medication which is clinically shown to increase satisfying sexual events in women by 0.5 per month.
This drug has also been shown in clinical trials to cause fatigue, and its label has a "black box" warning indicating risk of severe side effects when taken concurrently with alcohol.
We consider Scream Cream to be the safer choice.
Winner: Scream Cream
Ristela
Contains one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy, as we documented in our Ristela reviews article.
However, this supplement contains multiple research-backed active ingredients for improving sex drive in women, and we consider its formulation to be safer due to the lack of hormones.
Winner: Ristela
Pink Pussycat Pill
This supplement brand received an FDA warning related to unapproved drug ingredients hidden in the product.
Scream Cream is the safer choice by a significant margin.
Winner: Scream Cream
Our Clean Women's Libido Picks
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top libido pick.
A meta-study on natural products for treating female sexual dysfunction found that Panax ginseng was effective for improving sexual arousal and sexual desire in women.
MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top value women's libido pick.
Vitamin D was shown to improve sexual desire, orgasm and satisfaction in young women with low vitamin D status in a 2018 clinical trial.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of unhealthy ingredients.
Scream Cream Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Topical use may be safer than oral
- Compounded by pharmacies
- Safer than some competitors
Cons:
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Active ingredient concentrations not published
- No information about inactive ingredients
- Different online pharmacies sell different formulations
- Not FDA-approved
- No proof of efficacy
- No long-term proof of safety
- We can’t identify any active ingredients we consider effective
