Instead of buying it at a retail pharmacy, the drugs are mailed from a central pharmacy. Because of high safety concerns associated with the medication (many nonmedical professionals better know it as the “date rape drug”), the distribution of sodium oxybate is tightly controlled, notes American Family Physician.Īccording to MedlinePlus, the drugs are only available through a restricted distribution program called the Xywav and Xyrem REMS Program. Sodium Oxybate (Xyrem or Xywav) Sodium oxybate, which is also known as gamma hydroxybutyrate or GHB, is a strong sedative that gets taken before and during nightly sleep for people with narcolepsy to help reduce daytime sleepiness during waking hours, as well as cataplexy.These medications generally tend to produce fewer side effects than amphetamines, but they can cause high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, and heart rhythm irregularities. Antidepressants can help suppress rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which may help reduce cataplexy, as cataplexy is likely related to the abnormal REM sleep and sleep paralysis signals that can occur during wakeful states in people with narcolepsy. Antidepressants, Such as V enlafaxine (Effexor) and F luoxetine (Prozac) Venlafaxine and fluoxetine have have been found to be effective in controlling cataplexy, as have tricyclics such as imipramine (Tofranil) and desipramine.Your doctor may also recommend these medications to help with cataplexy: Careful monitoring is advised when these medications are used. “You may also build up tolerance and need higher and higher doses to get benefits,” Bogan says. Such negative side effects with amphetamines and stimulants can include: irregular heartbeat, irritability, nervousness, and potential for addiction and abuse. However, Bogan says amphetamines and other stimulants are used less often since newer narcolepsy drugs with fewer negative side effects have become available.
Some most commonly used for narcolepsy are also used to treat ADHD, such as Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine), a mixture of amphetamines and dextroamphetamine ( Adderall), and methylphenidate (Ritalin). Amphetamines and Similar Stimulants These medications can be helpful in promoting wakefulness by increasing levels of dopamine as well as serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.Sunosi (solriamfetol) Also FDA-approved for adults with narcolepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness in 2019, solriamfetol is thought to work by keeping the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine active.It can also help reduce episodes of cataplexy. In the brain, histamine activates brain cells that promote alertness and inhibits neurons that promote sleep. Called an oral histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist, pitolisant works on histamine circuits in the brain to improve wakefulness, Dr. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 for excessive daytime sleepiness in adults with narcolepsy. Wakix (pitolisant) This drug was approved by the U.S.Modafinil is usually prescribed before other stimulants because it’s less addictive and has fewer side effects. Provigil (modafinil) This is a central nervous system stimulant that can help reduce daytime sleepiness and make you feel more alert.To improve alertness and reduce daytime sleepiness, your doctor may suggest: Bogan, MD, associate clinical professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of the sleep diagnostic company SleepMed, based in Columbia, South Carolina. For most individuals who have narcolepsy, medications can help with some of the disorder’s most burdensome symptoms, according to Richard K.
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