Living with Narcolepsy

Consider your heart health when managing
your narcolepsy

People with narcolepsy are at a greater risk of cardiovascular comorbidities compared to people without narcolepsy

Scroll to view chart

Graphic depicting comorbidities for people with narcolepsy, including 2.5x increased risk† of stroke*, 1.6x increased risk† of heart attack*, ~1.5x increased risk† of high cholesterol†, 2.6x increased risk† of heart failure*, and ~1.3x increased risk† of high blood pressure†

^*Based on an analysis of 9312 people with narcolepsy and 46,559 people without narcolepsy matched by age, sex, geographic region, and payer who had continuous insurance coverage between the years of 2006 and 2010.
^†Based on an interview study of 320 people with narcolepsy compared to 1464 people without narcolepsy matched for age, sex, and body mass index.

^‡Odds ratio

Too much sodium intake may increase the chances of cardiovascular disease

While sodium typically comes from what you eat and drink, it can also come from certain medications

About 9 out of 10 Americans consume
too much sodium*

Sodium intake is a modifiable risk factor

For most adults, reducing excess sodium intake by 1000 mg per day can help reduce the risk for high blood pressure, heart diseases, and stroke.

^*According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 89% of adults in the US aged 19 years and older consume more than the limit of 2300 mg of dietary sodium per day, as recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Other factors may also increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions

For example, some risk factors for cardiovascular disease are "modifiable."
That means you may be able to address them through lifestyle changes. These changes include:

Monitoring sodium is important to me because too much sodium can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. And I know that in general, I have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease since I have narcolepsy. I also have a family history of hypertension.”

Grace

Diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1.

what is xywav

Compensated for her time. Results may vary.

Talk to your doctor about all aspects of your health

When creating a narcolepsy management plan with your doctor, be sure to discuss all aspects of your overall health.
Tips include:

Discuss your exercise habits and lifestyle.

Ask about your diet, including sodium consumption.

Talk about other conditions you may have or may be at risk for.

Get the Discussion Guide

Important Safety Information

WARNING: Taking XYWAV with other central nervous system (CNS) depressants such as medicines used to make you or your child fall asleep, including opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines, sedating antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedating anti-epileptic medicines, general anesthetics, muscle relaxants, alcohol, or street drugs, may cause serious medical problems, including trouble breathing (respiratory depression), low blood pressure (hypotension), changes in alertness (drowsiness), fainting (syncope), and death.

The active ingredient of XYWAV is a form of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Abuse or misuse of illegal GHB alone or with other drugs that cause changes in alertness (or consciousness) has caused serious side effects. These effects include seizures, trouble breathing (respiratory depression), changes in alertness (drowsiness), coma, and death. Call your doctor right away if you or your child has any of these serious side effects.

Because of these risks, you have to go through the XYWAV and XYREM REMS to have your or your child's prescription for XYWAV filled.

Do not take XYWAV if you take or your child takes other sleep medicines or sedatives (medicines that cause sleepiness), drinks alcohol, or has a rare problem called succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.

Keep XYWAV in a safe place to prevent abuse and misuse. Selling or giving away XYWAV may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your doctor if you have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines, or street drugs.

Anyone who takes XYWAV should not do anything that requires them to be fully awake or is dangerous, including driving a car, using heavy machinery, or flying an airplane, for at least 6 hours after taking XYWAV. Those activities should not be done until you know how XYWAV affects you or your child.

XYWAV can cause serious side effects, including the following:

Breathing problems, including slower breathing, trouble breathing, and/or short periods of not breathing while sleeping (sleep apnea). People who already have breathing or lung problems have a higher chance of having breathing problems when they use XYWAV.

Mental health problems, including confusion, seeing or hearing things that are not real (hallucinations), unusual or disturbing thoughts (abnormal thinking), feeling anxious or upset, depression, thoughts of killing yourself or trying to kill yourself, increased tiredness, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, or difficulty concentrating. Tell your doctor if you or your child have or had depression or have tried to harm yourself or themselves. Call your doctor right away if you have or your child has symptoms of mental health problems or a change in weight or appetite.

Sleepwalking. XYWAV can cause sleepwalking, which can cause injuries. Call your doctor if this occurs.

The most common side effects of XYWAV in adults include nausea, headache, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth, parasomnia (a sleep disorder that can include abnormal dreams, abnormal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep paralysis, sleep talking, sleep terror, sleep-related eating disorder, sleepwalking, and other abnormal sleep-related events), somnolence, fatigue, and tremor.

The most common side effects of XYREM (which also contains oxybate like XYWAV) in children include nausea, bedwetting, vomiting, headache, weight decrease, decreased appetite, dizziness, and sleepwalking.

XYWAV can cause physical dependence and craving for the medicine when it is not taken as directed. These are not all the possible side effects of XYWAV.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.