TALKING TO YOUR DOCTOR

Talk to your doctor about the
high-sodium elephant in the room

Patient speaking to a doctor with an elephant (made of salt) in the room

Having an informed discussion—including talking about sodium intake—is important for people with narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic, complicated, and potentially disabling condition. Since there is no cure for narcolepsy, long-term management of symptoms, such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy, may be needed.

As you may know, sodium intake is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. With 131 mg of sodium per maximum recommended 9 g nightly dose, XYWAV is a low-sodium oxybate treatment.

By choosing low-sodium XYWAV over XYREM^® (sodium oxybate) oral solution, a high sodium oxybate, you can treat your cataplexy and/or excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy while also reducing your cardiovascular risk due to excessive sodium intake. That's something to remember for people with narcolepsy who are already 2.5x more likely* to have a stroke^† and 1.6x more likely* to have a heart attack.^†

*Odds ratio.

^†A retrospective analysis of US medical claims data for 9312 people with narcolepsy and a control group of 46,559 without narcolepsy.

I was nervous about starting a new treatment; how it would fit in my schedule, what possible side effects I could have, whether I would be able to take it since I was still taking a stimulant, and just the stress of a new medication. But I'm so happy I talked through my concerns with my doctor and decided to take the leap.”

Grace

Diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1.

Compensated for her time. Results may vary.

The Doctor Discussion Guide can help you have a more informed discussion with your doctor.

This handy guide can help you get the conversation started and address important considerations, including:

Two types of narcolepsy
Cataplexy and EDS in narcolepsy
Long-term health in narcolepsy
Transitioning from XYREM
Sodium content of XYWAV
What to expect/side effects
Available treatment support for XYWAV

Talk to your doctor about XYWAV today. Download the Doctor Discussion Guide to help prepare you for the discussion.

Remember to take it with you to your next visit!

download the guide

Have questions about getting XYWAV? Hear from a doctor who specializes in sleep medicine

Learn about the steps you can take to get XYWAV, whether you have never taken or are currently taking XYREM.

getting xywav

Learn more

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.

Talk to your doctor about the .css-v1ygcs{display:none;}@media (min-width: 768px){.css-v1ygcs{display:block;}}high-sodium elephant in the room