Narcolepsy & Cardiovascular Risk

Narcolepsy is a chronic, potentially
debilitating condition

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There are 2 types of narcolepsy:

narcolepsy type 1 and type 2

People with narcolepsy type 1
and people with type 2 experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), the uncontrollable need to sleep during the day.

People with narcolepsy type 1 also have cataplexy, a brief loss of muscle control that can happen when you feel a strong emotion.

Cardiovascular conditions have been found to occur more often in people with narcolepsy

Compared to the general population, people with narcolepsy have:

Compared to the general population, people with narcolepsy have:
Year study was published:	2013	2017	2024
Number of people with narcolepsy in the study:	320	9,312	34,562
Average age of participants:	40	46	40

^*Odds ratio.
^†Based on an interview-based study of 320 people with narcolepsy to 1464 people without narcolepsy matched for age, sex, and body mass index.
^‡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 years of 2006 and 2010.
^§Hazard ratio.
^‖Based on an analysis of 34,562 people with narcolepsy and 100,405 people without narcolepsy matched by presence of relevant health conditions, including sleep apnea and diabetes.

1,000 mg of extra sodium a day can have a significant impact on heart health—an especially important consideration for people with narcolepsy

It's important to remember that, simply by having the condition, people with narcolepsy have a higher risk for cardiovascular problems. Consuming too much sodium is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In addition to food and drinks, sodium may also come from certain medications.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine determined that each 1,000-mg increase in daily sodium levels was associated with an 18% increase in cardiovascular risk. The sodium intake of study participants was measured by evaluating 24-hour urine samples.*

^*Study Design: Researchers combined data from six studies involving a total of 10,709 people to see how sodium intake affects cardiovascular risk. Participants provided multiple 24-hour urine samples, the most accurate way to measure sodium intake. The main outcome was whether participants experienced any major heart or blood vessel events, such as heart procedures, heart attacks, or strokes, within approximately 8 to 11 years since the studies began.

Other factors may also increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions

You may be able to address your risk factors for cardiovascular disease through lifestyle changes, including:

Smoking

Physical activity

Diet

Body weight

It's important to me to monitor sodium because too much can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. I have a higher risk already since I have narcolepsy. I also have a family history of hypertension."

Grace

Diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1.

watch grace's story

Compensated for her time. Results may vary.

XYWAV is the first and only low-sodium^† oxybate treatment for cataplexy and/or EDS in narcolepsy

^†XYWAV contains 131 mg of sodium at the maximum recommended nightly dose.

Discover XYWAV

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

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.

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