Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) due to Narcolepsy

Everyone living with narcolepsy experiences excessive
daytime sleepiness

Common signs and symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness due
to narcolepsy include:

Sleep Attacks

Irresistible urge to sleep

Frequent Tiredness

Trouble staying awake and alert during the day

Unrefreshing Sleep

Feeling tired regardless of how long you've slept

Brain Fog

Difficulty keeping attention and focus during the day

How is excessive daytime sleepiness due to
narcolepsy assessed?

A common tool used by doctors to help assess a person’s level of tiredness is called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This quiz measures a person’s likelihood of dozing or falling asleep in everyday situations, like reading, watching TV, talking with a friend, or driving. Although the Epworth Sleepiness Scale is used for screening, a sleep study is typically conducted to confirm a diagnosis.

Many types of healthcare professionals (HCPs) can help diagnose excessive daytime sleepiness due to narcolepsy. If you think you may be experiencing any signs or symptoms, talk to your primary care physician or another HCP, like a sleep specialist, neurologist, psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

It is estimated that 50% of people with narcolepsy aren’t diagnosed.

Causes of narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic, potentially disabling neurologic condition that is thought to occur when certain chemicals in the brain can’t regulate your body’s sleep-wake cycle.

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 1 in 2,000 people in the United States.

Impact of narcolepsy

  • Because the signs and symptoms can be difficult to recognize, people living with narcolepsy may end up seeing many different doctors over a number of years before receiving a diagnosis.
  • If you have been diagnosed with narcolepsy and are still struggling to stay awake during the day, talk to your doctor.

Download our quick reference guide to EDS due to obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy.

Take the Daytime
Sleepiness Quiz

Use these results to have a more productive conversation with your doctor about excessive daytime sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy.

INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Do not take SUNOSI if you are taking, or have stopped taking within the past 14 days, a medicine used to treat depression called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).

Before taking SUNOSI, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney problems, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
  • have had a heart attack or a stroke.
  • have a history of mental health problems (including psychosis and bipolar disorders), or of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction.
  • are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if SUNOSI will harm your unborn baby.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if SUNOSI passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take SUNOSI.
INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is SUNOSI? SUNOSI (solriamfetol) is a prescription medicine used to improve wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness due to narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
  • SUNOSI does not treat the underlying cause of OSA and SUNOSI does not take the place of any device prescribed for OSA, such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. It is important that you continue to use these treatments as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Do not take SUNOSI if you are taking, or have stopped taking within the past 14 days, a medicine used to treat depression called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).

Before taking SUNOSI, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
  • have heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney problems, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
  • have had a heart attack or a stroke.
  • have a history of mental health problems (including psychosis and bipolar disorders), or of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction.
  • are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if SUNOSI will harm your unborn baby.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if SUNOSI passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take SUNOSI.
What are the possible side effects of SUNOSI?
SUNOSI may cause serious side effects, including:
Increased blood pressure and heart rate. SUNOSI can cause blood pressure and heart rate increases that can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death. Your doctor should check your blood pressure before, and during, treatment with SUNOSI. Your doctor may decrease your dose or tell you to stop taking SUNOSI if you develop high blood pressure that does not go away during treatment with SUNOSI.
Mental (psychiatric) symptoms including anxiety, problems sleeping (insomnia), irritability, and agitation. Tell your doctor if you develop any of these symptoms. Your doctor may change your dose or tell you to stop taking SUNOSI if you develop side effects during treatment with SUNOSI.

The most common side effects of SUNOSI include:

  • •headache
  • •nausea
  • •decreased appetite
  • •anxiety
  • •problems sleeping
These are not all the possible side effects of SUNOSI. Call your doctor for advice about side effects.
SUNOSI (solriamfetol) is available in 75 mg and 150 mg tablets and is a federally controlled substance (CIV) because it contains solriamfetol that can be a target for people who abuse prescription medicines or street drugs. Keep SUNOSI in a safe place to protect it from theft. Never give or sell your SUNOSI to anyone else because it may cause death or harm them and it is against the law. Tell your doctor if you have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines, or street drugs.
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.
Please see Medication Guide.

SUN CON ISI 05/2022