Insomnia can be treated with suvorexant (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Suvorexant belongs to a group of drugs known as orexin receptor antagonists. It functions by preventing the brain’s natural wakefulness-inducing chemical from doing its job.

Suvorexant is available as an oral tablet. If necessary, it is typically taken once daily, no sooner than 30 minutes prior to night. Suvorexant can be taken with or without meals, however it starts working more quickly when taken without food. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Suvorexant should be taken as prescribed. Even if you still have difficulties falling or staying asleep, never take more than one dose of suvorexant each day.

Immediately after taking suvorexant, you’ll undoubtedly feel extremely tired and likely stay that way for a while. After taking the drug, schedule a sleep period of at least seven hours. Suvorexant should not be taken if you won’t be able to sleep for the required amount of time after taking it. Suvorexant may cause sleepiness if you get up too soon after taking it, which could make it difficult for you to drive or perform other duties that call for attentiveness.

After you start taking suvorexant, your sleep issues should start to get better within 7 to 10 days. If your sleep issues do not improve during this period or if they worsen at any point while you are receiving therapy, call your doctor.

Suvorexant will likely be prescribed to you at a low dosage at first, and if your insomnia does not get better, your doctor may progressively raise it. If suvorexant makes you feel too sleepy throughout the day, your doctor may also lower your dose or advise you to stop taking the drug.

Do not chew, break, or crush the tablets; instead, swallow them whole.

Suvorexant may cause habit formation. Don’t take the medication in excess of what your doctor has suggested in terms of dosage, frequency, or duration.

Whenever you need a prescription refill for suvorexant, your doctor or pharmacist will provide you the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet (Medication Guide). If you have any questions, carefully read the material and contact your doctor or pharmacist. The Medication Guide is also available on the manufacturer’s website or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm).

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before taking suvorexant,

• If you have an allergy to suvorexant, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in suvorexant tablets, let your doctor and pharmacist know right away. For a list of the ingredients, consult the Medication Guide or speak with your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Incorporate any of the following: Fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and posaconazole (Noxafil) are examples of antifungal drugs. Other examples include aprepitant (Emend), boceprevir (Victrelis), carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpac); digoxin (Lanoxin), diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac), erythromycin (E.E.S., Ery-tab), imatinib (Gleevec), and some anti-HIV drugs such atazanavir (Reyataz), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), and nelfinavir are also included in this list (Viracept), drugs for anxiety, mental illness, pain, and seizures; ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra); saquinavir (Invirase); nefazodone; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); telaprevir (Incivek); and telithromycin (Ketek); amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Silenor), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil); verapamil (Verelan, Covera); sedatives; sleeping pills; and tranquillizers are examples of tri Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• If you have narcolepsy, notify your doctor (a condition that causes extreme daytime sleepiness). Most likely, your doctor will advise against taking suvorexant.
• Inform your physician if you currently use or have previously used excessive amounts of street drugs, alcohol, or prescription medications. Additionally, let your doctor know if you are overweight, suffer from depression, mental illness, suicidal thoughts or attempts, have COPD (a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways), sleep apnea (a condition in which breathing stops for brief periods throughout the night), have any other lung or breathing issues, experience sudden muscle weakness, or have liver disease.
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking suvorexant.
• Be sure to inform your doctor or dentist that you are taking suvorexant if you are undergoing surgery, including dental surgery.
• You should be aware that the day after using suvorexant, these side effects may cause tiredness, decreased mental alertness, and coordination issues. These symptoms may last for several days after quitting the prescription. Suvorexant may make it more likely that you’ll fall asleep behind the wheel and compromise your driving abilities. Even if you feel fully awake the day after taking suvorexant, it may be difficult for you to drive or operate machinery. Within eight hours of taking suvorexant and until you feel fully awake, avoid driving, operating machinery, and engaging in any other risky activities. The dangers of using machinery or driving after taking suvorexant should be discussed with your doctor.
• When taking suvorexant, avoid drinking alcohol. Suvorexant negative effects can be exacerbated by alcohol.
• You should be aware that some suvorexant users got out of bed to drive, cook, prepare, and consume meals, engage in sex, make phone calls, or engage in other activities while only partially awake. These people frequently had no memory of what they had done when they awoke. If you discover that you were driving or engaging in any other strange behaviour while you were asleep, call your doctor straight once.
• It’s important to be aware that while taking this medicine, your behaviour and mental health could alter unexpectedly. Suvorexant, physical or mental diseases you already have or develop during treatment, or both may be to blame for these changes in your body’s physiology. Tell your doctor right away if you experience any of the following signs: hostility, strange or unusually extroverted behaviour, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that are not real), feeling as though you are outside of your body, memory issues, anxiety, new or worsening depression, considering suicide or trying to commit suicide, confusion, and any other changes in your regular thoughts, mood, or behaviour. Make sure your family is aware of any potentially critical symptoms so they can contact the doctor on your behalf if you are unable to get help on your own.

If you plan to consume grapefruits or grapefruit juice while taking this medication, consult your doctor.

Typically, this drug is given as needed. As long as you will be able to stay in bed for the required number of hours after taking suvorexant, you may take it even if it is later than normal.

Side effects are possible with suvorexant. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Strange dreams
• Mouth ache
• Cough
• Diarrhea

Some adverse effects can be very harmful. Call your doctor right away or seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms or any of the ones detailed in the SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS section:

• Temporary immobility of the limbs or voice during sleep or arousal, lasting up to several minutes
• Leg weakness that comes and goes during the day or night

Other negative effects of suvorexant are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Store it away from light, excessive heat, and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom).

Suvorexant should be kept in a secure location to prevent accidental or intentional consumption by others. Count the remaining tablets so you’ll know if any are missing.

As many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose symptoms could include:

• Extreme somnolence

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments.

No one else should take your medication. Suvorexant is an illegal drug. Only a limited amount of refills are permitted for prescriptions; if you have any doubts, speak with your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.