What is Sodium Oxybate?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Xyrem
Sodium oxybate is the salt form of the drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (4-hydroxybutanoic acid, C4H8O3), commonly abbreviated GHB. Historically, GHB has been used in a medical setting as a general anesthetic, to treat conditions such as insomnia, clinical depression, narcolepsy, and alcoholism.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cataplexy | 34 | 5 | |
| Fibromyalgia | 15 | 4 | |
| Excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence) | 14 | 11 | |
| Narcolepsy | 8 | 1 | |
| Idiopathic hypersomnia | 7 | 5 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 4 | |
| Moderate | 11 | |
| Mild | 23 | |
| None | 8 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Sodium Oxybate
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 10 | |
| Night sweats | 3 | |
| Brain fog | 2 | |
| Dizziness | 2 | |
| Headaches | 2 | |
| Sleep eating | 2 |
Why patients stopped taking Sodium Oxybate
Multiple reasons could be selected
| Reason | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Side effects too severe | 10 | |
| Did not seem to work | 6 | |
| Expense | 2 | |
| Change in health plan coverage | 1 | |
| Course of treatment ended | 1 | |
| Other | 1 | |
| Personal research | 1 |
Duration
Stopped taking Sodium Oxybate
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 1 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 8 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 2 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 1 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 4 | |
| 5 - 10 years | 1 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Sodium Oxybate after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Trazodone (Apo-Trazodone) | 2 | |
| Zolpidem (Ambien) | 2 | |
| Armodafinil (Nuvigil) | 1 | |
| Clarithromycin (Biaxin) | 1 | |
| Clonazepam (Klonopin) | 1 |
Patients stopped taking Sodium Oxybate and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Amitriptyline (Elavil) | 1 | |
| Baclofen (Mylan-Baclofen) | 1 |
Last updated: