In part 3 of this 4-part series, Michael Thorpy, MD, talks about advances in sodium oxybate medication formulations and how different formulations can help patients depending on their needs.
Readers can check out part 1 and part 2 now.
Various types of sodium oxybate medications provide options for patients who have sleep disorders, even those that need more or less sodium intake, says Michael Thorpy, MD, professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and director of the Sleep Disorder Center at Montefiore Medical Center.
Transcript
What monitoring and educational measures should be in place for patients prescribed sodium-based sleep medications to ensure they maintain a balanced sodium intake and follow low-sodium guidelines effectively?
There are many patients who continue to take the sodium form of sodium oxybate, and not the low-sodium formulation. These patients need to be advised about the importance of limiting any extra salt intake. There are now 3 different forms of oxybate. The standard original form of sodium oxybate is a medication that's taken twice at night. Then there's a low-sodium formulation that's also taken twice at night. But there's a new formulation of sodium oxybate, which is a once-a-night formulation.
For many patients who have had difficulty in taking the medication in the middle of the night, they prefer the sodium oxybate that's given once a night. So those patients need to be advised that although there’s a higher salt content than would be ideal, they just need to limit the amount of salt that they take extra. But so far, we don't have any actual evidence that the extra salt intake associated with sodium oxybate has caused any increase in cardiovascular concerns, which is the major concern about the extra salt, as a potential that may cause an increase in cardiovascular disorders, such as hypertension/high blood pressure.
However, patients who have cardiovascular disorders or renal disorders or problems with excessive fluid retention would be better not to take the sodium formulation and would be better on the low-sodium formulation. Patients need to be advised that there are some medical conditions that they need to be aware of that would restrict them from taking the highest sodium content.
So, education about salt intake, medical disorders that may be sensitive for salt intake are important for recommendations in guiding patients who may be taking these types of medications.
Dr Kathy Zackowski Discusses the Importance of Rehabilitation Research and Trials in MS
April 26th 2024Kathy Zackowski, PhD, National MS Society, expresses the inherent value of quality rehabilitation trials for broadening clinical understandings of multiple sclerosis (MS) and bettering patient outcomes.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Kaiser Permanente was hit by a data breach in mid-April, impacting 13.4 million health plan members; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sued Pfizer and BioNTech for allegedly infringing on its messenger RNA technology patents in the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines; the CDC announced the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
Read More