Thousands Patients can miss a pioneering treatment of insomnia – simply because doctors do not know that it exists, experts warn.
Daridorexant was approved for use on the NHS in 2023 after tests showed that it causes fewer side effects and is less addictive than traditional sleeping pills.
It was announced as a replacement for sleeping drugs such as benzodiazepines, including Temazepam, Loprazolam and Nitrazepam-EVEN ENE EVEN SOWS SODER ZOLPIDEM AND ZOPICLONE, which slow down the brain activity to induce sleepiness.
Although effective, these drugs often leave patients with a ‘hangover’ of the next day, who feel rough or tired. Experts also warn that they can be very addictive.
In contrast to Sedativa, Daridorexant – sold under the QuviviQ brand – focuses on a chemical in the brain that promotes vigilance. Experts say that it acts ‘as a roadblock’, so that these signals can keep the body alert.
As a result, this does not cause the grogginess or dependency problems that are linked to the older medicines.
Despite NHS that watchdog spend, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) say the medicine the green light, many patients with chronic insomnia say that they still have no access to it.
Grace McMillan, who survived just two and a half hours of sleep per night, says that the medicine has transformed her life
Among them is Grace McMillan, 62, who says she survived just two and a half hours of sleep a night. Her insomnia influenced every part of her life and her mental health. “I tried everything with people – every sleep app, every spray,” said Kent’s financial consultant.
If it got really bad, she would reluctantly take sleep pills prescribed by her doctor. Just like millions of others, Grace Zolpidem received. “I would take one every ten days or so to stand out because I was so exhausted,” she said. “But I hated it – I would feel Groggy the next day.”
So when a friend, also a insomnia, called Daridorexant, Grace wanted to try it.
But her doctor refused to prescribe the medicine and called herself that it had not been tested properly. Frustrated, she turned into a private clinic. Three months later, after taking the pill every night, Grace insists that it has transformed her life.
“I can sleep almost five hours without stirring,” she said. “That is more than I’ve ever had.”
The general practitioner of Alice Brooks also rejected her when she was looking for medication last year. Her insomnia had deteriorated the five years prior to the point where she would be wide awake on some nights.
To get some relief, the 78-year-old would take a two-week ‘vacation’ every year she could sleep for fourteen days of the sleeping pill caused.
Just like Grace, she had tried ‘everything under the sun’ – without success. And when Alice asked her doctor for Daridorexant, she was told that it was not available in her area of Wirral.
After appealing to her health administration, which supervises access to the treatment, she finally got a recipe – and says it was a game change. ‘I’m looking forward to going to bed now. I take the tablet at 11 o’clock, go to bed with my book, and I usually have fucked in with a quarter to 12. It has improved my quality of life enormously. ‘
Allapnis patients are often told by their doctor that Daridorexant – sold under the QuviviQ brand – is not available and is forced to go to a private clinic to get the medicine
Grace and Alice may have found lighting, but many more are still missing the medicine, experts say. “Insomnia is such a common condition – almost a third of adults experience symptoms at some point,” Dr. Allie Hare, a doctor in breathing and sleeping medicine and president of the British Sleep Society.
“More needs to be done to inform primary care doctors about insomnia and the available treatment options for patients.”
It is thought that more than five million people in the UK suffer from chronic insomnia, which is defined as wrestling to fall or stay asleep at least three nights a week.
GPs are always careful with prescribing sleeping pills because of worries about tolerance – where patients need higher doses to feel the same effect – and addiction. Long-term use of traditional sleeping pills is linked to increased risks of dementia, falls and reduced concentration-which can be particularly dangerous while driving.
NHS guidelines recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of psychotherapy, as the first-line treatment for insomnia.
Dr. Hare agrees that this should be the starting point, but for patients who do not respond, Daridorexant offers a valuable alternative.
“The novel on which it works means that it doesn’t cause a hangover,” she said. “It also seems to work better all night, making it better for people who can easily fall asleep but cannot get to sleep again when they wake up.”
But if your doctor has never heard of it, or simply does not feel comfortable when prescribing, then do not lose hope, says Dr. Hare.
“Focus your doctor to the beautiful guidance, which is very clear about the place of Daridoxerant in the treatment of insomnia,” she said.
‘If this does not work, contact your NHS sign – who decide on the availability of certain medicines – and appeal.
“Patients must always be able to argue for themselves – make sure you are armed with all the information you need.”
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