Quviviq: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Warnings - Drugs.com Skip to main content

Quviviq

Pronunciation: cue-VIH-vick
Generic name: daridorexant
Dosage form:  tablets, for oral use
Drug class: Miscellaneous anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics

Medically reviewed by Judith Stewart, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 15, 2023.

What is Quviviq?

  • Quviviq is a prescription medicine for adults who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (insomnia).
  • It is not known if this medicine is safe and effective for use in children.

Quviviq is a federally controlled substance (CIV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence.

Keep Quviviq in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Quviviq may harm others and is against the law.

Important information

Quviviq may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Decreased awareness and alertness. The morning after you take Quviviq, your ability to drive safely and think clearly may be decreased. You may also have sleepiness during the day.
    • Do not take more Quviviq than prescribed.
    • Do not take Quviviq unless you are able to stay in bed for a full night (at least 7 hours) before you must be active again.
    • Take Quviviq in the evening within 30 minutes before going to bed.

See Quviviq side effects for more information about side effects.

Who should not take Quviviq?

Do not take Quviviq if you fall asleep often at unexpected times (narcolepsy).

Before taking Quviviq

Before taking Quviviq, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts or actions
  • have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
  • have a history of a sudden onset of muscle weakness (cataplexy)
  • have a history of daytime sleepiness
  • have lung or breathing problems, including sleep apnea
  • have liver problems
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Quviviq can harm your unborn baby.
    • Pregnancy Registry: There is a pregnancy registry for women who are exposed to Quviviq during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. For more information or to participate in the registry, call 1-833-400-9611. Talk with your healthcare provider about the risk to your unborn baby if you take Quviviq during pregnancy.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Quviviq passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment.

What other drugs will affect Quviviq?

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Taking Quviviq with certain medicines can cause serious side effects. Quviviq may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect the way Quviviq works.

Do not take Quviviq with other medicines that can make you sleepy unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

Other drugs may affect Quviviq, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

How should I take Quviviq?

  • Take Quviviq exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.
  • Do not change your dose without first talking to your healthcare provider.
  • Take Quviviq one time each night, within 30 minutes before going to bed.
  • Only take Quviviq when you can stay in bed for a full night (at least 7 hours).
  • Quviviq may take longer to work if you take it with or right after a meal.
  • Call your healthcare provider if your insomnia (sleep problem) worsens or is not improved within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
  • If you take too much or overdose, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

Dosing information

Usual Adult Dose for Insomnia

25 mg to 50 mg once per night

Comments:
-take orally within 30 minutes before going to bed, with at least 7 hours remaining prior to planned awakening.
-time to sleep onset may be delayed if taken with or soon after a meal.

Use: treatment of adult patients with insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance.

What should I avoid while taking Quviviq?

  • Do not drink alcohol while taking Quviviq. It can increase the effects of alcohol, which can be dangerous.
  • You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking Quviviq.
    • Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, do anything dangerous, or do other activities that require clear thinking if you have taken Quviviq as prescribed but do not feel fully awake, you have taken Quviviq and have less than a full night of sleep (at least 7 hours), or if you have taken more Quviviq than prescribed by your healthcare provider.

Quviviq side effects

Quviviq may cause serious side effects, including:

  • See Important information.
  • Worsening depression and suicidal thoughts. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any worsening depression or thoughts of suicide or dying.
  • Temporary inability to move or talk (sleep paralysis) for up to several minutes, or hallucinations while you are going to sleep or waking up.
  • Complex sleep behaviors such as sleep-walking, sleep-driving, preparing and eating food, making phone calls, having sex or doing other activities while not fully awake that you may not remember the next morning. Stop taking Quviviq and call your healthcare provider right away if you experience a complex sleep behavior.

The most common side effects include headache and sleepiness.

These are not all of the possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

How should I store Quviviq?

  • Store Quviviq at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
  • Keep all medicines out of the reach of children and pets.

General information about the safe and effective use of Quviviq.

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not use this medicine for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give it to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information that is written for healthcare professionals.

What are the ingredients in Quviviq?

Active ingredient: daridorexant hydrochloride
Inactive ingredients: croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, and silicon dioxide.
The tablet film coating contains: glycerin, hypromellose, iron oxide black, iron oxide red, microcrystalline cellulose, talc, titanium dioxide, and, in the 50 mg tablet only, iron oxide yellow.

Popular FAQ

Recent clinical studies and the manufacturer provide evidence that Quviviq does not cause weight gain. Weight gain was not shown in two clinical studies and is not listed as a side effect in the manufacturer’s product labeling. The most common side effects with Quviviq include headache and sleepiness.

Quviviq usually works within 30 minutes after you take it. It may take longer for you to get to sleep if you take it with or right after a meal. Take Quviviq only one time each night, within 30 minutes before going to bed and when you can stay in bed for at least 7 hours. Do not take more Quviviq than prescribed by your healthcare provider.

You can take Quviviq long-term if this is how your healthcare provider prescribes it for insomnia (trouble sleeping). Do not take more Quviviq than prescribed by your doctor. Quviviq contains daridorexant, a Schedule IV controlled substance. Individuals with a history of alcohol or drug abuse or addiction may be at an increased risk for abuse of or addiction to Quviviq.

Quviviq is not a benzodiazepine, it is an orexin antagonist medication that works by blocking orexin receptors. The orexin signaling system regulates wakefulness, feeding, and other behaviors, and by blocking these receptors Quviviq is thought to suppress the drive to wake up.

Both Quviviq and Ambien are oral prescription medicines used to help with trouble sleeping (known as insomnia). Quviviq and Ambien CR are used for adults who have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, while Ambien is used to help with sleep onset due to a shorter duration of action. Continue reading

Quviviq is a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) insomnia medicine for adults that works by blocking orexin receptors. Quviviq turns down overactive wakefulness by blocking orexins, which are chemical messengers in the brain that promote wakefulness. It may be prescribed if you have trouble falling or staying asleep. Continue reading

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.