Sunosi and Increased Heart Rate: What Users Say

• Coc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2019

For Narcolepsy "I was given 75 mg Sunosi for my narcolepsy. On the positive side, I can tell the difference in energy, concentration, motivation, and productivity, and there is a decreased need for a midday nap. Negative: this drug causes major heart issues. I have atrial fibrillation, and I cannot take this medicine regularly as it increases my heart rate to 120 and raises my blood pressure. However, I try to take it once in a while if I have a commitment or something important to do, like running errands or needing to go somewhere. I am on Xyrem 4.5 for narcolepsy with excessive daytime sleepiness, which, although it helps me sleep about 6-7 hours, no longer helps me wake up refreshed as it did the first time I tried it. I also take Doxepin to sleep longer, but it leaves me feeling too tired the next day and counteracts the effect of a good night's sleep. I take a nap in the afternoon, except on the day when I take Sunosi."

• Sle...
• April 24, 2021

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "I have OSA and use a CPAP. I also have severe RLS, which is treated with oxycodone. I am constantly tired. I heard about Sunosi and asked my doctor about prescribing it for me. She first wanted to try modafinil. This did absolutely nothing and actually made me feel worse from the side effects, which I found later that oxycodone and modafinil have “major” interactions. (Not sure how my doctor or the pharmacist dropped the ball on that one). So finally, my doctor agreed to try the Sunosi. Started at 75 mg, felt absolutely nothing good or bad. After several days, went up to 150 mg, still no improvement in my sleepiness after several weeks of trying. I’m now weaning off (as recommended by my doctor) since the medication did nothing for me, and I feel awful. I’ve been having panic attacks, and my heart rate has been elevated, and I also feel achy all over! Not sure if anyone else has had this experience trying to get off the medication, but I feel worse than ever!"

• Fro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2021

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "I’ve been taking Sunosi for a month. I started at 37.5 mg and worked up to 150 mg. Sunosi has been keeping me awake during the day, but both my heart rate and BP are elevated. Insomnia is also becoming a problem. My doc lowered my dose to 75 mg, but I still have elevated heart rate and BP. I’ll probably have to stop the medication. Disappointing! I had the same problem with Nuvigil and Provigil."

• Nik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 5, 2023

For Narcolepsy "I have severe narcolepsy, cataplexy, fibromyalgia, and migraine (they all feed off narcolepsy). I have had these disorders since I was a teenager, although I was only recently diagnosed properly. I have tried multiple stimulants, antidepressants, and pain medications with little to no relief of symptoms. I tried Sunosi at 75 mg for a few months before increasing to 150 mg. I have been on the larger dose for about a year before my heart rate and blood pressure raised. I ended up having multiple seizures due to a sudden severe spike in blood pressure for no reason at all. I no longer take this medication and will be trying Zyrem. The theory is that the medication stored too much adrenaline in my brain, overdosing my body and causing near-death seizures. Please monitor your blood pressure regularly, even if you feel fine. It will hit out of nowhere. Otherwise, the medication helped quite a bit with agitation, increased heart rate, and insomnia being the noticeable side effects."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2022

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "Excessive daytime fatigue. I tried armodafinil 150 mg first, and it worked well by the second week, then energy uptake stopped, and I suffered through pounding heart, restlessness, anxiety, and nausea. Next was Sunosi 75 mg. It skipped the ‘energy’ part and went straight to all the awful side effects. I held on to it for about 10 days before it was intolerable. Now taking Adderall, 10-15 mg, once a day. I experience a window of energy for about 2 hours (nothing excessive, just alert like after a good night's sleep, which I haven’t had for 2 years). Sometimes with the med, I experience a ‘crash’ of agitation and exasperated cervical dystonia, but that was pre-existing and is usually non-existent because of treatment therapy. The side effects of the non-amphetamine drugs were too much to tolerate, with little relief. I will stick to the occasional Adderall, which I take every 2-3 days, when my responsibilities become backlogged due to my inertia."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2025

"I’m on half a dose of 75, so 37.5. It works well for about 5-6 hours, so I have to take it later in the day than you would think. After it wears off, I’m so exhausted. While it’s active in my system, I’m hot and feel like I’m going to explode physically. I’m assuming it’s high blood pressure. It also makes my heart beat fast. I will continue to use it because the benefits outweigh the cons."