Xyrem has a high salt content (salt is also known as sodium). People with heart failure, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or a low salt diet should consider how much salt (sodium) is in each dose of Xyrem.
Sodium content per grams of Xyrem is as follows:
- 1g contains 183mg of sodium
- 2g contains 367mg of sodium
- 3g contains 550mg of sodium
- 4.5g contains 820mg of sodium
- 6g contains 1100mg of sodium
- 7.5g contains 1400mg of sodium
- 9g contains 1640mg of sodium.
The usual starting dose of Xyrem in adults is 4.5 grams (g) per night increasing to a usual maintenance dose of 6g to 9g at night. Recommended dosages in children depend on their weight and your doctor will advise you on the initial dose for your child.
To put the sodium content of Xyrem into context, a teaspoon of table salt contains about 2300 mg sodium.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day although it recommends people strive towards an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Cutting back on sodium can significantly improve blood pressure and heart health. Unfortunately most Americans eat more than 3,400mg of sodium per day, with most of this coming from packaged, prepared and restaurant foods.
Xyrem (sodium oxybate) may be used to treat cataplexy or excessive daytime sleepiness in adults and children aged 7 years of age and older with narcolepsy. Cataplexy is a symptom of narcolepsy that involves sudden muscle weakness in response to a strong emotional reaction, such as surprise, laughter, anger or fear, which may cause a person to collapse.