Setting Appropriate Patient Expectations About WAKIX
Setting Patient Expectations About WAKIX Hailey Atkinson, MSN, FNP-BC
Following Up With Your Patients After Starting WAKIX Hailey Atkinson, MSN, FNP-BC
WAKIX is not a controlled substance
WAKIX should be taken once daily in the morning as soon as they wake up
Remind patients not to split up their daily dose of WAKIX and take it later in the day
If they miss their WAKIX dose in the morning, they should wait until the next day
It is important to give WAKIX a chance to work
Spend time discussing the titration process and share that they will start at a lower dose of WAKIX, and that you may increase the dose each week for 2-3 weeks to find the right dose for them. Remind them to always take WAKIX exactly as prescribed.
It may take up to 8 weeks for some patients to achieve a clinical response
WAKIX is not a stimulant
WAKIX has an established safety and tolerability profile in clinical studies
Review the side effect profile for WAKIX and note that the most common side effects observed in clinical studies for WAKIX compared with placebo were insomnia, nausea, and anxiety
Remind patients to let you know of any medication changes or if they experience side effects
Pregnant patients should enroll in the WAKIX Pregnancy Registry
There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women who are exposed to WAKIX during pregnancy. Patients should be encouraged to enroll in the WAKIX pregnancy registry if they become pregnant. To enroll or obtain information from the registry, patients can call 1-800-833-7460.