Goodfellow Unit
- admin82291
- Sep 24
- 1 min read
Lemborexant for Insomnia
Lemborexant (DAYVIGO) is a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) used to treat insomnia in adults by helping them fall and stay asleep1. It blocks wake-promoting signals in the brain and is effective for difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early.
The recommended starting dose is 5 mg once nightly. It is contraindicated in narcolepsy and those allergic to lemborexant. Extra assessment is advised in patients with depression, psychiatric disorders, substance use, cataplexy, sleep apnoea, lung or liver issues. Avoid combining with other sedatives or drugs affecting alertness. Effects in pregnancy are unknown, and lactation data are limited2.
Patients should be warned about risks of complex sleep behaviours (e.g. sleepwalking), vivid dreams, and next-day impairment. At the 5 mg dose, lemborexant may cause less next-day impairment than other hypnotics.
It is not currently funded in New Zealand and requires a prescription.
References:
Lemborexant for insomnia Goodfellow MedCase (2025)
DAYVIGO NZ Data Sheet Medsafe
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