# Daridorexant in Nigeria

Daridorexant has no NAFDAC registration in our October 2026 copy of the register.

- Source: https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/daridorexant/
- Drug class: Dual orexin receptor antagonist (Mental Health)
- Also known as: Quviviq, Daridorexant hydrochloride
- Prescription required: yes
- Last updated: August 2026

## Price in Nigeria

Daridorexant prices in Nigeria vary by brand, strength, and where you buy it. Confirm the current price with a licensed pharmacy, and always check the product is NAFDAC-registered before you pay.

## What is Daridorexant?

Daridorexant is one of a new class of sleep medicines that work by blocking wakefulness rather than by forcing sedation. Orexin is the brain chemical that keeps you awake; daridorexant blocks both orexin receptors, so the wake signal quietens and sleep arrives. That is a different mechanism from every sleeping tablet Nigerians are familiar with — benzodiazepines like diazepam, and sedating antihistamines like promethazine — which work by dampening the whole nervous system.

DARIDOREXANT IS NOT REGISTERED WITH NAFDAC. Our copy of the NAFDAC Greenbook holds no record of it under any brand or ingredient name. There is no legal supply in Nigeria, and the same is true of the other orexin antagonists.

It is a genuinely new medicine — approved in the United States and Europe in 2022 — and its absence here is unsurprising rather than scandalous. Recent originator drugs typically reach the Nigerian register years after launch, if at all. What is worth saying is that the sleep problem it treats is extremely common here and is currently met with medicines that carry real costs: benzodiazepines cause dependence within weeks, and sedating antihistamines leave people groggy the next morning.

## What is Daridorexant used for?

- Nothing approved in Nigeria — daridorexant holds no NAFDAC registration
- Chronic insomnia in adults, where it is licensed abroad — difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both
- Insomnia in people at risk of dependence, for whom benzodiazepines are avoided, abroad
- Not a treatment for the causes of poor sleep — pain, anxiety, depression, shift work, untreated sleep apnoea

## Dosage

Always follow a doctor's or pharmacist's instructions; this is general reference information.

- Adults: No dose is given here for a medicine with no legal supply in Nigeria. Where licensed, it is taken as a single tablet in the evening, at least half an hour before bed, and not within a few hours of a large meal.
- Children: Daridorexant is not licensed for children or adolescents.
- Elderly: Not applicable in Nigeria. Where used abroad, older adults are usually given the lower strength, though the class is generally preferred to benzodiazepines in older people because it causes fewer falls.

Before pursuing any sleeping tablet, registered or not, the thing worth knowing is that the most effective treatment for chronic insomnia in every guideline worldwide is not a drug — it is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, which outperforms medication in the long run and has no side effects. Its practical elements are learnable: a fixed waking time, getting out of bed when not sleeping, no daytime napping, and no screens or caffeine in the evening. Persistent insomnia also has causes worth finding, and loud snoring with daytime sleepiness points to sleep apnoea, which sleeping tablets make worse.

## Side effects

Common: Headache; Daytime sleepiness or fatigue; Dizziness; Nausea.

Serious (seek medical help immediately): Sleep paralysis and vivid, unpleasant dreams; Complex sleep behaviours — sleepwalking, sleep-driving, acting out with no memory of it; Worsening of depression or suicidal thoughts; Excessive next-day drowsiness impairing driving.

When to see a doctor: Not applicable to a medicine unavailable here. Anyone taking it abroad should stop and contact their doctor after any episode of acting out while asleep, and should not drive if drowsy the next morning.

## Warnings

Do not take if: No lawful supply in Nigeria — daridorexant holds no NAFDAC registration; Narcolepsy; Severe liver impairment; Known hypersensitivity to daridorexant.

Interactions: Alcohol — additive sedation; the combination is specifically advised against; Other sedating medicines including benzodiazepines, opioids and sedating antihistamines; Strong inhibitors of the CYP3A4 enzyme, including ketoconazole and clarithromycin — these raise daridorexant levels sharply; Strong inducers such as carbamazepine and rifampicin — these can make it ineffective.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established and daridorexant is not recommended in either. Insomnia in pregnancy is common and usually managed without medication.

## Brands in Nigeria

Well-known NAFDAC-registered brands: Quviviq (Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, made in Switzerland).
Full searchable brand list: https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/daridorexant/brands/

## How to verify it is genuine

1. There is nothing to verify. Daridorexant holds no NAFDAC registration, so no genuine Nigerian registration number exists for Quviviq or any daridorexant product.
2. A pack printed with a NAFDAC number is showing a number that was invented or cloned — check it against our NAFDAC checker.
3. Be particularly careful with sleep medicines bought online. They are a favourite counterfeit category, and a tablet sold as a modern non-addictive sleep aid may contain a benzodiazepine instead — the very thing the buyer was trying to avoid.
4. If you were prescribed it abroad, carry the prescription and original pack when travelling.
5. For insomnia in Nigeria, start with the sleep habits above and a doctor's assessment of the cause. Where medication is warranted, registered options exist and should be chosen with a prescriber rather than a search engine.

Verify any NAFDAC number free (no login): https://ogbogwu.com/nafdac-checker/

## FAQs

### Is Quviviq available in Nigeria?

No. Daridorexant, sold as Quviviq, holds no NAFDAC registration and our copy of the Greenbook contains no record of it. There is no legal supply here. It was only approved in the United States and Europe in 2022, and recent originator medicines typically take years to reach the Nigerian register, if they arrive at all.

### What can I take for insomnia in Nigeria?

The honest answer starts before the pharmacy. Chronic insomnia responds better in the long run to behavioural treatment than to any tablet: a fixed waking time every day, getting out of bed when you cannot sleep, no daytime naps, and no caffeine or screens in the evening. Where medication is genuinely needed, registered options exist and a doctor should choose — sedating antihistamines are commonly used and available, and benzodiazepines work but cause dependence quickly and should be short-course only.

### Is daridorexant addictive?

It is regarded as carrying a much lower dependence risk than benzodiazepines, which is one of the main arguments for the orexin antagonist class, and in several countries it is scheduled at a lower level than traditional sleeping tablets. That said, it is controlled in the United States, and any sleep medicine can become a psychological crutch. None of this is directly relevant in Nigeria, where the drug cannot legally be obtained.

### Why does my snoring matter for sleeping tablets?

Because loud snoring with daytime sleepiness can mean obstructive sleep apnoea, where breathing repeatedly stops during the night. Sedatives and sleeping tablets relax the airway muscles further and make apnoea worse, which is why a sleeping tablet given for what looks like insomnia can be actively harmful. If you snore heavily, wake unrefreshed, or have been told you stop breathing in your sleep, that needs investigating before any sleep medicine.

### Why write about a drug Nigeria does not have?

Because people read about new medicines and want to know whether they can get them here. Without a clear answer, that curiosity is easily converted into an order from an online seller — and sleep medicines are among the most counterfeited products there are, with a real risk of getting a benzodiazepine sold as something safer. A page that says plainly it is not registered, and points at what actually helps insomnia, is the more useful one.

## Sources

- NAFDAC Greenbook (official register of approved products in Nigeria)
- British National Formulary (BNF)
- Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines (Federal Ministry of Health)