Should you take Vraylar in the morning or at night?

Vraylar (cariprazine) may be taken either in the morning or at night, depending on your preference.

Cariprazine, the active ingredient of Vraylar, and its metabolites have a long half-life: 2 to 4 days for cariprazine, 1 to 2 days for one active metabolite called DCAR, and approximately 1 to 3 weeks for another active metabolite DDCAR. This means that once you have taken Vraylar for a few weeks, levels of Vraylar in your blood remain consistent and do not fluctuate much when you take it once daily, no matter what time of the day you take it.

Vraylar is an oral, once-daily atypical antipsychotic medicine used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar mania, bipolar depression, and major depressive disorder in addition to other antidepressants in adults. It may be taken with or without food.

What time of day should you take Vraylar?

Even though Vraylar may be taken at any time of the day, some people may find that changing the time of day that you take Vraylar helps with certain side effects. For example, people who experience restlessness or restless legs as a side effect of Vraylar may find taking it in the morning helps. Up to 10% of people taking Vraylar report sleepiness or drowsiness as a side effect of Vraylar, the risk of this side effect increases with higher dosages of Vraylar, and these people may prefer taking Vraylar at night.

If you do experience sleepiness with Vraylar, be careful driving, operating machinery, or performing other tasks that require high levels of concentration. Vraylar may also increase your risk of falling. Talk to your doctor if your side effects are intolerable and interfere with your day-to-day life.

Alcohol may enhance or worsen the side effects of Vraylar so it is best to avoid drinking it if you have been prescribed Vraylar.