Belsomra for Insomnia User Reviews (Page 5)

• lot...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 11, 2016

"I developed insomnia when pregnant nearly 16 years ago! Doctors have tried everything. Meditation. Melatonin, improving sleep hygiene, Restoril, Trazodone, Seroquel, Ambien, Lunesta, and Belsomra. Even when double the doses of these medicines, nothing helps EXCEPT Belsomra. Granted, I have to take the max dose. But I have a 1-hour commute one way to work each day. I've never felt drowsy, just well rested."

• Jud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2024

"I have insomnia in conjunction with taking an antidepressant. I was worried about taking this drug because of the negative reviews. Fortunately for me, it worked perfectly, with no side effects. I took a 10 mg dosage 1/2 hour before I wanted to sleep, on an empty stomach. I slept from 11:00 pm until 8:00 am. Although I was wide awake in the morning, it took a cup of coffee to make the drowsiness go away. I am very happy I ignored the negative reviews on this website and took the recommendation of my PCP."

• Ada...
• October 31, 2016

"I've been struggling with insomnia because of shift work disorder. I started working graveyards in August of 2016. Today is October 31st, 2016. I took the 10 mg first to try it out. It worked okay, but I still woke up here and there. But I liked it. Last night I tried the 15 mg dose, and oh my God, did I ever have the worst nightmares of my life. They were so vivid and real. They scared me awake several times, and the dreams did not end in my waking state. I seemed to shift back to sleep without even knowing it, or I was still awake. I can't tell, but the nightmare kicked right off where I left them. I guess I slept, but honestly, I'm terrified to take them again. I'm literally shaking after this experience."

• Jrh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2017

"Like so many others, I tried it. I tried it at 10, I tried it at 20. Nothing, except morning dizziness. How tremendously disappointing. I've gone back to my 2 Unisom's (orange not blue). At least I'm getting a few hours of sleep with that. With as many poor reviews, you have to wonder who Merck paid off to have this thing approved. I especially dislike the over-the-top packaging. How much did that increase the costs? Shame on all of them."

• Vua...
• October 29, 2015

"I suffer from severe anxiety and depression and often find myself unable to fall asleep (note I take about 4 mg of Klonopin a day). I've never used a sleep aid before this, other than melatonin, and after almost 2 weeks of broken sleep, I could say I had a solid 8 hours and actually needed my alarm to wake me up for once, lol. The Klonopin helps, but I don't like taking it right before bed and would never give me sleep like this. Woke up a little groggy, but nothing unusual, no hallucinations or side effects. 12 mg did the trick (broke the pill 20 mg), and my gf said she's never seen my sleep like that, I was drooling, lol. Long story short, it is an effective sleep aid for me and suffered no ill effects. Felt well rested as well."

• ikd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 10, 2018

"My doc fought my insurance for a month to get this stupid drug covered, and I feel so bad wasting his time. I really wanted to like this med. The first couple of days, it helped, but soon after, it did nothing. I didn't feel even slightly tired, which I know it isn't supposed to make you exhausted, but it was still awful. My main problem with my insomnia was it'd take me hours to get to sleep, and I'd immediately feel anxious once I got into bed because I knew I'd be up all night. So not even feeling the slightest bit relaxed from Belsomra didn't help. Sure, I may fall asleep eventually, but it's not even worth it if I'm still awake and miserable for hours prior to that. I take trazodone now, and it's saved me. Ask your doc about that instead."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2022

"This was my fourth night taking Belsomra 10 mg. Tonight I experienced heart palpitations and a very bad sweat. I actually thought I was going to have to go to the ER. This med doesn't work for me. I took this med on an empty stomach all four nights... here it is three hours later and I'm wide awake and was scared to death from the heart palpitations. I will not take another one of these pills! I have been irritable and hard to live with from the lack of sleep."

• JoA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 14, 2024

"This stuff is perfect for me - it really works! It is different than Xanax or Ambien. You can take either of those drugs and they kind of knock you out. With Belsomra, it works best if I take it on an empty stomach, at least two hours after eating, and I go to bed as soon as I take it. It takes longer to go to sleep, but once I fall asleep, it is a very restful sleep, and if I wake up, I fall right back to sleep easily. It is expensive, but worth it... especially if you are older. The other drugs are known to contribute to dementia. Belsomra works on a different part of the brain so no risk of dementia."

• Des...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2015

"I've been taking Ambien for years now. It began losing its effectiveness some time ago. I can usually fall asleep after taking it, but now only sleep a few hours and can't get back to sleep. I started with 10 mg of Belsomra at midnight, and it did not allow me to fall asleep. At 2:30, I took another 10 mg. I did wake a few times. With Ambien, that would have been it for me. I would have been up the rest of the night. With 20 mg of Belsomra, I easily fell back asleep. I did not experience any bad dreams. In fact, quite the opposite. The sleep was heavenly, and I didn't want to wake up. It was the best sleep I've had in years. Because I didn't get to sleep until 3 am, I slept until noon. I hope I can regulate this in the future. Cost is worrisome."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2024

"For 15 years I’ve been waking after 3-4 hours, and usually can’t get back to sleep. I’ve tried supplements, drugs, cannabinoids, therapy. They either didn’t help much, or left me groggy the next day. My doctor finally had me try 10 mg. Belsomra. After 4 days, I was ready to quit, but my doctor increased the dose to 15 mg. After 3 days at 15 mg, OMG! I felt rested for the first time in 15+ years! I’ve only been on B for about 10 days, so I don’t know how it will work long-term, but nothing I’ve taken before has come close to working this well! I read with interest the review from the person who has PTSD. I also have PTSD, and I think she’s right that B calms the part of the brain that kept me awake. I’m so glad I found B—I may finally have my life back! So far, no bad side effects. :)"

• val...
• November 23, 2015

"Wanted to steer clear of Ambien, so I asked my doctor for Belsomra. The great thing about Ambien was that it worked quickly, and it kept me in a deep, zombie-like sleep all night. The downside was that I would get in my car and drive to the store at 3 am, and text my ex-husband with all sorts of crazy messages, both while under the influence of the drug and not remembering either of the incidents. I tried Belsomra intermittently for two weeks, and it did absolutely nothing for me. Even the first night I had a fitful sleep, and every night thereafter it just kept getting worse and worse. I would not recommend this drug to someone with marked sleep issues. My only other alternative is Xanax, and my doctor no longer prescribes it."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2019

"Horrible, horrible, horrible medicine. Not only did it affect me in a terrible way, the same to my husband. We were taking this because we needed a good night's sleep, but instead we had psychotic dreams all night long. There was no sleep, and it was very disturbing, the dreams we had. Do not take this drug! I don't know how this ever got approved by the FDA."

• Oki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 4, 2015

"My doctor gave me samples of Belsomra, and it kept me awake all night long. I literally got no sleep on this medication. Horrible medicine, I would not recommend this to anyone! I'm so glad I didn't spend money on this medicine!"

• Jil...
• August 19, 2021

"I tried this medication for exactly 4 nights. The 15 mg dose seemed to be the best, and initially, I slept well the first 2 nights. Then, I couldn’t sleep, kept waking up. I have tried many sleep medications, including Trazodone for 20 years, but then I started having migraines on it during menopause. I have also tried Ambien, Remeron, Gabapentin, and Amitriptyline. On day 5 of Belsomra, I became hugely depressed and suicidal. It came out of nowhere. I called my doctor and almost went to the ER as the urges to end my life were so strong. Please be very careful with this drug if you have a history of anxiety or depression. It’s dangerous."

• JS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2015

"I used 10 mg zolpidem for 7 years. It worked like a charm. I went from 10 to 15 to 20 mg of this new stuff. Nothing. I'm just going to have to go one week Belsomra and 45 mg mirtazapine and one week zolpidem. I had such high hopes. But it doesn't get rid of my sleep anxiety."

• Ota...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2023

"I have had insomnia for several years and have taken the majority of RXs for this issue. Belsomra, unfortunately, has had little to zero effect on the condition. I will give it another 2-3 months and see if it starts to help. However, at this time, it has been no help at all, I am sorry to say."

• kit...
• March 22, 2015

"Been on 10 and 15 mg. Sticking with 15 mg for now. It is working amazingly. I have been on literally everything over-the-counter and prescription meds, so this was a Hail Mary and scored at the buzzer. I sleep all night and am out within an hour of taking it. I'm more alert and active than I have ever been and have helped with my depression."

• Lin...
• September 8, 2015

"I've been using and still will use zolpidem for the last 8 years. I tried Belsomra, clean off zolpidem, at least 20 hours. The Belsomra at 15 mg made me yawn. That was what the Dr. recommended. Did not sleep at all. Next day I tried 20 mg. Ever hear of sleep paralysis? Well, 20 mg I got sleepy. I was impressed. I started to doze off, and the sleep paralysis started to hit me. I got up and made some coffee, and I won't take them anymore. Google sleep paralysis and you'll find it is not pleasant, to say the least. And they wanted $300.00 for 30. Ended up with 10 for free with a coupon. Got 8 1/2 left and will not use them anymore. Took it 4 hours ago. Zolpidem beats this Belsomra by far. I rate Belsomra in the negative 10. Merck, thumbs down on this one...."

• Nev...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 23, 2018

"It took a while for this drug to start being predictable, but after I'd say a month, I now sleep reliably every night with only a few wake-ups and never for too long. At first, I had the worst nightmares I've ever experienced and didn't sleep any better. But I persisted and read up on how to best use it. You need to wait until a good bedtime for you and take it then. Give it 15 minutes or so, then go to sleep without distraction. Don't expect to feel drowsy. It works by turning off your thoughts and activating your brain's sleep center. Don't take more than prescribed or it will not work. Don't take it during the day either. It is unlike any other sleep meds that I know of. Give it at least a month trial. It's really very effective once you understand it."

• Cas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2015

"I had great hopes for this relatively new sleep med. 10 mg is useless, and when you finally do fall asleep, the dreams are borderline hallucinogenic. Incredibly real-life, nonstop dreaming that makes you awaken because they are so strange! I adjusted to 20 mg, as previously read, and then I slept better, and the dreams weren't as crazy but still present. In my opinion, Ambien 12.5 CR is still king. I will be going back to it when this Rx runs its course. My main disappointment with this new med is frequent awakenings, longer time to fall asleep, and crazy dreams!"

• Pau...
• January 21, 2017

"I have been on trazodone for years. In the past, I have tried all of the other sleep drugs, but they weren't working well anymore, so I was prescribed Belsomra. WOW, the nightmares are awful. You are awake but stuck in a purgatory with the shadow figures over me. I was trying to call to my wife to wake me but kept falling back into this elaborate, intertwined nightmare. It lasted for hours."

• Xim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2016

"What a horrible experience! All this medicine did was paralyze me and cause the worst nightmares I have had in a long time. It in no way helped me fall asleep faster. Now today, I feel like a zombie. I kept waking up last night to the feeling of figures in my room, and I could not move. What a waste of money. Now that I am reading up on it, I wish I would have never taken it. I'm going to stay away from my car today."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2015

"I have had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep for many years. I've taken Ambien, Lunesta, Tamazepam, Trazodone, and Restoril. Ambien made me crazy. I would wake up during the night to eat and online shop. I ran off the road one morning while driving my child to school because I didn't realize I wasn't fully awake. I never took it again. Lunesta gave me a horrible metallic taste in my mouth as soon as it started to dissolve. I couldn't handle it at all. The other medications worked okay, but I still wasn't sleeping all night. Last week, my doctor started me on 20 mg of Belsomra, and it is working great. He warned me that I might not see a difference for about a week. It is working great with no bad side effects that other drugs had!"

• Anonymous
• January 7, 2020

"This medication, Belsomra, did absolutely nothing for me. I have vivid, crazy dreams, and the medication doesn't make me tired at all. It is a very expensive medication if your insurance won't cover it."

• Anonymous
• July 20, 2017

"Having tinnitus, my sleep is impossible without meds. I have tried most, and Doc put me onto Belsomra. Out of 5 weeks, it's only worked a couple of nights. It's very expensive, and it just does not work. It doesn't put me to sleep, so I have to take something else with it and wake up every hour. I really think they need to go back to the drawing board with this one and put something in it for sleep."