Suvorexant and Nightmares: What Users Say

• OlP...
• June 7, 2020

For Insomnia "I was able to get this drug for free through the Merck (the manufacturer) Patient Assistance Program, so definitely look into that before you pay for it. I’m writing this review as someone who has tried literally everything under the sun for sleep for the last 15 years. The first time I took Belsomra, it was like a miracle. It kicked in quickly and felt natural. After about three days, it stopped working due to tolerance. Key points: 1.) Clear all benzos out of your system to make it 10x more effective. 2.) Be prepared for a wild and unpredictable kick-in process. For me, it’s kicked in from 30 minutes to 8 hours. 3.) DO NOT DRIVE THE NEXT DAY. Even if you feel good! Trust me. 4.) You will get nightmares or sleep paralysis at some point, be prepared. 5.) If you can skip it for a few days, it helps with the tolerance. Not at all worth it to pay for it. Worth trying if you can get it for free. Sorry, guys. No miracle cure yet."

• Gee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2020

For Insomnia "Believe the reviews! Awake most of the night & napped for 20 minutes here & there with the most vivid horrendous nightmares! Teary the next day (not sure if that was from no sleep or side effect from Belsomra)"

• GoM...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2021

For Insomnia "After seeing the bad reviews here, I almost decided to not try Belsomra. Also made it seem important to write this review about my experience. I've been a chronic insomniac for as long as I can remember, with trouble both falling and staying asleep - I can wake up at a pin drop. Belsomra helps me feel like a 'normal' person - one who gets sleepy - like my husband. Still may take a while to fall asleep, but I don't care. Sleep 7 to 8 hours. I wake up like a 'normal' person, ready to face the day, instead of my usual finally falling asleep after 4 a.m. and being unable to get out of bed until noon (which has been way too easy to do as an entrepreneur during the pandemic). Some vivid dreams and a couple of horrible nightmares, but that isn't unusual with changes. Some residual tiredness the next day for the first week or so, but that seems to have gotten better."

• Lib...
• July 23, 2015

For Insomnia "I have just experienced the worst night of my life due to 10 mg Belsomra. I read reviews, thought they had to be exaggerated... this medicine should not have been approved. Horrific hallucinations/nightmares... Didn't know if I was awake or asleep. Terrifying. If you are contemplating using this drug, do not do it!"

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2020

For Insomnia "Belsomra is FDA approved, my doctor kept telling me. I didn't care. I just wanted something that would work. She said there were no samples. You take it on an empty stomach. It caused nightmares and gave me insomnia. I was on 10mg."

• Oll...
• August 6, 2015

For Insomnia "This drug is working. I have tried absolutely every drug in the past and have had insomnia and severe DSPS for my entire life. Everything else severely impacted restorative sleep. This drug works differently and seems to induce pretty natural restorative sleep, which is a first for me. You have to get the timing right for it to work. If you take a lower dose too early before your natural sleep time, you will not feel much, and a higher dose can cause lucid dreams and nightmares. Also, it wears off quickly, causing me to wake up too early. I'm willing to put up with the downsides because it actually is helping. I don't think people realize that this drug is not a knockout pill, but unlike everything else, it can induce real sleep."

• bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2015

For Insomnia "Everyone reacts differently to medication. Dosage: 10 mg, Sex: Male, Age: 58, Diagnosis: Chronic Insomnia. I've taken Belsomra for 3 nights now with 1 to 2 hours of sleep each night. This is strange stuff, be careful. You feel tired, but it does not shut your mind off, I laid in bed for 4 hours awake. At that point, after 2 nights of not sleeping, I think I would have fallen asleep anyway from exhaustion. I did not think I was asleep but started to experience the strangest nightmares I have ever had. After another hour of this, I did fall into a dream state sleep for sure. The dreams were extremely unusual and lucid (like when taking Restoril), very strange. I fell in and out of sleep for about 2 hours, then woke at 4 am, and that was it."

• Ins...
• September 5, 2015

For Insomnia "Please be very careful with this medication. I've had insomnia since 1995. I've taken every sleeping pill at least once. None have worked except for Ambien CR. Earlier this year, my trusted Ambien CR stopped working. My doctor gave me a coupon for the free trial. I was excited and had high hopes for a night of sleep. I took one 10 mg dosage of Belsomra and went to bed. Nothing happened for about 3 hours. I fell into a strange wake/sleep condition. I began to have nightmares and visions. It was the worst feeling. I felt frozen and scared. This lasted for about 2 hours. I woke up and took a video of myself. I didn't think I was going to make it, and I wanted to document what I experienced. This drug is dangerous. Watch out."

• 09R...
• October 11, 2015

For Insomnia "Belsomra is remarkable! My entire quality of life has improved immensely! I take 20 mg a night, fall asleep fairly quickly (I have a Fitbit that tracks sleep), feel well-rested the next morning, and have a better overall sleep quality than before I was on Belsomra! The first 2 nights I took it, I had nightmares, but I've been on it for 2 months now with no more nightmares! I have been on Seroquel, Ambien, Ambien CR, amitriptyline, Doxepin, Xanax, and I have tried melatonin and Benadryl! Nothing works like Belsomra does! I'm so grateful for it! It is quite expensive though, when I got on it, my family deductible had already been met, so the cost for me is $0, but I do know it is so expensive otherwise!"

• MRS...
• January 15, 2016

For Insomnia "Went off of Trazodone and Ambien for a new drug by Merck called Belsomra with a 10mg per night starting point. I had the absolute worst experience taking this pill and slept maybe 2-3 hours instead of the normal 7-8 on the old combination of meds. Initially, I was able to fall asleep for about 1.5 hours but then could not return to sleep consistently after this. I felt absolutely horrible, and for the short sleep I was able to muster, I had one of the worst nightmares I could ever remember! I do not recommend this medication and instead will return back to the old combination of Ambien and Trazodone, which now continues to give me consistent sleep without the horrible nightmares. Avoid Belsomra at all costs!"

• sle...
• March 4, 2016

For Insomnia "I tried this medication for insomnia. I had been taking Restoril 30 mg to help me sleep, but it had stopped working as well. My doctor gave me samples of Belsomra to try and said I needed to start at 10 mg, but it probably wouldn't work until I titrated up to 20 mg. I had the worst night I've had in a long time after taking this. I became confused and upset. I began crying, became dizzy, and felt as though I couldn't breathe. I was terrified to go to sleep. I apparently did fall asleep at some point after lying awake trying to keep from going to sleep due to fear. I had horrible dreams. Never taking this again. Worst night I can remember in a long, long time. I've felt horrible all day, groggy, and nervous."

• EPA...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2015

For Insomnia "I am a mental health professional that wanted to switch from Ambien to Belsomra 15 MG. What a nightmare! This drug shouldn't be on the market. Read feedback from others. I had nightmares all night, was being murdered by a serial killer, and could not move or wake myself up. HORRIBLE. Took it 10 nights. No sleep, just horrible dreams. Read prior reviews."

• EPA...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2015

For Insomnia "I am a mental health professional that wanted to switch from Ambien to Belsomra 15 MG. What a nightmare! This drug shouldn't be on the market. Read feedback from others. I had nightmares all night, was being murdered by a serial killer, and could not move or wake myself up. HORRIBLE. Took it 10 nights. No sleep, just horrible dreams. Read prior reviews."

• Blu...
• July 9, 2016

For Insomnia "I started taking Belsomra after my Ambien became not as effective. It was expensive, but I hoped it would change my life. I've had insomnia for almost 20 years. It seemed to work okay at first, but the longer you take it, the worse it gets. Sleep paralysis is just the beginning. Night terrors, violent dreams, and very thin sleep followed. By the time I decided to go back to Ambien, I hadn't had a real sleep in months. Don't bother trying."

• Rac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2015

For Insomnia "I have had insomnia (specific diagnosis is sleep stage dysfunction) for over 4 years. I've been on Ambien, Ambien CR, Doxepin, Seroquel, Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Restoril, and now Belsomra. I have been following Belsomra and its release for about 2 years now, and could not wait for its approval! I'm so disappointed. Last night was my first night on the medication, and I had horrible nightmares! I laid awake for hours after I took it, and then fell asleep only to wake up periodically with these horrible nightmares. Ambien 10 mg worked wonders for me for a while, but then lost its effectiveness as I became more tolerant to the dose. Plus, I had severe memory loss on Ambien, and I do not want to go back to that phase."

• Jen...
• September 29, 2015

For Insomnia "Took 10 mg of Belsomra and I started yawning within 90 min. I went to bed and had a nightmare that I was strangling all my pet birds. I woke up within two hours and felt unsteady, my heart was racing and felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin. I felt irritable and nauseated too. Needless to say, I didn't lay down again and it took 12 hours for all the horrible side effects to go away. Maybe I had an allergic reaction to it, but nevertheless, I am NEVER taking this devil's pill again. Back to the Lorazepam. Wish I could give Belsomra a negative rating."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2015

For Insomnia "I've had insomnia for twenty years. I've tried everything, and only Ambien works for me. Knowing this, my doctor suddenly wants me to try Belsomra and gave me all the free samples - 5, 10, 20 mg. They all give me nightmares. Not just standard nightmares - like the worst possible nightmares, vivid and frightening nightmares for hours straight. Then I would wake multiple times and be wide awake. I threw all those pills in the trash. I would not recommend Belsomra to anyone for insomnia. It's a total marketing scam. And here's the kicker - the company knows that this medication causes nightmares and doesn't list it as a side effect. Sad."

• MHH...
• April 12, 2015

For Insomnia "Have suffered with insomnia for years. Tried many medications, with Zolpidem ER (Generic Ambien ER) 12.5 the only one that helped. Even then, still was not getting great results at times. Tried 10 mg of Belsomra, hoping for a better result. This was one of the worst nights I have ever had in my life. Was wide awake until 4:30, followed by horrible, segmented, almost hallucinogenic dreams. After my alarm woke me, I was in the strangest state of mind, where I had to make myself speak. I finally told my husband, I'm sorry, I've got plenty of conversation in my head, but I have to MAKE myself speak. I was afraid to drive after this and had my son drive me. This condition eventually got better. One dose. Never again."

• Sir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2015

For Insomnia "You cannot be on Ambien and switch to this drug. It does not work on the same receptors, and you will go into Ambien withdrawal in the first night and blame it on this. I've been on Ambien for 2 years and been through withdrawal several times. Nightmares, muscle shocks, and a quick dream of getting punched in the face that puts you in a state of being afraid to fall back to sleep. 0 hours of sleep my first night. I went to work while having hallucinations. Don't blame the new drug, blame that it's being advertised as being an alternative."

• bjd...
• June 12, 2015

For Insomnia "It's very strange at first, serious nightmares, it's almost like lucid dreaming, very 3D, and you have more ability to make decisions in the dream. It takes me at least 2 hours for it to work, and I have taken it and stayed in bed for hours with a horrible night's sleep. It works differently than Ambien, it gives me a sedative feel. Make sure you have at least 7 hours to sleep. Once you get used to it, the negative side effects I think go down. The half-life is longer than Ambien, and that's good, but it still does not have the effect of a quick-acting sleep med. More expensive too because it's new and there is no generic yet."

• Ada...
• October 31, 2016

For Insomnia "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."

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

For Insomnia "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."

• Pau...
• January 21, 2017

For Insomnia "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

For Insomnia "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."

• Ris...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2015

For Insomnia "My doctor gave me a ten-day free sample of this medicine. I tried the first one about a week later. I did not fall asleep like I do when I take Ambien, instead, I kept thinking, not worrying, but thinking about random things for about an hour. When I did fall asleep, I dreamed that I was screaming for someone to help me. I also dreamed that I climbed to the top of a 40 ft ladder and hung myself off of it. I woke myself up screaming and scared. I did not sleep again that night. I would never take Belsomra again. I reported my side effects to my doctor."