Anyone else find the commercial for Belsomra a little…disturbing…? At first I thought it was cute but then it just got weird! 🙂
It definitely gets your attention! So, Belsomra (suvorexant) is a new drug on the market to help treat insomnia. It is in its own class of medication called orexin receptor antagonists. The idea is orexin promotes wakefulness (the AWAKE dog) so Belsomra blocks it with the SLEEP cat which should help you sleep.
It was hoped that this new drug would work better than the other sleep meds on the market but it doesn’t. In studies, patients taking Belsomra fell asleep 5-10 minutes faster and stay asleep 22 minutes longer when compared to the placebo group…not too impressive.
It has the same possible side effects as other prescription sleep aids –like walking, eating, driving and “other activities” while asleep without remembering the next day. In addition, Belsomra has the possible side effect of causing temporary sleep paralysis. This means, it can make you unable to move while falling asleep or waking up. This is one of the many side effects listed as the fur-words wander around with the lady! 🙂
Belsomra is metabolized by CYP3A4 which means it can have quite a few drug interactions –make sure you talk with your provider or pharmacist before taking (or you can email us!)
Typical dose is 10mg once at bedtime (max dose is 20mg). It should be taken 30 minutes before bedtime and you should have at least 7 hours available to sleep. If taken with food, it may take longer to start working
Price – A one month’s supply will cost about $300 versus $10 ish for zolpidem (Ambien’s generic). Ouch! Here is a coupon for 10 day trial
We have a couple of articles about Prescription Meds to Help You Sleep and OTC Meds to Help You Sleep (this article includes lifestyle changes that can help too!). Here is an article at Dr. Mercola’s website about Natural Remedies that May Help You Sleep.
If you haven’t seen the commercial and want to:
Any questions, comments, stories –holla at us! 🙂 Leave a comment or email us!