Belsomra and Sleep Paralysis: 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."

• Jbk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2020

For Insomnia "I have chronic insomnia. I see a sleep specialist and have tried many, many different medications. Belsomra would put me to sleep, but I experienced some of the worst side effects. It gave me vivid nightmares that I would sometimes act out in my sleep and scream in my sleep. I had sleep hallucinations and sleep paralysis. If you have never experienced sleep paralysis, I hope you never have to. It is such an awful, scary thing. I do not recommend this medication."

• Fer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2015

For Insomnia "I've tried everything from Ambien to low doses of antidepressants to OTC medications, and none have worked as well as Belsomra. The sleepiness is overwhelming, but it feels completely natural (think of the kind of sleepiness you'd feel as a child after a long day of playing). It's not a hypnotic like Ambien, so it doesn't get you high. It just makes you really sleepy. My doctor told me to take it 15 minutes before bedtime. I thought it wasn't working at first because I was expecting a quick reaction. Turns out it takes about 1-2 hours to start feeling the effects. I now take it 1-2 hours before bedtime and sleep like a baby. I've heard you can experience sleep paralysis on this drug. I haven't experienced anything negative yet."

• Cit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2015

For Insomnia "Tried 10 mg of Belsomra last night for the first time and had an awful experience. This drug causes very concerning effects. I am a 55-year-old engineer and have struggled with insomnia for 6 months. I had been taking Ambien, which I have become dependent on and want to get off, so I tried Belsomra. I do not take any other drugs at all. About 3 hours after taking the Belsomra, I finally fell asleep and had a very strange dream, which I awoke from and experienced sleep paralysis. It lasted 20 seconds or so and was terrifying. I then fell asleep again, did not dream, and awoke 15 minutes later with the same paralysis experience. I could not move my body but was awake. I will never take this drug again."

• 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."

• Ele...
• June 10, 2016

For Insomnia "This was a nightmarish experience for me. I ran out of my regular Temazepam and forgot to pick it up at the pharmacy, so I popped a 20 mg Belsomra that my MD gave me a free sample of. About an hour into the drug, I started feeling very dizzy, and my head felt so heavy, and I immediately felt this strong urge to knock out and fall into a deep slumber, so I went to my bed and started falling asleep. However, I started experiencing major sleep paralysis - it felt like it lasted for a long time, and my body just couldn't move even though my mind was fully aware and conscious of what was happening. Later on during the night, I kept falling asleep and waking up sporadically. By this morning, I was beat and vowed never to take this again."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 9, 2017

For Insomnia "I took a 15 mg dose for about a year almost nightly. At best, it only had a mild effect at helping me fall asleep and did not allow me to sleep longer than my usual four to five hours. Two unfortunate side effects occurred. Occasionally, I would get sleep paralysis, which is being fully aware mentally while your body is frozen in a sleep state. This lasts for a few minutes. The other unfortunate side effect is intense grogginess for most of the next day. I found that I spent much of the time during that year sitting in a chair during the day because I did not have the mental or physical energy to get up and do anything. Obviously, one gets a tolerance for the drug soon, and I would say that after about a month, there was virtually no benefit."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2022

For Insomnia "Was put on 10 mg of Belsomra. Within a week, my mood swings, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts have gotten progressively worse. And it doesn’t work. Still awake hours after taking it. So I didn’t experience any weird side effects (like sleep paralysis), but it also made me feel worse overall. Treat the reason why you have insomnia first. This has just been my experience."

• Lin...
• September 8, 2015

For Insomnia "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...."

• Rsx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2015

For Insomnia "Was really disappointed. I started at 10 mg (have taken Ambien IR 10 mg for 2 yrs). It actually worked great - maybe the first sleep aid that made me feel genuinely, naturally sleepy, not drugged and sedated. But after I went to sleep, I had 3 hrs of horrible, vivid nightmares that woke me up every 5 minutes, panting and sweating. I also experienced sleep paralysis for the first time in my life. It was absolutely terrifying. I tried to keep at it for a few nights as several people have said the side effects go away quickly, and even tried only taking 5 mg, but it was intolerable. Too bad. It is maybe worth noting that I take a handful of other meds including Seroquel, Klonopin, Lamictal, etc."

• Jus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2016

For Insomnia "Nightmares turned into night terrors and then sleep paralysis. I was woke up one night by gritting my teeth and chewing on my own tongue for what may have been hours. Recovery took a week. Never slept past 3 hours. Be very careful, it could be dangerous."

• Cra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2018

For Insomnia "Those of you giving up too soon are doing yourselves a grave disservice. It took 5 days until this drug started to work for me at a 30 mg dose. On the fifth night, it was only 4 hours, and I felt kind of unmotivated during the day and had a headache. The next night, it was 5 and a half hours and the same unpleasant side effects. The night after that, it got all the way to 7 hours, but still the same side effects. However, from that night onward, I got a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night and finally, no more side effects. The headache lifted, and I got my motivation back too. I just wish I could take a normal 20 mg dose, but that just does not work for me. With 30 mg, I am yet to develop a tolerance after 48 days of use, thank God. In Australia, get it from Chemist Warehouse as it's only 58 dollars for the 20 mg 30 days supply. Those of you getting sleep paralysis, try no sweets after dark."

• Kas...
• July 26, 2021

For Insomnia "Wow, nope! Tried for a few nights, and the hallucinations were insane. I knew what hallucinations were, theoretically, but never in my life experienced any. This definitely gave me that experience, and it was not fun. A gigantic spider (the size of an average hand) hanging out on the ceiling every night as I watched it very closely. Then, all of a sudden, it scurried across the ceiling, down the wall onto my pillow, to which I was frozen solid. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t move…so, I’m pretty sure the drug also gave me sleep paralysis. The same exact scenario every night while on this drug, even to the point that the spider was always in the same location and took the same path. I called up my neurologist, and he immediately took me off of them. If he didn’t, I was going to stop anyway, ha! Worst experience of all of the handful of drugs that I had tried."

• Sbm...
• February 7, 2017

For Insomnia "Was prescribed 20 mg. Terrible night horrors and sleep paralysis. Only taken two nights, and I will never take it again. I have no idea why nightmares aren't listed as a side effect. I don't know how this is an approved drug, either."

• Nam...
• November 9, 2017

For Insomnia "I struggled with insomnia for years and have done everything from meditation to sleep studies to holistic treatments with little relief. I currently take 6.25 zolpidem 3x a week and it has changed my life for the better. Being open to new suggestions, I was prescribed Belsomra. I gave it a solid try for one week, and the side effects were truly horrendous: sleep paralysis, immobility, lucid nightmares, feeling foggy and 'lost' in the morning. Plus bloat, stomach pains, and overall fatigue. I deduced that I basically didn't sleep at all. I returned the remaining medication to the pharmacy for disposal. Read all the warning labels before trying this drug and take with extreme caution. Costly as well."

• Jos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2017

For Insomnia "As I speak, it is the middle of the night. I haven't gotten any sleep, except for a few minutes, and side effects were, most unfortunately, disturbing. I've already had problems with sleep paralysis throughout my life, and I always found myself using the same word to describe each experience: demonic. Belsomra causes sleep paralysis that is no different. And given the fact, too, that it does not help me with what it was prescribed for, and that I also have other, more minor side effects, like bad tremors, etc., I cannot recommend this medicine, personally. Beware, if you have not tried this before and have had problems with sleep paralysis, please use great caution!"

• Nat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

For Insomnia "Belsomra caused side effects of horrible nightmares, sleep paralysis-more than once a night, felt terrible the next day, always tired. Wouldn’t recommend."

• Mea...
• September 15, 2017

For Insomnia "Took it three times. Each time, sleep paralysis occurred. The experiences were incredibly scary and affected me negatively for days. I will not take it under any circumstances."