Suvorexant and Depression: What Users Say

• col...
• November 23, 2019

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I've had chronic insomnia for about 3 years, related to getting up 4-5 times per night to urinate. Tried multiple long-acting sedatives so that I can not just fall asleep but also stay asleep: benzodiazepines (clonazepam), barbiturates (phenobarbital), antihistamines (mirtazapine and doxepin at very low doses), GABA agonist (tiagabine). These mostly work, but there is a lot of next-day sedation, and I build a tolerance to them all. I rotate them. I am not sure whether Belsomra has the same tolerance problem. 1) Do NOT take more than the maximum of 20 mg. Desperate for sleep, I took 40 for a few days, and I had suicidal reactions over the next week. With that said, 10 mg does nothing for me, so 2) I would try 15 mg. 3) The drug seems to work best at keeping me asleep when I take it in combination with another sedative, like clonazepam. 4) There are some bad next-day effects: anxiety, fatigue, depression. For me, these are the tradeoffs for getting a good night of sleep."

• eco...
• June 24, 2017

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I just had my doctor give me samples of Belsomra. He recommended I take 10 mg, but basically told me it wouldn't work unless I took 20. But after reading all the paperwork that came with the samples, I decided to just take the 10 mg. I took it without food, 30 minutes before bed as recommended, and still, 2 hours later, I wasn't tired. Today, I woke up after having really weird dreams, and all day I've been unusually depressed and anxious. I never, ever had these symptoms or this much trouble falling asleep on Zolpidem. It was pretty clear from how hard my doctor was pushing them that the pharma reps are really trying to get this on the market. I would strongly recommend AGAINST taking this medication, especially if you have depression!"

• KAS...
• November 7, 2019

Suvorexant for Insomnia "Works if you have no depression, anxiety, or snoring that inflicts with normal sleep. Been on SSRI for 12 years and got major depression after discontinued medication. Now on Belsomra for 5 weeks, and it really works naturally. Still have to work on my issues that inflict with my sleep, depression from serotonin deficiency, anxiety because of unemployment, and a bit of snoring. Took some time for it to start working for me, but I'm really glad to get rid of all 'no working sleep aids'. Now I sleep more naturally and efficiently. Give it some time and work for it."

• kit...
• March 22, 2015

Suvorexant for Insomnia "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."

• Nic...
• July 17, 2017

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I was taking Belsomra (20 mg) for almost a year, and initially, it worked great. I was falling asleep in a natural way without feeling I had taken a sleeping pill. After three or four months, things started to change. I started feeling a bit depressed with some anxiety. What was really strange is that I would get lots of work-related anxiety -- things started bugging me at work that normally would not. It's like small things at work bugged me far more than usual. I could not understand what changed. In addition, I was accumulating some depression, and everything took more energy to do. Finally, I started suspecting Belsomra was the cause, so as soon as I stopped, all these symptoms simply evaporated! OMG, I finally can feel the sunshine!"

• lmp...
• January 15, 2016

Suvorexant for Insomnia "Worse drug ever. Terrible groggy feeling next day. I usually take Ambien 10 mg, however, since manufacturers have changed to North Star, I was seeking something else. Unfortunately, this is definitely not the answer. The next day, you will feel like you've been run over by a train-depressed and unable to accomplish anything! Terrible stuff, warning, do not resort to this garbage. It is just horrible. These are going straight in the trash. I'm going back to Ambien tonight. At least with North Star, when you finally do go to sleep, you wake up refreshed!"

• Jil...
• August 19, 2021

Suvorexant for Insomnia "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."

• Sad...
• March 11, 2017

Suvorexant for Insomnia "My doctor wanted to change my prescription of Ambien CR and put me on Belsomra. Didn't sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time, then couldn't tell if I was asleep or awake. Probably the worst night's sleep I've ever not had. On top of this, I also suffer from depression. If you do, DON'T take this drug. The next day, all my work colleagues kept asking me why I was so sad. I know you are supposed to take it for a few days. I can't take that risk. I'll just buy Ambien if I have to. I've been taking it for 10 plus years and have never had any side effects, just good night's sleep. I can't believe how depressed I'm still feeling."

• Joh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2016

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I have been taking this for about a month. I don't know why. It is not only ineffective, but it also comes with some sneaky side effects, such as loss of appetite, increased depression, and back pain. Doesn't even work that well for sleep anyway. Forget about it!"

• Daz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 22, 2019

Suvorexant for Insomnia "UPDATE... Just an update to an earlier review on Belsomra. First off, I had good success with this med, but as time went on (1 year), I noticed some memory impairment and feeling very tired every day after I woke, which would last all day. I also started to suffer mild to moderate depression and loss of interest and energy. I would say that this seems to be a safer sleeping med, but comes with longer-lasting side effects. Happy to say that now I'm off it that I have returned back to my normal self. I suggest it's good for short-term use."

• kco...
• May 22, 2018

Suvorexant for Insomnia "Good experience for me the first night with Belsomra. We all know that the drug affects us all differently. I just hate that we sufferers have to try a new med before we know how it will affect us. The reviews can be terrifying to super encouraging... I have super bad bouts with insomnia. ZERO sleep for more nights in a row than I care to recall. It just doesn't even seem real. I have limited success with the benzos at high dosages, but the side effects, namely the depression, are just unbearable the next day. Same thing with Ambien. I am so encouraged by the Belsomra last night, as it seemed like I was running out of options. I got samples for 20 mg, but I am leery of the drugs nowadays, so I cut it in half (along with 25 mg of Benadryl about 1/2 hour earlier). I wanted to see if I tolerated it before going to 20 mg if necessary. Seemed to lull me to sleep and keep me there. I woke up once during the night. Honestly, the best night’s sleep I've had in a couple of months. Really thankful."

• Lad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2019

Suvorexant for Insomnia "Taken this about four times now. It has not made me sleepy at all, so my husband told me to take it hours before bed. Took it about 3 hours ago and feeling sleepier now, but this is around my sleep time. Anyway, it also made me feel really sad to the point I cried. It doesn't help me."

• Bul...
• March 24, 2018

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I’ve been using this medicine for two weeks now. It’s horrible, the first week I slept maybe 2 hours a night, the next week I slept 5 hours. During the day, I feel so drowsy I want to just shut my eyes. It messes with my daily routine and job. Depression is another side effect that happens also. I was very happy being on Lunesta 3 mg for 5 years now with no side effects. The pharmacist wrote a letter to my doctor to inform her that she needs to cut me back and get me off. My life was completely perfect before this. Now I’m back to where I started 6 years ago with insomnia or a prescription of useless medicine with terrible side effects. How can these people decide what works for me?"

• KAS...
• November 3, 2019

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I understand that this medication is not a super strong and addictive substance that 'knocks' you out. But really? Is that how you want to live, to live a stressed-out life that makes you dependent on strong drugs that put you into a coma? I think that Belsomra is an 'on point' effective drug that pinpoints the origin of failure and helps your brain to relax naturally. But it will not work for all you drug addicts out there, you have to work for it. Life change, rehab from sleeping pills and other substances, sorting out underlying problems like depression, snoring, anxiety, and so on. I wish you all good luck and hope you give it a 100% fair chance to work. For me, it took about 4 weeks to start working on 10 mg because of my underlying depression, anxiety, and snoring. Been on SSRIs for 12 years, and my brain probably changed the whole structure of my serotonin receptor system due to long-term medication???"

• MzL...
• February 17, 2018

Suvorexant for Insomnia "I took Belsomra, 1/2 of a 15 mg pill, last night, after my doctor gave me Belsomra samples, saying this would help me sleep through the night. I wake up after 4 or 5 hours on Ambien. I have no problems falling asleep, just with staying asleep. Last night, I began to feel sleepy after taking Belsomra, turned off the light, then lay, mind racing for an hour or two, bad images of a gory dreamlike nature. I woke up four hours later, couldn't go back to sleep, ended up taking 1/4 of an Ambien. Intense dreams upon awakening. I have felt tired all day, depressed, headachy. I have taken zolpidem for years. I get 10 mg pills, Northstar brand cut into 4 pieces. I've never had bad dreams, daytime grogginess, or other problems. If I wake up in the middle of the night, with 4 hours until the alarm goes off, I take 1/4 10 mg, get back to sleep, wake with no problems. Trazodone made me impossibly groggy the following day. I don't take benzos. I'm sticking with zolpidem."

• Bec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2018

Suvorexant for Insomnia "This medication is not worth $56, it makes me so tired, but I can’t fall asleep. When I finally do, I wake up within 2 hrs feeling sick as anything, with a bad headache, and it makes me feel depressed. I hate Belsomra!! I just want to sleep."

• mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2023

For Insomnia "Been battling insomnia for years. My doctor prescribed this medication. On day 2, I woke up with the worst depression I have ever had, and I only got two hours of sleep. The bad reviews are true! Expensive and dangerous!"