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What are your alternatives? As noted above, other sleeping pills have other problem side effects. Joseph Herring, M.D., Merck’s executive director of clinical research, neuroscience, and ophthalmology. If 20 mg made people drowsy the next day, what about 10 mg? Merck, the manufacturer of Belsomra, doesn’t think a lower dose is the answer: “And what we see in the overall picture is that 10 milligrams is not an effective dose.,” according to W. Slightly more people in the Belsomra group were involved in driving accidents or got traffic tickets and reported hallucinations or sleep paralysis-a feeling that you can’t move or talk while falling asleep or awakening. In fact, two people who took the 20 mg dose the night before were so drowsy the next day they had to stop a driving test. Instead, more people who took Belsomra felt drowsy the next day compared with those who took a placebo. And yet, people who take Belsomra don’t feel more refreshed. They want to be able to think clearly, drive a car safely, take care of their family, and do well at their job or in school. The irony is that people who have insomnia take sleeping pills so that they can function well the next day. And it doesn’t help people stay asleep that much longer either – only about 20 minutes longer. However, studies show that Belsomra helps people fall asleep only about 6 minutes faster, on average. It acts differently in the brain compared to older sleep medications, which is why some doctors thought that we finally found the magic pill. And people taking any sleeping pills, even over-the-counter sleeping pills –most of which contain the antihistamine Benadryl (diphenhydramine) - tend to die younger and are more likely to die from cancer.īelsomra is a newer type of sleeping pill called an orexin-receptor antagonist. Other sleeping pills, such as Ambien and Lunesta, are known to cause problems including sleepwalking, hallucinations, and morning fatigue. But this small benefit comes with some big safety concerns, such as being too drowsy to drive the next day - or feeling like you can’t move or talk. It might help you fall asleep a few minutes faster or stay asleep slightly longer. But, the truth is that Belsomra doesn’t actually improve your sleep that much. The newest sleep medication, called Belsomra, claims to be just the answer. Most of us have experienced sleepless nights that leave us so tired and miserable the next day that we’ll try almost anything that claims to be helpful. Diana Zuckerman, PhD: National Center for Health Research