Uses
BELSOMRA is a prescription medicine for adults who have trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia).
It is not known if it is safe and effective in children under the age of 18.
Side Effects Of Belsomra
BELSOMRA may cause serious side effects including:
• abnormal thoughts and behavior.
Symptoms include more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions.
- memory loss
- anxiety
- temporary inability to move or talk (sleep paralysis) for up to several minutes
while you are going to sleep or waking up. - temporary weakness in your legs that can happen during the day or at night.
The most common side effects of BELSOMRA include drowsiness the next day after you
take it.
The following additional side effects have been reported with BELSOMRA:
• abnormal dreams
These are not all the possible side effects. For more information, ask your
doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Warnings & Precautions
Before taking BELSOMRA, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts
- have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
- have a history of a sudden onset of muscle weakness (cataplexy)
- have a history of falling asleep often at unexpected times (narcolepsy) or daytime sleepiness
- have lung problems or breathing problems
- have liver problems
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if it can harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if BELSOMRA passes into your breast milk.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Medicines can interact with each other, sometimes causing serious side effects. Do not take it with other medicines that can make you sleepy unless your doctor tells you to.
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of your medicines with you to show your doctor and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine.
Do not drink alcohol while taking BELSOMRA. It can increase your chances of getting serious side effects.
- Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, do anything dangerous, or do other activities that require clear thinking after taking BELSOMRA.
- You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking BELSOMRA. Do not drive or do other dangerous activities until you feel fully awake.
Belsomra Dosage
Take BELSOMRA exactly as your doctor tells you to take it.
- Only take it 1 time each night, if needed, within 30 minutes of going to bed.
- Only take BELSOMRA when you can get a full night’s sleep (at least 7 hours).
- Do not take it if you drank alcohol that evening or before bed.
- BELSOMRA may be taken with or without a meal. However, BELSOMRA may take longer to work if you take it with or right after meals.
- Call your doctor if your insomnia (sleep problem) worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
- If you take too much BELSOMRA, call your doctor right away or get emergency treatment
Other
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not use BELSOMRA for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give BELSOMRA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them. This Medication Guide summarizes the most important information about BELSOMRA. You can ask your pharmacist or doctor for information about BELSOMRA that is written for health professionals.
Source
All information has been provided courtesy of MedLinePlus from the National Library of Medicine and from the FDA.
