BELSOMRA is a prescription medicine for adults who have trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia).

Taking BELSOMRA

What to Expect When Starting BELSOMRA At Your Recommended Dose

The way you feel when you fall asleep with BELSOMRA may be different from what you have experienced in the past or what you expected. Therefore, it is important to give BELSOMRA an adequate trial period. Try BELSOMRA for a few nights to a week to see how it works for you.

Your sleep support begins here

BELSOMRA Beginnings^™ provides you with tips and tools to help manage your insomnia and complement your treatment including:

A Personalized Sleep Profile Quiz
Informational Support About Starting BELSOMRA
Tips for Talking to Your Doctor

Discover BELSOMRA Beginnings^™

Finding the Right Dose

Your insomnia is as individual as you are, and medicines work differently for different people, so BELSOMRA comes in multiple strengths.

Tell your doctor if you’re still not sleeping well with 10 mg.* If your current dose is well tolerated and you’re not getting the sleep you want, your doctor may suggest that you increase your dose. Do not take more than 20 mg of BELSOMRA in 1 day.

*5 mg is the recommended dose for certain patients, and these patients should generally not exceed 10 mg.

Contact your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days, as another condition may be causing your sleep problem.

How to Take BELSOMRA

Take proactive steps to wind down and prepare your environment for sleep before you take BELSOMRA. Here are some important instructions you should follow when taking BELSOMRA:

1. Do not take more BELSOMRA than prescribed, and no more than once per night.
2. Take BELSOMRA before bed only if you have at least 7 hours to sleep before becoming active.
3. Take BELSOMRA within 30 minutes of going to bed.

For more information, see "How Should I Take BELSOMRA" below in Selected Risk Information.

Related Information

Selected Risk Information

Do not take more BELSOMRA than prescribed.
Do not take BELSOMRA unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (at least 7 hours) before you must be active again.

What Is BELSOMRA?

BELSOMRA is a prescription medicine for adults who have trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia).

It is not known if BELSOMRA is safe and effective in children under the age of 18 years.

Selected Risk Information

Do not take more BELSOMRA than prescribed.
Do not take BELSOMRA unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (at least 7 hours) before you must be active again.
Take BELSOMRA within 30 minutes of going to bed.
BELSOMRA may cause serious side effects that you may not know are happening to you. These side effects include:
- sleepiness during the day
- not thinking clearly
- acting strangely, confused, or upset
- “sleep-walking” or doing other activities when you are asleep like eating, talking, having sex, or driving a car.
- Call your doctor right away if you find out that you have done any of these activities after taking BELSOMRA.
Do not take BELSOMRA if you fall asleep often at unexpected times (narcolepsy).
BELSOMRA is a controlled substance because it can be abused or cause dependence.
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 or breathing problems
- have liver problems
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Medicines can interact with each other, sometimes causing serious side effects. Do not take BELSOMRA with other medicines that can make you sleepy unless your doctor tells you to.
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 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 BELSOMRA.
How Should I Take BELSOMRA?
- Take BELSOMRA exactly as your doctor tells you to take it.
- Only take BELSOMRA 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 BELSOMRA 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.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for BELSOMRA and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

Having trouble paying for your Merck medicine? Merck may be able to help. Visit merckhelps.com

What Is BELSOMRA?

BELSOMRA is a prescription medicine for adults who have trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia).

It is not known if BELSOMRA is safe and effective in children under the age of 18 years.

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