ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 6:10 am
That's great that Pugsy has some good results with very sparingly use of Belsomra.
These studies found that the effectiveness of approved doses of suvorexant (Belsomra) (≤20 mg) in the treatment of insomnia is said to be modest:
I probably read most of the studies you posted way back when I was researching the medication and "modest" is probably a fairly accurate description of the improvement in sleep quality which is why I said it's not a "knock out" drug.
I went into my own trial of Belsomra with what I feel were realistic expectations and not expecting a miracle. I didn't expect a perfect fix so I wasn't disappointed when I didn't get that "perfect fix" to my sleep quality problems.
I did get "modest" improvements though and without the usual rather ugly side effects of the other sleep aids (both RX and OTC) like daytime hangover and brain fog. Sleeping a little longer and a little more soundly with less remembered wake ups was, for me anyway, was enough to actually feel better during the next day.
6 hours of highly fragmented sleep is usually going to guarantee that I feel like total crap the next day but 6 hours of mainly solid sleep lets me feel quite decent the next day. Heck, 8 hours of highly fragmented sleep is still going to mean I feel like crap...
It's not so much quantity that is so important as it is quality.
I rarely have problems falling asleep but I sure have problems staying asleep due to pain issues from arthritis in my spine and pelvis. It's not a horrible level 10 pain that I have but even though not horrible it still messes with my sleep so I try to fix it the best I can.
I will take any improvement...no matter how modest...and count my blessings. It's certainly better than no improvement at all. People need to educate themselves and learn to have realistic expectations about any medication that they choose to take. Belsomra isn't a knock out drug. Just doesn't work that way no matter how much we might want it to be.
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.
