Week 1

I am pleased to report that my first week using Belsomra has been an amazing success! I have not had a single sleepless night! Not ONE. 

My mood has been up, I'm getting more done at work, I've been getting more done in my personal life. 

Hell, I've been watching James Bond movies every single night. By my calculations, I've gotten 2 hours of my life back every night, and I've gotten 75% of my life back during the day, since I'm not tired.

My routine is this:

Do whatever I'd like up until 9:30. 

Take my 10mg Belsomra.

Lay down by 10:00

Wake up by 6:45.

I have been feeling much sleepier at night before bed. I'ts almost as if my mind and body are anticipating that we are about to get some great sleep.

I've also been spontaneously waking up minutes before my alarm goes off.

Dreams have been fairly normal. I wouldn't say vivid, but I would say I dream a decent amount.

"I'll have what he ordered, please."

I can feel a little morning residual, but it passes within the hour and it is just a sleepy feeling. My driving is fine, I'm able to perform my job very well, and my focus is a lot better than on mornings in the past in which I did not sleep well.

I'm very VERY satisfied.

Now, I have been having at least 1 nocturnal awakening, usually to urinate, but my fluid output is very very low at these times. I just lay back down and go right back to sleep. I feel no catecholamine rush like I used to feel at these times. 

Admittedly, I have been behind on documentation, so expect my week 2 experience sometime this weekend! I hope this Blog has helped you. Please leave your comments below and share your experiences with us!

Night Two

I've noticed a bit more traffic on this blog...no doubt Merck has marketed quite extensively. Please leave your comments below! OK, now what you came here for:


....I had a fabulous night one, and a wonderful day afterwards. My senses were keen, I felt fully restored. The question now is: "How long can this possibly last?"

... I took the pill at exactly 9:30 pm, and layed down at 10:00 pm. The Ambien withdrawal  was still there, but at around half strength as compared to the night before. I close my eyes, and sank into my pillow. My mind wanted to shut off almost immediately. A small portion of my resources were directed towards gauging my drowsiness...

...but those resources did not last long

Come back, Assholes!

I awoke at around 3:00 am to urinate, and I went right back to bed without missing a beat. I awoke spontaneously at 7:00 am. I lay there for another thirty minutes to see if I'd be able to fall back asleep if I wanted too, and I could not, as I felt fully rested!

Things outside were crisp again. I was filled with joy, with the hope that perhaps I'd gotten my life back. My mood was normal. I felt no negative effects whatsoever. This will have been the first time in several weeks I'd slept well two nights in a row.

.... I think that I will document on a weekly basis now that I've established it is effective in reducing sleep onset time, and decreasing nocturnal awakenings.

....AND, I hope you have similar results....

Night One

I popped open the bubble pack and a tiny 10 mg green pill fell into my hand. "Dainty," I thought. I threw my empty Ambien bottle into the trash, grabbed a cup of water, downed it and the pill and waited. It was 9:30 pm on a Friday night.

My head hit the pillow at 10. I could feel my body jonesing for Ambien. My heart rate was elevated, I was extremely restless. This was to be expected, Ambien has one of the worst withdrawals of all the sleep meds. I got up to get a banana and some cheese, two of my favorite comfort foods. 

Thats when it hit me. I felt very calm. As I was walking I couldn't help but notice that reality seemed slightly dream like, but I was in complete control. No euphoria, no ataxia, no subjective feeling that this pill was doing the same thing those others pills did. I lay back down after my snack, closed my eyes, and sunk into my pillow like a brick.

Breakfast was my only obstacle that morning

... When I woke up, that is the first time I regained consciousness, it was morning. I immediately assessed myself for signs of sleep deprivation. And found that all I wanted was some bacon and eggs.

I sprung from bed at around 8:30, full of life. Things were crisp and clear. I was back! I joyfully took the dog outside and took on all the wonderful sights and sounds that my neighborhood has to offer. I was so clear, it was uncanny! I hadn't slept like this for years! My only fear is...

... Will it continue to work?

Getting the pill isn't always easy....

When a good friend of mine told me about this new drug, I couldn't wait to try it. Something inside of me makes me want to try things, even if it's not really for me. I don't know, call it primitive curiosity?


But getting it is the hard part....


....I knew next to nothing about the new drug, and I didn't know where to start. I got the prescribing information straight from Merck's website. It seemed very straightforward. All the usual sleep drug side effects, including the very scary possibility of sleep paralysis...which I'm sure is the basis for some people's belief in demonic possession. Oh well. If it makes me sleep well, I'd settle for my tongue turning green and maybe even some slight gynecomasta, which are man-boobs. Those aren't some of the effects, but you get the idea.

Pictured above: Sleeping well?

                                                 

When I got to the mechanism of action, I knew this drug was different...


....It works by blocking Orexin, a neurotransmitter that regulates arousal, wakefulness, and appetite. Incidentally, this neurotransmitter is largely absent in narcoleptics, due to a depletion of the cells that produce it. So, if narcoleptics can barely stay awake, and I can barely sleep.....

....2+2=4?

I had to have it. Add to the fact that efficacy only seemed to increase with time, and that no clinically significant rebound insomnia was noted in the studies, this drug seemed to be the bees knees when it comes to getting those mean Zzzz's.

My problem with most sleep medications is the tolerance, and the withdrawal. They are only designed to be used in a pinch really. That doesn't keep MD's from dolling them out like a perpetual stream of rainbow skittles....mostly because that's all we have to choose from when it comes to pills. Sure, other things give great results, but let's face it, unless a drug is life altering or truly clinically significant, odds are it doesn't do much.

So, I had to find a doctor that knew sleep. Most specifically my sleep. And a doctor who Merck has marketed too. Luckily, I knew a doctor that was rumored to be up to date on the latest treatments, that had delt with my sleep issues in the past. I had it made, right?

"Yes, I'll take that please."

                                                             
                                                     
....Boy, was I wrong.....

.... It took some bargaining to get my sleep specialist to prescribe it, but that is another story. Go in with the facts, but don't act like a know it all. Make the doctor think it's their idea to give you the med. Oh and BTW The medication is expensive, and most insurance companies are sure not to cover it...

.... But I'm a resourceful guy. I printed coupons directly from the official Belsomra website, and I sold some personal items as well. I actually ended up ahead. But anyways....

Welcome to my blog....

I've noticed a bit more traffic on this blog...no doubt Merck has marketed quite extensively. Please leave your comments below! OK, now what you came here for:

Hello there. You've no doubt come to this page because you have an interest in insomnia, belsomra, or both. Well, I hope I can provide some insight on the aforementioned topics. I hope I can help you to live a better life and more importantly, I hope I can help you to dream a better dream.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional typist. Nor am I a great writer. I'm left handed, and I'm good at most things, but great at nothing. If you spot a typo, politely let me know in the comments.

What's my story?

Above: CAN handle a death issue.

For starters, my name is Justin. I'm a 30 year old male, and in what I consider to be above average health. I work out regularly. I eat mostly healthy. I don't smoke. I barely drink. My blood work is "normal." I have no other compounding health issues. The only health problem that I know that I have, is INSOMNIA. And sleep, which you probably know, is kinda one of those things we have to do. Unless of course, your one of these lucky guys.

For the sake of historical accuracy here, I am a healthcare worker. Specifically, I'm a paramedic, which does not come in handy at all if you have a sleep issue. It is very handy if your having a death issue. So, anyways, like most of you, I've had to research my condition and the so called "remedies" all by my lonesome. Which sucks when your so tired that you barely want to cook for yourself or go workout, or do anything good for that matter.

I've battled with insomnia off and on for years. More specifically, I tend to be a night owl. I've always taken later shifts, or chose jobs where I could make my own hours and days. When I do have a normal bedtime, I have trouble getting to sleep, and staying asleep. And, damn it, I'd like a normal 8-5 life. I've tried basic lifestyle changes. I have not tried anything drastic, as I have to be able to go to work and I have to be able to function while I'm there. I've been prescribed many different medications, and none of them have seemed to work for very long. "WHAT DRUGS?" you ask?

Melatonin
Benadryl
Restoril
Ambien
Ambien CR
Lunesta
Xanax
Klonopin
Doxepin
Trazadone
THC
Tryptophan
Lactium
Phosphorylated Serine
ZMA
Magnesium
L-Arginine
L-Lysine
DHEA

....and probably others that I've forgotten!

"Gosh, you seem like a pill popper." Well....if you've ever had a chronic, debilitating problem that doctors couldn't figure out, and that basic lifestyle changes couldn't change..welcome to America my friend. Feel free to leave a comment, and I will kindly read them and the hilarious responses while I eat popcorn and sip non-caffeinated Mio with club soda. We are all pill poppers, ever since birth.

"What do you mean?" "Are you high?"

What I mean is that ever since birth, ever since we received our very first shot, or our very first pain reliever, or our very first tablespoon of cough syrup....we've all become reliant upon a quick and easy solution to our problems. Am I saying that modern medicine is bad? No. Am I high? No, it's not legal in my state yet. What I am saying is that we have built a society that relies upon those quick easy solutions to work for us. And in my case, and I'm guessing in yours, it hasn't worked. The magic pill has failed you. There is no magic pill in your life...

....and your wondering if there ever will be.


That's why I'm doing this. I want there to be a magic pill so badly. Is Belsomra a magic pill? I'm not sure yet. But I will post my experience for all to see.....