Generic Name: Quviviq (daridorexant)
For Insomnia "This one is unfairly maligned. It’s very new and for many, it’s expensive so they’re expecting gold. Most people usually only report bad experiences anyway. Please don’t be discouraged. I’ve tried them all. Ambien made me feel like a zombie all of the next day and made me wake up early, so it was basically like passing out drunk. Benzos and Lunesta stopped working. It’s not long-term anyway because of the dependency issue. Everything else had bad side effects, rebounded, or didn’t help at all. Eventually, I had to create an expensive cocktail of OTC remedies including the Lunesta, but this was not a long-term solution. I’m grateful I was given this Quviviq. It helps make me calm and tired without any dependency issues, and combined with occasional melatonin and L-Theanine, I found rest. Time only makes it better so be patient:)"
For Insomnia "This was horrible. If I slept, it was short periods with vivid nightmares waking me up. Body hurts, legs restless. Sleepy all the next day, worse than if I'm awake all night with no meds. This drug was overly advertised. I just spent 7 days with no sleep as I was told it would get better, which it never did nightmare."
For Insomnia "After spending the past two and a half years sleeping in hell on Belsomra 10-20mg/night, I have finally found a caring physician willing to Rx me Quviviq 25-50mg/night. There are still some negative side effects, especially next-day anxiety. But I take a low dose of benzodiazepine to calm that down (but ask your doctor whether that's okay for you, as everyone is different). At least there is much less anxiety and next-day sleepiness with this than with Belsomra; it has a shorter half-life. They both work equally well in the long term, in my experience, and apparently based on their clinical trials. But again, no drug is perfect. I cannot pretend to know whether this drug is right for all insomniacs, but so far it's the best thing out there that these sleep industries have to offer for me. Finally, I do not understand how this is a Schedule IV controlled substance. I cannot imagine getting high off of it. Just another barrier from the government in the face of suffering patients."
For Insomnia "I have had insomnia my entire life, and this is the only thing I have taken that actually works with zero side effects. All other medications I tried either didn’t work at all, or had horrible side effects. This is the first time in my life that I’ve consistently gotten 8 or more hours of sleep, and I feel amazing."
For Insomnia "First night on Quviviq 50 mg. I was scared to try it because of the reports of nightmares here. However, last night I got 5 solid hours of deep sleep, and a couple hours of pleasant twilight sleep. I even had a pleasant dream that I remembered (very rare for me to remember a dream). No drugged feeling at all and no hangover. It seems to just settle everything down like heart pounding, racing thoughts, fidgeting etc, and lets sleep take over naturally. Hopeful this will continue and get better after a few weeks. I'll update later."
For Insomnia "This drug has really changed my life. For someone who has suffered from severe insomnia for over 15 years (0-2 hours of sleep most nights in a bad patch), I have tried every non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical therapy available. I am otherwise a very fit and healthy person, I exercise (run/cycle) every day and practice good sleep hygiene. Having tried lots of different medications that primarily work to make you feel drowsy, this feeling did not override my alertness at night. I would take strong benzodiazepines and still have nights of 0 hours of sleep. The next day, I had awful hangover feelings and a very unclear head. Since taking Quviviq (it starts to work a few weeks in), my sleep cycle has completely returned to normal. It really targets my feelings of wakefulness, and I have very good quality sleep without any fogginess the next day. I can honestly say I have never experienced a drug like it."
For Insomnia "So far so good. It was what I needed, my dose is 50mg. I sleep well. I can wake up. No side effects so far. My dreams are about the same. I do seem a little disoriented when I get up in the night to pee, but nothing concerning. I could have a cup of coffee and be good to go in an emergency. Most people forget to leave good reviews, but post their bad experiences. I like the medicine, but wish it wasn't so expensive."
For Insomnia "I was very discouraged from trying Quviviq after reading patient reviews. But my close friend told me her doctor had recommended it. She and I have very similar sleep issues... cannot fall asleep for hours, cannot go back to sleep, wake at 3:00 a.m., groggy and dizzy upon waking, no energy. My friend got optimal results the very first night. She slept seven hours through the night with no waking. Upon waking, she felt refreshed with energy and a positive outlook for the day. My doctor prescribed it for me, and I have the same benefits... deep solid sleep, waking up refreshed. It has been a miracle for both of us. no more Ambien!"
For Insomnia "I have never been so disappointed. I have been on Ambien for at least 12 years. I shared with my doctor that Ambien was no longer as effective as it used to be, which I thought!! It was suggested that I try Quviviq, which was a huge mistake. It takes at minimum 1-1.5 hours to get to sleep. Then the nightmares begin to overcome what little rest I get. At that point, I’m up again. I would absolutely NOT recommend this medication. Extremely disappointed."
For Insomnia "The first night I took Quviviq, I experienced drowsiness that night, but I was still unable to sleep. I thought to myself, “What a lousy medication.” It wasn’t until I read that I had to continue taking the medication for longer periods to experience the benefits of Quviviq. I am glad that I decided to continue taking the medication. Now two weeks into it, I believe that Quviviq has saved my life. Even though I wake up groggy in the morning from the effects, it is still a much more welcomed effect than insomnia. Give this medication, it’s time to work as it keeps building in your system and will do the job. The best thing is that it’s also not habit-forming. It still teaches your body that nighttime is for sleep. I believe that once my rhythm gets back to normal, I will be free from taking the medication. I hope that this helps. Thank you Quviviq for giving me life back."
For Insomnia "This is still a new medication for me, but so far it has worked. I have anxiety and depression, and when my anxiety is bad enough, I get severe insomnia. I started taking my Xanax (prescribed for my anxiety) to help me sleep, but I knew that wasn't a long-term solution. Benadryl does not work for me as far as making me drowsy, and Unisom will sometimes help me sleep, but I wake up SO groggy the next day. Thus far, Quviviq helps me fall asleep and stay asleep. The only “complaint” I'd have is the extremely vivid dreams, which tend to be more negative given my depression/anxiety/past life experiences. But this drug is also in the hypnotic family, so that is to be expected. Do your research. For me, waking up rested and alert is worth the crazy dreams. Best of luck, and hope this review helped!"
For Insomnia "I feel like this drug has gotten a bad rap on here. I wish I would have never read the reviews on here before I took it and gone in with an open mind. This drug works differently than Ambien and such. It will most likely not put you to sleep the first, second, or third night. I was hit with sudden insomnia from stress, and nothing was working for me. Everything would put me to sleep, but nothing kept me asleep. On my fourth night of Quviviq, I slept 7 hours, with wake times, but fell back asleep. Read the info on the website carefully before taking this, so you understand - it takes 7 days to fully start working and a month to get full results. I have been getting consistent 6-7 hours now the past week. Obviously, everyone is different, so it may not work for you. For me, it was my prayers answered because the last step was Seroquel. I haven’t had any side effects so far, just a little lightheaded maybe once in a while. But no “Ambien hangover.”"
For Insomnia "The sales rep really oversold this to my doc. This medication triggered restless legs all night long and mini migraines starting the next morning. Caused dizziness while Ambien did not. I take Cymbalta for depression. Without sleep, my depression will get worse. He said it didn't have any side effects. NOT! I am not going to use this drug again."
For Insomnia "First med that has ever helped me. Based on the low reviews, I thought 'not'. You MUST take this for at least 3 weeks to see if it works. I have no side effects except some drowsiness but I'll take that for sleep! This Orexin Antagonist really calms an active mind. Sleep comes naturally, not a zonk on the head. It seems to reset your circadian rhythm. I'm going to keep taking this for a while. After 20 years of bad insomnia, I finally found something with promise. Disregard the low ratings and try this for at least 3 weeks. You may need to adjust the dosage. Non-addictive and no withdrawal. Way way better than benzos, quasi benzodiazepines like Ambien, and better than antidepressants."
For Insomnia "I've been on for 10 days. I'm falling asleep faster and sleeping through the night. No weird side effects. I hope it stays like this because my eyes finally look normal again. I tried hydroxyzine, doxepin, so many others with a time-limited effect. Had insomnia since a teen and now 40. So far so good."
For Insomnia "THE worse sleeping medication ever! Takes too long for it to work. Tried it for a week, but I had multiple sleep paralysis, and horrible vivid dreams within dream every night! I had to hurt myself in my dreams to be able to wake up. I feared going back to sleep while cannot control myself. The experience was like some evil kept dragging you to hell. This medication should never have been approved for people to use!"
For Insomnia "I've been taking 50 mg Quviviq at night for insomnia. I was previously on Ambien and before that, Trazodone (trash). It doesn't matter when or what time I take Quviviq, it will not put me to sleep and will not make me tired. It does, however, calm me down at night. So, I take 10 mg melatonin to put me to sleep, and Quviviq does really well at keeping me asleep. Melatonin alone fails to get me a full night's sleep and on its own may get me to sleep fast but wake up after 2 or 3 hours feeling rested but then crashing. This is where Quviviq does well at keeping me asleep. The worst side effect (not that big a deal to me) is nightmares and very, VERY realistic dreams. I suppose this means that Quviviq is doing a good job at putting me into REM sleep. I'm not disappointed with this drug, although it does seem kind of weak considering I was on 25 mg that doesn't work and upped my dosage to 50 mg a night. I don't have other side effects. It does offer another way to sleep when my other drugs exhaust."
For Insomnia "After a lifetime of insomnia, nothing like Ambien or Lunesta would work long term for my sleep. My doctor told me Quviviq was a new class of medication, and he wanted me to try it. I was anxious about some reviews but finally tried it. It took about a month, but I now sleep 7+ hours a night, and I’m finally relaxing about bedtime now. Some side effects like being woozy if I have to get up in the middle of the night to go pee. It is expensive but worth it for me."
For Insomnia "First of all, this is the only medicine that truly helps me. Still takes me a very long time to go to sleep, but once I’m asleep, it really helps me stay asleep. My favorite part is I don’t feel like I have a sleep hangover. Thank you, Quviviq."
For Insomnia "It's a bit too early to tell, but this works better than Belsomra (complete trash) and better than Dayvigo, which only works for me about 1/5 of the time. I've taken Quviviq twice, and both times I slept about 7 hours with a couple of awakenings. The only downside I've noticed so far is next-day headache and maybe a little feeling of unease. Fingers crossed for something else to add to the arsenal."
For Insomnia "Worst experience ever! After 2 doses, I've had enough to know that this drug is dangerous to your mental health. Did not help with falling asleep and didn't help with sleeping through the night. Like others, the sleep cycles were at most an hour throughout the night. I think they need to go back to the drawing board on this medication."
For Insomnia "I've had insomnia for years, not being able to go to sleep. My mind just would not turn off. I'm in my 60s and I would think about stuff that happened 40 years ago and what I would do differently. Laying in bed worrying and just thinking about everything. If I went to sleep, I would wake up between 2 am and 5 am and be unable to go back to sleep. The first night I was on this medication, I slept like a baby but was groggy the next day. Since then, I've slept great. Got a routine of taking medication around 8:30, letting dogs out, locking doors, etc. In bed around 9:00. If I wake up for the bathroom, I go right back to sleep. So far, no bad dreams or any side effects. This medication has changed my lifestyle dramatically. I'm not sleepy upon waking, and my energy is back."
For Insomnia "I've been on Ambien CR 12.5mg since 2006 when it came out and suffered insomnia all my adult life. I would have times where I would go 3-4 days without sleep, even after taking Ambien. I started 50 mg of Quviviq 3 weeks ago, and I've been getting better sleep, but I still wake up 3-4 times per night. The first night was 8 hours of sleep, but the week following was rough. I think that was a withdrawal side effect from getting off of Ambien. After starting this medication, I'm more clear-headed during the day, and my memory seems much better. I don't ever remember dreams, but since starting Quviviq, I do wake up in the morning with memories of dreams, but nothing extreme or bizarre. I just wish it was a little stronger."
For Insomnia "This is the absolute best thing I have ever taken for sleep. I have taken multiple over the counter, prescription, and controlled substances, most of which have worked to some degree in getting me asleep, but not keeping me asleep. Quviviq is extremely expensive, yet it is literally the only thing I have used that puts me to sleep quickly and keeps me asleep. The only side effects I have experienced is brain fog and slight dizziness when taken at times where I cannot get a full 8 hours of sleep. So, it is still active when my alarm sounds. No other side effects. This WILL knock you out within 30 mins, so you want to go to bed as soon as you take that pill because, once it kicks in, you are not going to be able to function or stay awake. I LOVE THIS med."
For Insomnia "Insomnia has been an issue in my life for the past 20 years. Finally, I tried to address it using trazodone (ineffective), and Ambien 5 mg occasionally and eventually daily (moderate intestinal issues and decreased effectiveness) for the last 5 years. Trying to get away from the hypnotic/benzo insomnia aids for sleeping and working with my PCP, I switched to Quviviq 25 mg once nightly. I am finishing my third month now, and my sleep patterns have improved. At first, I had fitful nights of sleep with vivid dreams, but slowly after the first couple of weeks, things started and have continued to improve. My sleep is nowhere near perfect, but I now get sleepy at night (even before taking the pill), and have longer nights of sleep. My vivid dreams have decreased some, no intestinal issues, and some non-sedative grogginess that quickly dissipates in the morning. Perfect, no, but some good improvements and hopes for this to get even better."
