Is Belsomra Safe For An Alzheimer Patient?

Posted on Tue, 19 Sep 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 Answered on

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : Is the sleep aid pill Belsomra a problem for persons diagnosed with developing Alzheimers? If yes, is there a safer alternative?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
no problem with Alzheimer's

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

there is no contraindication (or warning) for patients with Alzheimer's dementia. Therefore no problems can be anticipated. Geriatric patients and patients with dementia should generally be watched closely when starting any new medication. You haven't mentioned any other drugs but there are some rather minor interactions with donepezil which is a drug for dementia, so if he already takes donepezil then please get his doctor's advise about the best way to improve his sleep. They can be taken together but the dosage will have to be individualized.

Kind Regards!

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar