Dayvigo, Ambien, Belsomra, Lunesta, and trazodone are all prescription drugs for treating insomnia (trouble sleeping) in adults. Except for trazodone, they all are controlled substances.* But they don’t all belong to the same group of medications. This means they each act differently in the body and can cause different side effects.
Dayvigo and Belsomra are both orexin receptor antagonists, Ambien and Lunesta are sedative-hypnotics, and trazodone is an antidepressant that’s prescribed off-label in small doses for insomnia. (Off-label use is when a drug that’s approved to treat one condition is prescribed to treat a different condition.)
For more information about how these insomnia medications compare and which one might be right for you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.