Suvorexant

Category: sleep

Aliases: Belsomra

Pharmacological Mechanism

Dual OX1R + OX2R antagonist. Orexin signalling from the hypothalamic lateral nucleus drives wakefulness; blocking it produces hypnosis through a mechanism distinct from GABA potentiation → no GABA-related side effects (no dependence liability as severe as BZs; Schedule IV due to modest abuse potential).

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 12h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 13.3 mg (Range: 10–20 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• nervous

Pathways It Modulates

• Circadian clock (inhibitor) — OX1R / OX2R (wake-promoting)
• Orexin / wakefulness arousal axis (inhibitor) — OX1 + OX2 (DORA)

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 24965990
• Formula: C23H23ClN6O2
• Molecular weight: 450.92 g/mol
• InChIKey: JYTNQNCOQXFQPK-MRXNPFEDSA-N
• SMILES: C[C@@H]1CCN(CCN1C(=O)C2=C(C=CC(=C2)C)N3N=CC=N3)C4=NC5=C(O4)C=CC(=C5)Cl

References

• PMID 29705869
• PMID 20565075