Temazepam for sleeping

[commish]

The Doctor has given me Tmazepam for sleeping. Has anyone taken this med
or know anthing abouy it?

[LinLou]

It's a highly addictive benzodiazepine drug. Known to cause severe withdrawal syndromes just as bad as SSRI withdrawal or even worse. You can become addicted in as little as 2 weeks. It is not meant to be taken beyond 2-4 weeks but most doctors ignore those recommendations from the drug companies.

Don't take it.

[Ezin]

Yes, this was the one I was started out on, due to SSRI-induced insomnia.

It's a benzo. Read up about benzos by accessing 'The Ashton Manual' http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/contents.htm

Benzos also cause dependence, like the Paxil. So if they are taken for more than a short time period, they too, must be tapered. In the UK max prescribing is supposed to be 2-4 weeks; dependence can occur within that time-frame.

Ironically, people trying to taper off benzos can be prescribed SSRIs to help. People trying to taper off SSRIs can be prescribed benzos to help.

"1982 – Health Canada
Continuous use of benzodiazepines should not exceed 2 weeks."

[Rachelina]

I've been taking Benadryl for sleeping and it works fine. . .also valerian helps. Try some alternatives before you take the temazepam, it's so addictive I would only use it as a last resort.

[Chrysalis]

Commish, I don't know where you are at in your taper, or if you are even tapering, but adding another drug is just adding another drug.

I took Trazodone for sleep almost the entire time I was on Paxhell. It worked great.....knocked me out in 15 minutes and I stayed asleep most of the night. But I feel badly about all the poisons ("medications") I have put into my body over the years. I try not to think about the long-term effects that might remain to be seen.

I feared that when I tapered off the Trazodone that I wouldn't sleep, but I'm getting good results with tart cherry extract capsules. (I take two 425 mg. capsules at bedtime.)

There are many other natural remedies to try besides tart cherry. Search around PP and you'll find them. Good luck!

[eileen]

M, you give me great hope. I know I will be able to do all of this also.
Eileen

[commish]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Commish, I don't know where you are at in your taper, or if you are even tapering, but adding another drug is just adding another drug.

I took Trazodone for sleep almost the entire time I was on Paxhell. It worked great.....knocked me out in 15 minutes and I stayed asleep most of the night. But I feel badly about all the poisons ("medications") I have put into my body over the years. I try not to think about the long-term effects that might remain to be seen.

I feared that when I tapered off the Trazodone that I wouldn't sleep, but I'm getting good results with tart cherry extract capsules. (I take two 425 mg. capsules at bedtime.)

There are many other natural remedies to try besides tart cherry. Search around PP and you'll find them. Good luck!

Well arighty then
I have been tapering for a little over three weeks. I went from 40 mg to 30 mg. also have Ativan when needed and Have had wellbutrin 125 mg for 3 weeks.
It seems if I don't sleep the w/d gets worse. I also am takeing meds for high
blood pressure so some other things are off the list. Is tart cherry a health food store item?

I will check the search engine for other things. Man my typing skills have gone right in the toilet

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by eileen

M, you give me great hope. I know I will be able to do all of this also.
Eileen

And you CAN, Eileen! I have to say, I have suffered with insomnia off and on my entire life, not just on Paxhell. I was more afraid to give up the Trazodone than I was the Paxhell, because even the "fear" of insomnia could be enough to create insomnia! LOL

I realize the importance of deep, restful sleep. When I don't get it, I feel fatigued and breathless with little exertion, and it stirs up my arrhythmia.

One thing I have discovered, is that I sleep so much better in complete darkness--as dark as I can get it. Even the glow from an alarm clock disturbs my sleep, so I have a little alarm clock that only lights the numbers when I push a button on top. I'm also exercising daily, and that probably helps me sleep more deeply.

I also like the Natural Calm powder in a cup of hot or cold water before bedtime, and I believe that herbal teas such as Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea have a real "drowsy-producing" effect.

Yes, Commish, tart cherry extract can be found at health food stores and possibly even a regular drugstore/department store. I use the Solaray brand, and have ordered it online. If I order two or more bottles at once (which you might not want to do until you know if it works for you), I can get it cheaper per bottle online than I can at my health food coop. (Gotta figure the shipping in there to know for sure.) You can get it in liquid or capsules -- I'm not sure about tablets.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by commish

Well arighty then
I have been tapering for a little over three weeks. I went from 40 mg to 30 mg. also have Ativan when needed and Have had wellbutrin 125 mg for 3 weeks.

A 10mg drop is HUGE...and why the wellbutrin? That makes no sense to me.

[commish]

Originally Posted by scotty

A 10mg drop is HUGE...and why the wellbutrin? That makes no sense to me.

I think it was to reduce the effects of the paxil reduction as well as the Ativan. But the more I read on this site the more unsure I am. For some reason today really sucks. No energy upset stomach and everthing under my skin seems to be twitching.

Dale

[Ezin]

...as well as the Ativan

What Ativan regime are you on, for how long, and has this dosage changed recently, too?

Ativan is a benzo, and all sorts of theings can happen if a benzo dose is changed.

Was the temazepam to be taken in addition to the Ativan?

[scotty]

Originally Posted by commish

I think it was to reduce the effects of the paxil reduction as well as the Ativan. But the more I read on this site the more unsure I am. For some reason today really sucks. No energy upset stomach and everthing under my skin seems to be twitching.

Dale

Wellbutrin does nothing to help with paxil withdrawal. It just adds another drug to the mix. It also is probably the cause of the twitching. I can make one VERY hyper

[commish]

Originally Posted by Ezin

What Ativan regime are you on, for how long, and has this dosage changed recently, too?

Ativan is a benzo, and all sorts of theings can happen if a benzo dose is changed.

Was the temazepam to be taken in addition to the Ativan?

I was to take.5 ativan in the morning and .5 at night. that was changed from
.5 at night only. the ativan has been off and on for about a year. I was taking oxazepam prior to the temazepam. the temazepam was 30mg at night.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by commish

I was to take.5 ativan in the morning and .5 at night. that was changed from
.5 at night only. the ativan has been off and on for about a year. I was taking oxazepam prior to the temazepam. the temazepam was 30mg at night.

oxazepam is a benzo too, not for sleep. So he had you taking two benzos at night?? (it's Serax in the states)

[commish]

Originally Posted by scotty

oxazepam is a benzo too, not for sleep. So he had you taking two benzos at night?? (it's Serax in the states)

Yes The .5 ativan after supper and the temazepam 1 hr before bed.
Sleep is still not very good

[scotty]

You may be having rebound stuff from the Ativan.

[Ezin]

And how much oxazepam were you on, before that was switched to the temazepam?

[commish]

I was on 30 mg. I was just going thru my perscription history and found that I had taken 5mg of Zopiclone for sleep as well. Does any one else think I was a guinea pig?

[scotty]

It sounds like their chasing side effects of drugs with more drugs. Zopiclone is Ambien.

[Ezin]

Lab-rodent! You??

And probably managing tolerance to benzos by adding more benzos.

Oxazepam and temazepam are listed as being of equivalent strength; so you might have been switched to the temazepam because this is considered to be more of a hypnotic, sleep-inducing benzo.

It might be a notion to sit down with your prescription history (benzos) in one hand and a printed off copy of the Ashton Manual in the other. That way you can figure out the benzo progression, effects, tolerance issues, dose equivalents you've been on, and the current/recent effects of the on/off Ativan, and now drop to 0.5 Ativan, and the benzo switch.

The sensible stuff I've read about tapering off Psychoactive drugs all says the same thing - carefully & one at a time; in practice, patients seem to get most or all of their prescription drugs joggled at the same time, without being told of the consequences...

[anastasio]

When I first started taking paxil I was prescribed Seroquel at the same time to help me sleep. I thought it was kinda strange to give me an antipsychotic to help me sleep and never took the first one and am glad I didn't. I wouldn't advise adding more meds but that's just my personal opinion.

[texgirl]

I was given clonazepam for sleep by my first pdoc. At the time I'd never heard the word "benzodiazepine" and didn't know that doctors don't necessarily always have patients' best interests at heart. I became addicted within weeks, reached tolerance after about a year, and finally had to find a new doc to help me get off when even raising the dose by as much as 125% didn't bring relief. I tapered over 8 months. That was 6-1/2 months ago and I still have w/d symptoms, including insomnia. I won't touch a drug with "z" in the name again as long as I live. (With all due respect to Scotty, I believe that zopiclone is actually Imovane, while Ambien is zolpidem. And of course Ativan is lorazepam.)

From the booklet, "Benzodiazepines, How They Work and How to Withdraw" by Dr. Heather Ashton, downloadable at www.benzo.org/uk: "Many patients find that anxiety symptoms gradually increase over the years despite continuous benzodiazepine use, and panic attacks and agoraphobia may appear for the first time after years of chronic use. Such worsening of symptoms during long-term benzodiazepine use is probably due to the development of tolerance to the anxiolytic [anti-anxiety] effects, so that withdrawal symptoms emerge even in the continued presence of the drug."

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by scotty

Zopiclone is Ambien.

Ambien is zolpidem. Zopiclone is Imovane, I don't think you have in the US, but you have Lunesta which is the same chemical but using only one of the enantiomers.

I have used temazepam, but found my sleep quality was terrible. I got about 3 hours of unnatural-feeling sleep, woke up, then drifted back to another two or three hours of weird dreams and nightmares. I would not use it again. Also it is a benzo and has caused many people problems with tolerance and addiction.

I have also used zopiclone, I found it very good as it produced a much longer and better quality sleep and felt closer to natural sleep. However, all sleeping pills can cause dependence, so I have never used any for longer than 6 weeks. I have read that some cause dependence in as little as 2 weeks, though luckily that did not happen to me.

[commish]

Originally Posted by Songbird

Ambien is zolpidem. Zopiclone is Imovane, I don't think you have in the US, but you have Lunesta which is the same chemical but using only one of the enantiomers.

I have used temazepam, but found my sleep quality was terrible. I got about 3 hours of unnatural-feeling sleep, woke up, then drifted back to another two or three hours of weird dreams and nightmares. I would not use it again. Also it is a benzo and has caused many people problems with tolerance and addiction.

I have also used zopiclone, I found it very good as it produced a much longer and better quality sleep and felt closer to natural sleep. However, all sleeping pills can cause dependence, so I have never used any for longer than 6 weeks. I have read that some cause dependence in as little as 2 weeks, though luckily that did not happen to me.

I am quite sure that I will not use the temazepam again. The sleep patterns are just as you described. I am going to the health food store tommorow
and check into the tart cherry and some of the other ideas. had no idea of what these things were all about. I guess its my own falt for not checking into things for myself. But like mant others I trust the medical profession to
to what was in my best interest and not poison me.

[Songbird]

Good luck with the tart cherry, I hope it works for you! I haven't tried it myself, but am using valerian, another herbal sleep aid.