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Temazapam?

Messages
97
Location
Philadelphia, PA
My doctor prescribed Temazapam to help me sleep. (Lunesta didn't work and made me itch, and Ambien made me hallucinate.) I don't know anything about this drug, and was just wondering if anyone has taken it and how it has helped?

Also, I'm a little wary to take things that are in the benzodiazepine family on a long term basis because I heard they can be addictive...
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
hi, Personally tamaze didnt do alot for me but it helps alot of people, the only way to know is to try it. If u have cfs then you will probably have chronic life time sleep dysfunction and after sleep apnea etc is rules out in a sleep study then all you can do is treat the sleep problems with meds. The best way to avoid tolerance is to use meds intermittently, eg use temaz 2-3 times a week and the other nights use something else that not a benzo like an antihistamine or a sedating antidepressant like doxepin. Sleep meds are an individual thing and trial and error is the only way to know if something works for u. MY favourite is zopiclone which is similar to lunesta, which didnt work for you???

cheers!!!
 

Stone

Senior Member
Messages
371
Location
NC
Hi,
I take Temazepam for sleep, but I'm careful not to take it every night. I alternate it with Tylenol PM which works amazingly well. I also try not to take anything for sleep if I can possibly help it, but if it's say, 1:00 am and I'm still not asleep, I will take something whether I want to or not because the price to pay for not sleeping is too high. I have used the temazepam this way for several years and have not had any dependence issues at all, but that's just me. Someone else may have a difference experience with it. I'd say I take it between 2 and 4 times a week, and the Tylenol PM between 2 and 4 times a week. About once a week, I'm able to fall asleep without any medication.

I don't know what other medications you are taking, but one should be very careful not to take Tamazepam or any benzodiazapine in connection with an opioid pain reliever. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm how long after taking a narcotic pain medication a person should wait before it is safe to take Temazepam

Some years back, my doctor gave me Elavil for pain and sleep. It worked like a champ by reducing my pain and making me sleep. At first it had a very sedating effect that lasted all day but that dissipated after a while. I was on that medication for a very long time, but unfortunately for me, it caused a good deal of weight gain and I had to quit taking it. Shame though, because it really helped a lot. If you can tolerate it and it doesn't cause weight gain, it could be worth asking your doctor about. My doc put me on it because I had so much trouble with sleep meds. I credit Elavil (Amitryptilne) with my transition from bed-bound, to recliner, to upright and walking for hours, but this was years ago in the first few years of my illness.

All the best to you,
Stone
 
Messages
97
Location
Philadelphia, PA
MY favourite is zopiclone which is similar to lunesta, which didnt work for you???

cheers!!!

I know, it's crazy! I would take it and just stay awake...so frustrating! And then, after a few hours would fall asleep, and after 3-4 hours, wake up and not be able to go back to bed! Plus, I was getting INCREDIBLY itchy arms. I don't know if it was related, but now that I've stopped the itching seems better.

Ambien would knock me out, but like I said, I would hallucinate for a good 15 minutes before hand. The last time, I thought they were singing showtunes on Law & Order...and that there was a Leprechaun in my apartment! Unfortunately, he didn't bring a pot of Gold...

I wonder if the inability to fall asleep even with meds like Lunesta (or others) or wierd reactions has something to do with CFS brain... my husband says I need horse tranquilizers!
 
Messages
97
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Hi,
I take Temazepam for sleep, but I'm careful not to take it every night. I alternate it with Tylenol PM which works amazingly well. I also try not to take anything for sleep if I can possibly help it, but if it's say, 1:00 am and I'm still not asleep, I will take something whether I want to or not because the price to pay for not sleeping is too high. I have used the temazepam this way for several years and have not had any dependence issues at all, but that's just me. Someone else may have a difference experience with it. I'd say I take it between 2 and 4 times a week, and the Tylenol PM between 2 and 4 times a week. About once a week, I'm able to fall asleep without any medication.

I don't know what other medications you are taking, but one should be very careful not to take Tamazepam or any benzodiazapine in connection with an opioid pain reliever. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm how long after taking a narcotic pain medication a person should wait before it is safe to take Temazepam

Some years back, my doctor gave me Elavil for pain and sleep. It worked like a champ by reducing my pain and making me sleep. At first it had a very sedating effect that lasted all day but that dissipated after a while. I was on that medication for a very long time, but unfortunately for me, it caused a good deal of weight gain and I had to quit taking it. Shame though, because it really helped a lot. If you can tolerate it and it doesn't cause weight gain, it could be worth asking your doctor about. My doc put me on it because I had so much trouble with sleep meds. I credit Elavil (Amitryptilne) with my transition from bed-bound, to recliner, to upright and walking for hours, but this was years ago in the first few years of my illness.

All the best to you,
Stone

I LOVE TYLENOL PM! But, for some reason, my doctor is really nervous about OTC medication and prefers me on prescription stuff. Actually, he's nervous about ALL meds in general...but he prefers prescription to OTC. I don't know why. I think it's just his quirk.

I like your idea of mixing it up. I am definitely going to try that!
 

jimbob

ME/CFS84-XMRV+
Messages
321
Location
myrtle beach, s.c.
I've taken Temazepam (Restoril) for many years. Keeps me from waking up every hour and trying to get back to sleep. No problems with it whatsoever.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Thats a good way to use sleep meds like temaz alternate with tylenol pm, theres another very good over the counter sleep med which has doxlamine (spelling is dodgy)in it which would also be good to add in there another day of the week as well maybe. Also what i have found with the sedating antidepressants like amitriptyline was to use it intermittently, this is what i did with doxepin because when i used it continuiously it eventually stopped working for sleep and i put weight on but cutting it down to 2-3 nights a week help me avoid putting on weight and kept it woking for sleep, occassionally it would stop working and i wouldnt use it for a few weeks then i would add it back and it would work fine.

cheers!!


Hi,
I take Temazepam for sleep, but I'm careful not to take it every night. I alternate it with Tylenol PM which works amazingly well. I also try not to take anything for sleep if I can possibly help it, but if it's say, 1:00 am and I'm still not asleep, I will take something whether I want to or not because the price to pay for not sleeping is too high. I have used the temazepam this way for several years and have not had any dependence issues at all, but that's just me. Someone else may have a difference experience with it. I'd say I take it between 2 and 4 times a week, and the Tylenol PM between 2 and 4 times a week. About once a week, I'm able to fall asleep without any medication.

I don't know what other medications you are taking, but one should be very careful not to take Tamazepam or any benzodiazapine in connection with an opioid pain reliever. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm how long after taking a narcotic pain medication a person should wait before it is safe to take Temazepam

Some years back, my doctor gave me Elavil for pain and sleep. It worked like a champ by reducing my pain and making me sleep. At first it had a very sedating effect that lasted all day but that dissipated after a while. I was on that medication for a very long time, but unfortunately for me, it caused a good deal of weight gain and I had to quit taking it. Shame though, because it really helped a lot. If you can tolerate it and it doesn't cause weight gain, it could be worth asking your doctor about. My doc put me on it because I had so much trouble with sleep meds. I credit Elavil (Amitryptilne) with my transition from bed-bound, to recliner, to upright and walking for hours, but this was years ago in the first few years of my illness.

All the best to you,
Stone
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
I took 15mg of temazepam off and on for years. I tried not to take it for more than five days in a row though. I found that it helped my neurological as well as my sleep problems. My doctor at the time said it had some immunomodulating effects and that may have been why. I'm on klonopin now, so no longer take it.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
Was it a small dose? I found that if I took very small doses (like 5mg) that it would actually give me energy. Sometimes I would do this in the morning to relieve neurological symptoms and give myself a boost.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
when i take temaz all it does is relax me but not strong enough to turn the switch off, i think this helps show that its not anxiety but a sleep dysfunction unrelated to anxiety. Doctors have asked me in the past if i worry alot especially before bed and i dont have any worries and dont particular stress if i cant get to sleep as i know its just something that happens. I had better luck with valium but i know others have found klonazepam works well but i havent used it personally. Seroquel is a very good drug for sleep that i found useful. it took me awhile before i tried it as alot of reviews on the net were very scarey, but i think most side effects are with chronic use with doses over 400mg. I found 100mg turned the switch off and i use it once to twice a week. I find it sort of resets my brain and other sleep meds then work better the next night. Ive had no side effects at all other then the first few months of using it i would get 12 hours sleep. But i find its a drug that lowering the dose doesnt reduce the sedation. WHat i did when i first started using it was take 25mg and increased it in 25mg until it worked and 100mg was the sweat spot any less and it did nothing. This drug is used off label in low doses for severe chronic insomnia, otherwise its used for schizphrenia and bipolar, but its used in a very different way for insomnia, dont let the other indications for it scare you as it did me, i wish i could have used it sooner.

cheers!!!
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Okay...I took the temazapam two hours ago...and I'm still freakin' awake! What am I doing wrong?

Probably nothing done wrong, you probably just need to try something else, this disease is very frustrating! Are you allowed to increase the dosage to see if that helps?

GG
 
Messages
97
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Was it a small dose? I found that if I took very small doses (like 5mg) that it would actually give me energy. Sometimes I would do this in the morning to relieve neurological symptoms and give myself a boost.

30 mgs... I wound up having to take a half dose of Tylenol Pm. (Sigh) Fell asleep at 2:00 AM. Trying again tonight...
 
Messages
97
Location
Philadelphia, PA
when i take temaz all it does is relax me but not strong enough to turn the switch off, i think this helps show that its not anxiety but a sleep dysfunction unrelated to anxiety. Doctors have asked me in the past if i worry alot especially before bed and i dont have any worries and dont particular stress if i cant get to sleep as i know its just something that happens. I had better luck with valium but i know others have found klonazepam works well but i havent used it personally. Seroquel is a very good drug for sleep that i found useful. it took me awhile before i tried it as alot of reviews on the net were very scarey, but i think most side effects are with chronic use with doses over 400mg. I found 100mg turned the switch off and i use it once to twice a week. I find it sort of resets my brain and other sleep meds then work better the next night. Ive had no side effects at all other then the first few months of using it i would get 12 hours sleep. But i find its a drug that lowering the dose doesnt reduce the sedation. WHat i did when i first started using it was take 25mg and increased it in 25mg until it worked and 100mg was the sweat spot any less and it did nothing. This drug is used off label in low doses for severe chronic insomnia, otherwise its used for schizphrenia and bipolar, but its used in a very different way for insomnia, dont let the other indications for it scare you as it did me, i wish i could have used it sooner.
...
cheers!!!



Yeah, I like how you describe it -- turning the switch off. I'm not anxious, at all. In fact, I'm not even anxious about not sleeping - because I'll be exhausted when I wake up whether I get 10 hours or 2 hours of sleep. LOL...it's really not even my primary concern, but it's just FRUSTRATING! (And obviously, not fun to be up all night watching bad TV or surfing the net...)

I am trying again tonight. Maybe it was just a bad night
 

urbantravels

disjecta membra
Messages
1,333
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Tylenol PM contains acetaminophen, which is a fairly dangerous drug (liver toxicity). If you're taking Tylenol PM for sleep and not for pain you're taking an unnecessary drug in the mix - and if you need a painkiller there are more benign choices. (Personally I don't find that any NSAID does a thing for my pain, so I don't bother with them at all.) Simply Sleep is the formulation of the same drug without the pain reliever.

I can't take any of the antihistamine sleep aids, they give me horrible restless legs/restless whole body - so not only do I not sleep, I exhaust myself flailing around. Not an option for me. I am not convinced of the utility of "alternating" sleep aids to "prevent resistance." I need to sleep every night, not just a couple nights a week, so I don't alternate. Benzos + trazodone seems to be the best option for me. "Resistance" would be if it stopped working, which it hasn't done.

As for "addiction," I believe I got over the idea that I shouldn't "need" chemical help to sleep some time ago. If I need to demonstrate my will power, I can do that just by surviving.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Thank you, GG. I feel like a freak for having to constantly tell my doctor that the sleep meds don't work!

I see you are relatively new here, and I am often suprised by how many people have not heard of this website: http://www.co-cure.org/good-doc.htm

I hear it is outdated, but I found it useful a couple of years ago! I also know of another website that might be helpful, if you want. I think it took me about 5 years before I found this website, although I suffered the first 2 years, because my PCP said my immune system might bounce back!
 

floydguy

Senior Member
Messages
650
Personally, I've never found anything that helps with sleep. The only medications that I've taken which I can't tolerate are the sleep meds. My sleep problems may be a bit different. I fall asleep immediately but around 2-3 something happens where I am not really asleep. I don't get up or am I really awake but I am certainly not in deep sleep. Two sleep studies have shown 0 minutes in REM sleep.

I literally might strangle a doctor if they suggest anxiety again.

What has helped me: good sleep habits - go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time, no caffeine at all at any point in the day, reduced sugar intake, qigong or some other deep breathing exercise before going to bed; Bose headset with classical music for 10 minutes also is helpful. I suspect that a chronically activated immune system is part of the problem and I might have some kind of physical thing going (like positional apnea). CPAP didn't help me at all, in fact I think it made it worse.

I just Dr. Klimas recently. She is determined to get to the bottom of my sleep issue. She says that the immune/endocrine systems just won't work without good sleep.

I am very wary of Sleep Centers. In retrospect, the one I went to was nothing more than marketing tool to sell an expensive CPAP machine. They didn't seem to be very interested in really getting to the bottom of my sleep issue.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
My sleep problems may be a bit different. I fall asleep immediately but around 2-3 something happens where I am not really asleep. I don't get up or am I really awake but I am certainly not in deep sleep. Two sleep studies have shown 0 minutes in REM sleep.

I used to have a great CFS M.D. who was well versed in sleep problems. He said that 2:00 am is around the time that the liver really kicks in and does its serious filtering. He believed that if the liver was overtaxed and couldn't properly clear all toxins that some would escape and stimulate the brain out of deep sleep. So he recommended supplements and herbs to support the liver so that it could better do its job.

I don't have any experience with this since my problem has always been falling asleep, but just thought I'd throw it out there.
 
Messages
20
I used to have a great CFS M.D. who was well versed in sleep problems. He said that 2:00 am is around the time that the liver really kicks in and does its serious filtering. He believed that if the liver was overtaxed and couldn't properly clear all toxins that some would escape and stimulate the brain out of deep sleep. So he recommended supplements and herbs to support the liver so that it could better do its job.

I don't have any experience with this since my problem has always been falling asleep, but just thought I'd throw it out there.

hi,
i'm curious as to what supplements you take/took to support your liver ?

regards