II. Class

  1. Medium Acting Benzodiazepine

III. Indications

  1. Insomnia with frequent awakening
    1. Short-term use only (7 to 10 days)

IV. Dosing: General

  1. Start 15 mg orally taken 1 to 2 hours before bedtime (7.5 mg in elderly or debilitated)
  2. Maximum Dose: 30 mg at bedtime (15 mg in elderly)

V. Pharmacokinetics

  1. Onset: 30-60 minutes
  2. Serum Peak Level: 2-3 hours after oral dose
  3. Duration: 6-8 hours
  4. Half-Life: 8-15 hours
    1. May be as long as 25 hours in some patients due to potentially active metabolites
  5. Metabolism to Glucuronidation

VI. Dosing: Equivalent dosing (for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal)

  1. Valium = Dose x1.0
  2. Phenobarbital = Dose x3.0

VII. Advantages

  1. Less daytime sedation or accumulation

VIII. Disadvantages

  1. More risk of rebound Insomnia

X. References

  1. (2019) Med Lett Drugs Ther 61(1578): 121-6
  2. (2020) Presc Lett, Resource #361206, Appropriate Use of Benzodiazepines
  3. Olson (2020) Clinical Pharmacology, Medmaster Miami, p. 55
  4. Hamilton (2020) Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia

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Cost: Medications

temazepam (on 12/21/2022 at Medicaid.Gov Survey of pharmacy drug pricing)
TEMAZEPAM 15 MG CAPSULE Generic $0.08 each
TEMAZEPAM 22.5 MG CAPSULE Generic $2.03 each
TEMAZEPAM 30 MG CAPSULE Generic $0.09 each
TEMAZEPAM 7.5 MG CAPSULE Generic $1.32 each