Temazepam > Reviews (4)

I had never had problems sleeping, until the death of my Brother in 1996. After weeks of total insomnia, and constant persuasion by my parents to see my GP, I was prescribed the usual, Anti-depressants and Sleeping Tablets.

I remember the first night that I took Temazapam. Kids settled nicely at their Grans for the night, me sitting by a nice open fire, with a cup of tea and two 10mg tablets in my hand.

The next thing I remember is waking up in a cold living room, still sat in the armchair, where I had been the night before. Although I hadn't made it up to bed in time, I felt refreshed for the first time in weeks. My GP had given me a month's supply of the tablets, and I continued to take them as prescribed. However, when my supply was finished, I found myself falling into the old routine of not being able to drift off again. Another visit to the GP and another bottle of pills in my hand. He had even put them on "Repeat Prescription" for me, so I would only have to phone the receptionist, if I needed more........

Well, that's how the addiction started, I can admit that now. Before my supply ran out, I'd be ordering myself more tablets. It didn't seem like an addiction at the time, how could it be?, the doctor was letting me have them. Surely if they were addictive, he would restrict my supply? Well the answer to that one is NO. For a whole year, I continued to supply myself with enough Temazapam to last the month. The only downfall was, that now 2x10mg tablets was not enough, I began taking 3 tablets, then 4, and it didn't take me long to realise that not only were the tablets helping me sleep, but an hour after taking them I was experiencing this "amazing buzz", a "high".

I received a letter from the GP's Surgery, asking to see me urgently. Aparantly, they had been going through Computer Data, and discovered exactly how many prescriptions I had received. Sitting in his office, sweaty palms, admitting that I was taking 60mg a night, was an enormous step forward for me. He admitted that the practice were partly to blame, due to the fact, my repeat prescriptions had gone unnoticed for so long. He aranged for me to be put onto "Temazapam Elixuer", basically the same drug, but in liquid form, and it would be reduced weekly. Because I had been taking the drug for so long, he advised that I collected a "daily dose" from the Pharmacy, to ensure I took the exact amount prescribed (basically, he didn't trust me, which I suppose was fair comment, I didn't even trust myself)......

So, 6 months of collecting a daily dose, feeling like a junkie waiting for my fix, going through horrific withdrawal symptoms; excess sweating (hot and cold), severe cramps, night terrors, and worst of all, INSOMNIA) I managed to come off the drug totally. Eventually, the withdrawal symptoms faded, and I am now living a normal life again.

I'm not a junkie, I don't live on the streets, I don't steal to get money for drugs, I don't shoot up heroin, I don't snort cocaine, but I was an Addict, all because the Medical Profession "made a mistake".

Now, if I have problems getting off to sleep, I'll make a cup of tea, or read for a while, I'll do anything than take Temazapam again.