Mixing Temazepam and booze. Physicians?

General Questions
#1

Normally, I’d ask my Dr. this but he just left for a holiday so I thought I’d ask “resident” experts here their opinion!

Every now and then I have difficulty sleeping. Not terribly often, but enough to be a bother (once or twice a month). My physician perscribed me some Temazepam 15MG yesterday. It says “Take one tablet 1/2 hour before bed and do not have with Alcohol.”

OK. I can understand that. The question I have is this. How far between ingesting alcohol and taking the pill do I have? Mrs. Bernse and I will often have a bottle of wine with dinner, which we’ll usually finish off a couple hours before bedtime. Is that good enough? Or should I not have any alcohol that day period? If it makes a difference, I am an approx 190lb male.

And what are the effect of alcohol with this drug? Would it knock me right on my ass or something if I mixed it or took the drug too soon after drinking?

Anything else I need to know about the drug? I’ve never taken it before.

Thanks!

#2

I do not normally do this, but I’ll give it one little <bump>.

If someone doesn’t know the answer but where I might find one (another board, perhaps!) I’d appreciate an answer!

#3

benzodiazepines like temazepam tend to have a synergistic effect with alcohol. They’re both central nervous system depressants, and together their effects are more than just the sum of their separate sedative effects.

Just on general principles, I’d say don’t take one at night if you’ve been drinking any alcohol that day. YMMV. For more specific info, check with your doc, who knows you.

Can and do people get away with mixing them? Certainly. But I don’t recommend trying to do so.

QtM, MD

#4

As always, many thanks QtM!

I’ll speak to my physician when he returns. My only concern (and the genesis of this thread) is that I don’t know if I’ll have trouble falling asleep until well after dinner… so… it makes it a little difficult to know if we should enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner or not! :slight_smile:

#5

No doctor will ever approve of you mixing benzos with booze. And rightfully so; almost all benzo fatalities come from people drinking while on it (although it takes a lot of each to produce death).

In all likelihood, a few glasses of wine and a moderate dosage of temazepam should be ok. I used to take lots of benzos when I went out drinking because it enhanced the drunknness and kept the bar tabs low, but this resulted in some unwanted altercations and regrettable events.

#6

I’ve of course heard similar recommendations before, and I’ve always wondered whether the risk involved is immediate (only), or whether there are potential long term problems.

QtM confirms the synergistic effect. I understand that if enough of each drug is ingested, that effect might cause death or other acute toxicity problems. I also understand that, in lesser doses, the user might exhibit more extreme drunkeness/impairment than he would if only one of the two drugs were taken.

Is there also some sort of longer-term potential (synergistic) harm? For example, can taking the two together (in moderate amounts) cause liver problems beyond whatever risk the alcohol alone would create?

I’m aware of at least three people who drink moderately, but also take some form of prescription benzodiazepam, usually before bed. No driving is involved, and there seem to be no negative effects. Should these people be worried about hidden long term damage?

#7

Called a geometric effect-if one Valium equals one drink let’s say, a drink +a Valium could equal 3-4 etc. can’t kill yourself if swallow a whole bottle of temazepam, but add a few beers &/or whiskey & you’ll stop breathing.