Member-only story
Recently I undertook what I anticipated might be a daunting task.
I have been on benzodiazepines for decades.
I could not sleep without them.
In contemporary parlance, I had become habituated.
First it was Dalmane (generic fluazepam).
But the large HMO of which I am a member doesn’t carry that, so my PCP switched me to another formulation in the same family, Restoril (temazepam).
I’ve been taking the 2nd lowest available formulation, 15 mg, for a long time.
I’ve tried in the past to go off cold turkey, with little success.
Since then I’ve read it’s not a good idea to do that, but, rather, to taper.
This is problematic in that the drug comes in a capsule, not pill form, so cutting (literally) is easier said than done.
How does one, in fact, cut a capsule?
I continue to work, and I’ve found the single most important determinant in my ability to carry out my duties is good, or adequate sleep.
So, as long as I was working, I probably could not get off completely.
I expressed my concern to a neurologist about premature dementia, which has been described as a potential adverse side effect of long-term…
