Temazepam 409at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet); the change did not occur at 171
meters (561 feet) with the drug, nor at either altitude with placebo. Judging
from those results, avoiding the drug might be a good idea if a person must
engage in physical exertion at high altitude. A British Mt. Everest expedition,
however, found no change in oxygen saturation when temazepam was used
at 5,300 meters (17,388 feet); the mountaineers reported more restful sleep as
well.
Drawbacks.In a test of driving ability 12 hours after taking a dose, oper-
ators of a test vehicle showed increased carelessness and decreased ability to
avoid colliding with objects. Researchers concluded that temazepam users
would be dangerous if they drove a car. In another experiment, however, little
effect on reaction time was observed in volunteers who received a dose almost
three times stronger than those received by the drivers. In still another test
the day after a nighttime dose, in which temazepam users drove a car on a
test course and in actual traffic, observers thought control of the vehicle was
better than normal. No effect at all was seen in one more test, in which tem-
azepam users drove a car in traffic for over 50 miles the day after a bedtime
dose.
Various experiments have sought to determine whether the drug affects
thinking and judgment. Unsurprisingly, results generally show the impact to
depend upon size of dose and how much time has elapsed since taking it.
The more important practical results are those from the morning after taking
a normal bedtime dose, a typical situation for persons using the drug medi-
cally. Some of those experiments have documented impaired reaction time
and trouble in observing short events, but other tests have been unable to
measure differences from normal performance. One study indicated that
healthy volunteers do worse than insomniacs who use the drug; perhaps the
latter group is more rested and alert after a good night’s sleep, in contrast to
healthy volunteers who get no extra sleep benefit and are a little groggy from
the drug. An experiment with elderly persons the morning after a dose found
vigilance and speed of movement to be unchanged or sometimes better. That
finding is particularly striking because effects of such drugs are often stronger
on elderly persons than on others. The drug is characterized as short acting,
meaning it should have fewer hangover effects (tiredness, lightheadedness,
impaired eye-hand coordination) than other benzodiazepine class substances,
an expectation supported by some experiments and refuted by others. The
drug tends to build up in the bloodstream after repeated dosing.
In studies involving thousands of patients, about 6% reported unwanted
effects. The most frequent complaint was drug hangover; less common were
headache, nausea, and dizziness. Temazepam can also reduce blood pressure,
accelerate heartbeat, and produce tingling. An unusual case report notes a
person who experienced hallucinations of music while taking the drug along
withlorazepam, but the individual was already hearing things before the drug
regimen began. Temazepam can produce amnesia about things that occur
while a person is under the drug’s influence, more so thanflurazepamin one
experiment. Volunteers who took temazepam have reported it causes other-
worldly feelings. Blisters have occurred after overdose. Injecting the drug into
an arm or leg artery can cause dire injury resulting in amputation. Arterial