Dalmane

What Is Dalmane?

Dalmane (flurazepam) is a benzodiazepine used to treat insomnia symptoms, such as trouble falling or staying asleep. Dalmane is available in generic form.

What Are Side Effects of Dalmane?

Common side effects of Dalmane include:

• dizziness,
• weakness,
• loss of coordination,
• blurred vision,
• headache,
• depression,
• stomach pain,
• heartburn,
• upset stomach,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• nervousness,
• excited feeling,
• irritability,
• increased sweating,
• flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling),
• itching or rash,
• dry mouth, or
• unpleasant taste in your mouth.

What Are Side Effects of Dalmane?

Tell your doctor if you have daytime drowsiness (or during hours when you are not normally sleeping) when using Dalmane. Some people using Dalmane have engaged in activity such as driving, eating, or making phone calls and later having no memory of the activity. If this happens to you, stop taking Dalmane and talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Dalmane including:

• memory loss, or
• mental/mood/behavior changes (such as new or worsening depression, abnormal thoughts, thoughts of suicide, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, aggressive behavior, or anxiety).

Dosage for Dalmane

Dosage of Dalmane should be individualized. The usual adult dosage is 30 mg before bedtime. In some patients, 15 mg may suffice.

What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Dalmane?

Dalmane may interact with fluvoxamine, itraconazole, ketoconazole, or nefazodone. Tell your doctor all medications you are taking.

Dalmane During Pregnancy or Breastfeeding

Dalmane must not be used during pregnancy. Other medications in this class have caused birth defects when used in the first three months of pregnancy. Other medications in this class have also caused unusual drowsiness, feeding problems, and liver problems in newborns when used at or near the time of delivery, or withdrawal symptoms in newborns when used for a long time during pregnancy. If you are a woman of childbearing age, use an effective form of birth control while taking Dalmane. If you plan to become pregnant, stop taking this drug before doing so. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, inform your doctor immediately. Based on information from related drugs, Dalmane may pass into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Breastfeeding while using this drug is not recommended. Dalmane may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for.

Additional Information

Our Dalmane (flurazepam) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.

 

Dalmane Consumer Information

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; nausea and vomiting; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Flurazepam can slow or stop your breathing, especially if you have recently used an opioid medication, alcohol, or other drugs that can slow your breathing. A person caring for you should seek emergency medical attention if you have weak or shallow breathing, if you are hard to wake up, or if you stop breathing.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

• severe daytime drowsiness;
• confusion, agitation;
• thinking problems, unusual thoughts or behavior;
• new or worsening depression; or
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real).

Some people using flurazepam have engaged in activity such as driving, eating, walking, making phone calls, or having sex and later having no memory of the activity. Tell your doctor right away if this happens to you.

The sedative effects of flurazepam may last longer in older adults. Accidental falls are common in elderly patients who take benzodiazepines. Use caution to avoid falling or injury.

Common side effects may include:

• daytime drowsiness (may also occur for several days after you stop taking flurazepam);
• dizziness, feeling light-headed;
• loss of coordination;
• falling or staggering.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Read the entire detailed patient monograph for Dalmane (Flurazepam)

 

Dalmane Professional Information

SIDE EFFECTS

Dizziness, drowsiness, light-headedness, staggering, ataxia and falling have occurred, particularly in elderly or debilitated persons. Severe sedation, lethargy, disorientation and coma, probably indicative of drug intolerance or overdosage, have been reported.

Also reported were headache, heartburn, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal pain, nervousness, talkativeness, apprehension, irritability, weakness, palpitations, chest pains, body and joint pains and genitourinary complaints. There have also been rare occurrences of leukopenia, granulocytopenia, sweating, flushes, difficulty in focusing, blurred vision, burning eyes, faintness, hypotension, shortness of breath, pruritus, skin rash, dry mouth, bitter taste, excessive salivation, anorexia, euphoria, depression, slurred speech, confusion, restlessness, hallucinations, and elevated SGOT, SGPT, total and direct bilirubins, and alkaline phosphatase. Paradoxical reactions, eg, excitement, stimulation and hyperactivity, have also been reported in rare instances.

DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE

Abuse and addiction are separate and distinct from physical dependence and tolerance. Abuse is characterized by misuse of the drug for non-medical purposes, often in combination with other psychoactive substances. Physical dependence is a state of adaptation that is manifested by a specific withdrawal syndrome that can be produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level of the drug and/or administration of an antagonist. Tolerance is a state of adaptation in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a diminution of one or more of the drug's effects over time. Tolerance may occur to both the desired and undesired effects of the drug and may develop at different rates for different effects.

Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving. Drug addiction is a treatable disease, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, but relapse is common.

Withdrawal symptoms, similar in character to those noted with barbiturates and alcohol (convulsions, tremor, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting and sweating), have occurred following abrupt discontinuance of benzodiazepines. The more severe withdrawal symptoms have usually been limited to those patients who had received excessive doses over an extended period of time. Generally milder withdrawal symptoms (eg, dysphoria and insomnia) have been reported following abrupt discontinuance of benzodiazepines taken continuously at therapeutic levels for several months. Consequently, after extended therapy, abrupt discontinuation should generally be avoided and a gradual dosage tapering schedule followed. Addiction-prone individuals (such as drug addicts or alcoholics) should be under careful surveillance when receiving flurazepam or other psychotropic agents because of the predisposition of such patients to habituation and dependence.

Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Dalmane (Flurazepam)