Flurazepam

Flurazepam (marketed under the brand names Dalmane and Dalmadorm) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. It produces a metabolite with a very long half-life (40–250 hours), which may stay in the bloodstream for up to four days. Flurazepam is therefore unsuitable as a sleeping medication for some individuals due to next-day sedation; however, this same effect may also provide next-day anxiety relief. For this reason, when it is sometimes utilized to treat anxiety-induced insomnia on the night before dental visits and other medical procedures, patients are usually instructed to have someone to drive them to and from the appointment when using flurazepam in this context.

Flurazepam was initially patented in 1963 and went on sale in the United States in 1970.

Medical uses

Flurazepam is officially indicated for mild to moderate insomnia and as such it is used for short-term treatment of patients with mild to moderate insomnia such as difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakening, early awakenings or a combination of each. Flurazepam is a long-acting benzodiazepine and is sometimes used in patients who have difficulty in maintaining sleep. Intermediate half-life benzodiazepines are also useful for patients with difficulty in maintaining sleep (e.g. loprazolam, lormetazepam, temazepam). Hypnotics should only be used on a short term basis or in those with chronic insomnia on an occasional basis.