The improvements in sleep latency and total sleep time were numerically much greater than any of the other included sleep medications, including eszopiclone, zopiclone, zolpidem, triazolam, estazolam, quazepam, flurazepam, trazodone, diphenhydramine, gabapentin, among others.The United States Air Force uses temazepam as one of the hypnotics approved as a "no-go pill" to help aviators and special-duty personnel sleep in support of mission readiness. "Ground tests" are necessary prior to required authorization being issued to use the medication in an operational situation, and a 12-hour restriction is imposed on subsequent flight operation. The other hypnotics used as "no-go pills" are zaleplon and zolpidem, which have shorter mandatory recovery periods. Available forms
Temazepam is available in the form of 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30 mg oral capsules in North America (Canada and United States). Although banned in some European countries (Norway, Sweden), it is available in most other European countries and the rest of the world, including in Australia and New Zealand, as 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg tablets or capsules. Contraindications
Use of temazepam should be avoided, when possible, in individuals with these conditions:

Ataxia (gross lack of coordination of muscle movements)
Severe hypoventilation
Acute narrow-angle glaucoma
Severe hepatic deficiencies (hepatitis and liver cirrhosis decrease elimination by a factor of two)
Severe renal deficiencies (e.g.
If the dose is rapidly decreased withdrawal may occur. Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not recommended. Temazepam is a short-acting benzodiazepine and hypnotic. It works by affecting GABA within the brain.Temazepam was patented in 1962 and came into medical use in 1969. It is available as a generic medication. In 2019, it was the 214th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2 million prescriptions. Medical uses
In sleep laboratory studies, temazepam significantly decreased the number of nightly awakenings, but has the drawback of distorting the normal sleep pattern. It is officially indicated for severe insomnia and other severe or disabling sleep disorders. The prescribing guidelines in the UK limit the prescribing of hypnotics to two to four weeks due to concerns of tolerance and dependence.The American Academy of Sleep Medicines 2017 clinical practice guidelines recommended the use of temazepam in the treatment of sleep-onset and sleep-maintenance insomnia. It rated the recommendation as weak, the quality of evidence as moderate, and concluded that the potential benefits outweighed the potential harms. The guidelines found that temazepam at a dose of 15 mg reduces sleep latency by 37 minutes (95% CI 21 to 53 minutes), increases total sleep time by 99 minutes (95% CI 63 to 135 minutes), and provides a small improvement to sleep quality.