How to wean off of temazepam

I’ve recently weaned off temazepam. I was taking 30mg for a number of years, and like you, it wasn’t really working well. My new doctor had me decrease to 15 mg for a couple of months and then to 7.5 mg. I was also prescribed nortriptiline - as my doctor thought I could change to it. The nortriptiline caused heart palpitations so I stopped it, but continued to wean off the temazepam. I’m now off of both. Sleep is still not ideal, but somewhat better.

The body adapts to stressors of all kinds, whether exercise, disease, or their remedies, and of course responds to food and drink preferences and practices. You can include drugs in the list of stressors as their chemical makeup is meant to alter something going on in the body which the body thinks is 'natural'.

The idea, as is well understood, is to effect desired changes over time, and to keep at it, even when plateaus are encountered and where the desired progress seems elusive...or stalled. This is true of routine medications that alter organ function.

It is a good idea to be patient, be persistent, be resolute, and to want the process and its purported outcome strongly in the first place...to be motivated. Start this weaning period with a clear goal in mind, with a reasonable time-line, and maybe look for a reasonable and safe substitute that you can call on for 'relief' now and then that isn't the same medication you are trying to rid your body's dependence of.

Some can do this inside of a couple of weeks, some will require months. I would advise, not that I am a qualified expert, consulting your primary care giver about this, enlist that person's enthusiastic support, and then follow that person's guidance. However, as the previous poster has suggested, accept that you will have to adopt a 'go slow' approach so that your body doesn't object or prevent you from doing this. You must sneak the withdrawal process so that the body doesn't do that...withdraw.

Finally, and I have alluded to this necessity already above, you should have a handy substitute in place for when the need to get at least one decent night of sleep is greatest. Try not to use it more than twice a week if you can, once would be ideal. I know...I know...those sleepless nights can be unbearably long and horrible. Been there. But using the 'aids' as infrequently as possible will keep their effect on your body the most potent...which is what you want. You don't want your body to become increasingly dependent on them. Nor your mind. 🙂

I did a very slow wean from Ativan which is another benzodiazepine. Took six months but happy to be off it.
The key, I believe is doing it slowly

thanks Need to try.

really appreciate all these answers.Might be tough for a while but also doable,

@raili, You may also find this related discussion helpful:

- Insomnia: Trying to wean of temazepam (restoril): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/insomnia-1/