Side Effects of Restoril

Restoril is the tradename for the drug temazepam. This prescription medication is categorized as a benzodiazepine and used for the management of insomnia (a common sleep disorder) on a short-term basis. Restoril, like other benzos, is often misused for its sedative effect and the high users may experience.

This page will go over the side effects of Restoril, dangers of misuse, and the ways addiction treatment can help someone safely recover from a Restoril addiction.

Symptoms of Restoril Misuse

Individuals who misuse Restoril may experience many negative symptoms. One way to understand symptoms is to look at reported side effects (usually documented during clinical trials) and consider the possibility that Restoril abuse could cause a more severe presentation of them. The following are side effects of Restoril, from most common to less common:

• Fatigue
• Lethargy
• Nervousness
• Drowsiness
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Hangover-like feelings
• Nausea
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Dry mouth
• Diarrhea
• Euphoria
• Abdominal pain
• Confusion
• Blurred vision
• Nightmares
• Vertigo

The following are less common side effects, but higher and more frequent doses of a benzodiazepine, such as Restoril make these symptoms more likely to emerge:

• Loss of balance
• Vomiting
• Burning eyes
• Backache
• Restlessness
• Anorexia
• Tremors
• Slurred speech
• Lack of coordination
• Memory problems
• Lowered inhibitions
• Hallucinations
• Slowed breathing
• Decreased blood pressure

There is also the possibility of experiencing an overdose when misusing benzodiazepines. Polydrug misuse—especially when opioids are involved—greatly increases this risk.

Physical Dependence and Addiction to Restoril

Substance use dsorder (also known as addiction) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders (DSM-5), is a diagnosable health disorder that can feature up to 11 indicators. Physical dependence—in the sense that someone experiences withdrawal symptoms when they quit or reduce their use of a substance—is included among the 11 criteria.

A person may be physically dependent on Restoril simply by taking the drug as it is prescribed, which, by itself, would not result in a positive diagnosis of a sedative use disorder. However, people that are prescribed medication sometimes misuse it, which leads to addiction.

Withdrawal from benzodiazepines can be very dangerous. Cognizant of this fact, doctors who prescribe this medication to patients usually only prescribe Restoril for short periods of time. During withdrawal, a host of different symptoms can emerge, including cravings for the drug. Withdrawal symptoms may include:

• Insomnia.
• Anxiety.
• Agitation.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Heart palpitations.
• Psychosis.
• Seizures.

These symptoms—particularly seizures—can be very dangerous, even potentially fatal, especially if someone has been misusing other substances, such as alcohol or other prescription medications. Medical detox can make the withdrawal process much safer. Often, patients going through withdrawal from Restoril will be given tapering doses of another benzodiazepine to prevent seizures and minimize the other withdrawal symptoms.

However, addiction involves much more than just physical dependency. A complete list of the diagnostic criteria for addiction can be found in this guide to addiction signs and symptoms.

Some behaviors that may indicate Restoril addiction or misuse include:

• Doctor shopping: To ensure an adequate supply is always available, a person may go to different doctors and lie in order to get two or more prescriptions for Restoril.
• Pharmacy hopping: To avoid detection of the doctor shopping, a person would have to fill overlapping prescriptions for Restoril at different pharmacies and may even travel significant distances to do so.
• Draining financial resources: For example, doctor shopping and pharmacy hopping will involve out-of-pocket expenses, as insurance will, of course, not cover the additional prescriptions.
• Not meeting obligations: Due to the Restoril abuse, the individual doesn’t meet important work, school, or familial duties.
• Lack of interest in social activities: Restoril abuse can cause a person to withdraw socially as well as stop participating in social activities and hobbies that were once of great interest.
• Uncharacteristic actions: A person may steal money or repeatedly lie to cover up their abuse when they have no prior history of these behaviors.
• Engaging in risky behaviors: As a result of Restoril abuse, the person takes dangerous risks, such as driving under the influence of Restoril.

Fortunately, recovery from a benzodiazepine addiction is possible.

Treatment for Restoril Abuse

Evidence-based treatment for benzodiazepine addiction includes help getting safely through withdrawal, as well as help building the skills needed for long-term recovery.

For example, Recovery First—a rehab center in South Florida—provides treatment for benzodiazepine addiction through the following services:

• Medical detox
• Inpatient care
• Outpatient treatment
• Aftercare planning

During the intake or admissions process, a trained addiction specialist will ask extensive and in-depth questions to determine a person’s needed level of care in a treatment program. Typically, the process starts with medical detox. Detox enables a patient to safely withdraw under the guidance of medical professionals. After the detox phase is complete (usually 5-7 days but can be longer depending on the patient’s needs), the recovering person can transfer to rehabilitation services. These services are composed of various types of therapy, peer support, and psychoeducation.

Depending on the rehab center, additional therapeutic services may be offered, such as expressive arts therapy (e.g., music, painting, crafting, etc.) and holistic health offerings, such as massage, yoga, chiropractic care, or acupuncture, may be available.

In the field of recovery treatment, the drug of use is always relevant, but it doesn’t necessarily drive the course of treatment. Rehab services do not target individual drugs of use as much as they address the environmental, physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of substance abuse.

Drug addiction is a complex disease. While a person who needs recovery services may have a preferred drug, such as Restoril, or a preferred drug class, such as benzodiazepines, the more fundamental issue relates to the thought processes underlying the drug abuse. A rehab center, through a detox program, will address the biological aspects of substance abuse. Once the body is detoxed, it is critical to address how the addiction happened so as to avoid it happening again in the future (i.e., relapse). Rehab, however, is not simply a relapse prevention program. In addition to helping a recovering person to develop strategies to avoid relapse, a program will teach the skills necessary to build a drug-free life. In this way, individuals are not just protecting themselves against a relapse, but rather developing a new blueprint for life that is conducive to abstinence maintenance.

It’s never too late to get help, but the sooner someone gets treatment, the better. If you or a loved one is struggling with benzodiazepine addiction, please reach out to a Recovery First admissions navigator today at for more information.