Citation: Jack. "Probably Not Recreational: An Experience with Temazepam (exp64563)". Erowid.org. Dec 14, 2019. erowid.org/exp/64563
I'm writing this because there doesn't seem to be much anecdotal information on Temazepam online, and I would like to contribute some to the effort.
Before I start on Restoril, I should give some background on how I happened upon this drug.
I've had chronic insomnia since I was an adolescent. It wasn't a problem until I hit high school, where I had to actually be awake and aware, and in university, where I couldn't just zombie through my day.
I was first prescribed Ambien, and my experiences with dissociation and short-term memory loss were not all that different from what one can read on the package insert. I took this on and off at the 10mg dose for years, until the memory loss side-effect became too obnoxious.
Fast-forward to about four years ago, when a GP suggested I try Xanax at the 1mg dose, three times a day. This has been my regular dose, under the care of a physician, until present-day. While it it great for curing the daily pains of chronic anxiety and doesn't make me vomit like the new SSRIs (it's just not Lexapro unless it's firing out both exits), it doesn't do a whole lot for sleep.
Which brought me lately to the Restoril option. I ingest Restoril about an hour before I want to go to sleep, which is about 45 minutes before I want to go to bed. Roughly half an hour after ingestion on an empty stomach, I experience a pleasant feeling of calm. The stressors of the day start melting into sleep. I find it easier to move backward into my imagination and conjure time images that later become dreams.
After about 45 minutes (the time it takes to watch an episode of Law and Order while fast forwarding through the commercials), I find that voices and sounds seem pleasant to listen to. The experience of getting lost in a dramatic television show or reading a book is enjoyable. I think Restoril allows my mind to settle down and enjoy the ride of my subconscious, taking in fantasy and information, without worry or judgment.
At about an hour, I find myself unable to fully concentrate on the tasks at hand, and I realize that if I am not currently in bed, I will be waking up on the couch the following morning. The transition from lucidity to somnolence happens gradually but noticeably. At this time, the book goes down, the television goes off, and I fall into a deep, restorative sleep that just doesn't come to me from Ambien. I wake up after 8-9 hours rested.
Now, to speak to the recreational use of this drug, I have not ingested more than 60mg to try to double-peak the experience. I find that it's not required. The level of benzodiazepines in my body are already quite high, and elevating them serves to do little more than tire me out. I find that I do not fall asleep faster or stay asleep longer, even with the introduction of caffeine or ephedrine. In fact, adding stimulants only delays the inevitable for me, which is sleep, and the sleep is uncomfortable and plagues with disjointed images (and in the case of caffeine, the uncontrollable urge to urinate at about 3am, after the Temazepam has long since worn off).
Having used a limited number of drugs recreationally, I have few points of comparison, but I find that Restoril would be highly unsatisfying for me as a recreational drug. I do, however, find it effective and reliable, with repeatable results for its intended use over long periods of time, which is contrary to conventional wisdom about benzos in general.
Hope that helps someone.
COPYRIGHTS: All reports are copyright Erowid.
TERMS OF USE: By accessing this page, you agree not to download or analyze the report data without contacting Erowid Center and receiving written permission prior to your downloading the data.
Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the individual authors who submit them.
Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.
