What is the most important information I should know about triazolam?
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Triazolam is a benzodiazepine medicine. Taking benzodiazepines with opioid medicines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants (including street drugs) can cause severe drowsiness, breathing problems (respiratory depression), coma and death.
- After taking triazolam, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You have a higher chance for doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with triazolam. Reported activities include:
- driving a car ("sleep-driving")
- making and eating food
- talking on the phone
- having sex
- sleep-walking
Call your healthcare provider right away if you find out that you have done any of the above activities after taking triazolam.
- Do not take triazolam unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (7 to 8 hours) before you must be active again.
- Do not take more triazolam than prescribed.
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What is triazolam?
- Triazolam is a prescription medicine used to treat certain types of insomnia including difficulty falling asleep, waking up often during the night, or waking up early in the morning.
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Triazolam is a federal controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep triazolam in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away triazolam may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your healthcare provider if you have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs.
- It is not known if triazolam is safe and effective in children.
- Elderly patients are especially susceptible to dose related adverse effects when taking triazolam.
- It is not known if triazolam is safe and effective for use longer than 2 to 3 weeks.
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Do not take triazolam if you:
- are allergic to triazolam, other benzodiazepines, or any of the ingredients in triazolam. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in triazolam.
- take antifungal medicines including ketoconazole and itraconazole
- take a medicine to treat depression called nefazodone
- take medicines to treat HIV infection called protease inhibitors, including ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, saquinavir or lopinavir
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Before you take triazolam, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- have a history of depression, mental illness or, suicidal thoughts
- have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
- have kidney or liver disease
- have lung disease, breathing problems, or sleep apnea
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Triazolam may harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if triazolam can pass through your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you take triazolam.
Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Do not take triazolam with other medicines that can make you sleepy. Taking triazolam with certain other medicines can cause side effects or affect how well triazolam or the other medicines work. Do not start or stop other medicines without talking to your healthcare provider. |
How should I take triazolam?
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See "What is the most important information I should know about triazolam?"
- Take triazolam exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.
- Take triazolam right before you get into bed. Or you can take triazolam after you have been in bed and have trouble falling asleep.
- Do not take triazolam with or right after a meal.
- Do not take triazolam unless you are able to get a full night's sleep before you must be active again.
- If you take too much triazolam, get emergency treatment right away
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What should I avoid while taking triazolam?
- Do not drive, operate machinery, do other dangerous activities or do anything that needs you to be alert until you know how triazolam affects you.
- You should not drink alcohol while you are taking triazolam.
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What are the possible side effects of triazolam?
Triazolam may cause serious side effects, including:
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See "What is the most important information I should know about triazolam?"
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Other conditions. Call your healthcare provider if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
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Abnormal thoughts and behavior. Symptoms include more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions.
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Withdrawal symptoms. You may have withdrawal symptoms for 1 to 2 days when you stop taking triazolam suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms include trouble sleeping, unpleasant feelings, stomach and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and seizures. Talk to your healthcare provider about slowly stopping triazolam to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
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Abuse and dependence. Taking triazolam can cause physical and psychological dependence. Physical and psychological dependence is not the same as drug addiction. Your healthcare provider can tell you more about the differences between physical and psychological dependence and drug addiction.
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Memory loss, including "traveler's amnesia"
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Anxiety
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Severe allergic reactions. Symptoms include swelling of the tongue or throat, trouble breathing, nausea and vomiting. Get emergency medical help if you have these symptoms after taking triazolam.
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| The most common side effects of triazolam include: |
- drowsiness
- dizziness
- "pins and needles" feeling on your skin
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- headache
- lightheadedness
- difficulty with coordination
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You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking triazolam. Do not drive or do other dangerous activities (including operating machinery) after taking triazolam until you feel fully awake.
These are not all the possible side effects of triazolam. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. |
How should I store triazolam?
- Store at room temperature between 68°F to 77° F (20°C to 25°C).
- Protect from light.
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Keep triazolam and all medicines out of the reach of children
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Do not use triazolam after the expiration date on the bottle.
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General information about the safe and effective use of triazolam.
- Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide.
- Do not use triazolam for a condition for which it was not prescribed.
- Do not give triazolam to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them.
- You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about triazolam that is written for healthcare professionals.
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What are the ingredients in triazolam?
Active Ingredient: triazolam
Inactive Ingredients: 0.125 mg tablet: cellulose, corn starch, docusate sodium, lactose, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, sodium benzoate, 0.25 mg tablet: cellulose, corn starch, docusate sodium, FD&C Blue No. 2, lactose, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, sodium benzoate. |
