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Street Names:
Unknown.
Description:
Capsule marked "Roche C Dalmane,"
ivory and orange (15 mg.) or ivory and red (30 mg.).
Origin and Medical Uses:
Dalmane (flurazepam) is a barbiturate-like
drug. When barbiturates were found to produce dependence, barbiturate-like drugs
such as methaqualone and flurazepam were introduced as substitutes, but they too have been
found to produce dependence.
Short Term Effects:
The activity of the central nervous system
is slowed down. A small dose relieves tension. Large does produce staggering,
blurred vision, impaired thinking, slurred speech, impaired perception of time and space,
slowed reflexes and breathing, and reduced sensitivity to pain. Overdoses cause
unconsciousness, coma and death. About a quarter of deaths due to drugs (excluding
alcohol) in Canada are caused by barbiturates and barbiturate-like drugs. Accidental
overdoses occur when children swallow pills or when adults with increased tolerance are
unsure of how many to take. Use with alcohol can be very dangerous. (See synergism.)
Long Term Effects:
Anaemia, impairment of liver function,
chronic intoxication (headache, impaired vision, slurred speech) and depression.
Babies of chronic users may have difficulty in breathing and feeding, disturbed sleep
patterns, sweating, irritability and fever.
Tolerance and Dependence:
Regular use induces tolerance,
making increased doses necessary to produce the desired effect. Since less tolerance
develops to harmful effects rather than to desirable effects, margin between effective
dose and lethal dose gradually narrows. Psychological dependence can occur with regular use, as can physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, delerium,
convulsions, and even death.
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Bankhead
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