Good Practices
Illicit Use Of Temazepam
An earlier article described how a powerful painkiller, OxyContin, is being used to get high and is being associated with a number of pharmacy robberies in the eastern United States. This month in Scotland another pharmaceutical, Temazepam, has been reported to have been diverted from medical use and is being found on the street. Police have issued a notice through their early warning system that clear Temazepam capsules have re-appeared on the illicit drug scene.
Temazepam is a benzodiazepine tranquillizer used medically to treat sleep problems. Tranquillizers, as a class of drug, are not as likely to be abused as painkilling prescription drugs like morphine, Demerol or OxyContin. However, they are often a secondary drug of choice for people dependent on other drugs. For example, Temazepam is being used in Scotland when drugs such as heroin are unavailable, and it is often abused in conjunction with heroin or alcohol. Combinations such as these are dangerous and potentially fatal. Illicit use of Temazepam can also lead to violent episodes after which there is little or no recollection of events. The possibility of this side effect is greater when the drug is mixed with alcohol.
The manufacturers of Temazepam changed it from a liquid filled capsule to a gel to try and prevent it from being injected, but the practice continues and has led to recent changes in the law in the United Kingdom to increase control over the drug.
Sources:
Drugscope, http://www.drugscope.org.uk, July 2, 2001.
Drugs and Drug Abuse. Brands, B., Sproule, B., Marshman, J. Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto, 1998.