Long-acting benzodiazepine hypnotic
Flurazepam
Brand names: Dalmane
Adult dose
Dose: 15–30mg at bedtime
Route: PO
Frequency: nocte
Clinical pearls
- Avoid in elderly — long half-life accumulates
- Limit to ≤2–4 weeks; melatonin/Z-drugs preferred
Contraindications
- Severe respiratory disease
- Sleep apnoea
- Severe hepatic impairment
- Myasthenia gravis
Side effects
- Drowsiness
- Hangover effect (long t½)
- Dependence
- Falls in elderly
Interactions
- CNS depressants
- CYP3A4 inhibitors
Reference: BNF; NICE TA77; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/flurazepam/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.
Related
Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.
Calculators
- Corrected QT Interval (Bazett) · ECG
- Bazett Corrected QT Interval (QTc) Calculator · Arrhythmia
- Long QT Syndrome (Schwartz Score) · Channelopathy / Sudden Cardiac Death
- Benzodiazepine Conversion Calculator · Drug Conversion
- Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1) for Paediatric Iatrogenic Withdrawal · Critical Care
- CIWA-Ar — Alcohol Withdrawal Scale · Diagnosis
Pathways
- Acute Psychosis Management · NICE CG178 2014
- Depression Management · NICE CG90 2022
- Lithium Therapy Monitoring · NICE CG185 / BNF
- Alcohol Withdrawal Management · NICE CG115 2010 / BNF
- Eating Disorder Assessment · NICE CG9 2017 / MARSIPAN
- Serotonin syndrome · Hunter criteria (Dunkley 2003); TOXBASE/NPIS; BNF