Flurazepam and Other Benzodiazepines

Excerpt

To the editor: Flurazepam (Dalmane; Roche Products, Inc. , Manati, Puerto Rico) "probably has no unique hypnotic properties not shared by other benzodiazepines" (1). It is often substantially more expensive and its long-acting metabolites may reduce performance scores the day after it is administered, as Dr. Berlin notes (2). Yet flurazepam continues to be the most prescribed hypnotic in the United States, by a substantial margin.

Berlin (2) may have singled out flurazepam for discussion because it is so commonly prescribed, but I am afraid that by mentioning it so prominently (the first of only three headlined sections on specific