Hypnodorm (Flunitrazepam)
Complete patient guide for uses, dosage, side effects, and safety information
Prescription RequiredQuick Facts
What Is Hypnodorm Used For?
Hypnodorm contains flunitrazepam, which belongs to a group of medicines called benzodiazepines. These medicines work by affecting brain chemicals to help with sleep problems.
Primary Uses
Hypnodorm is used to treat severe cases of insomnia (trouble sleeping). It is not recommended as a first choice treatment for patients with depression and/or psychosis as it can increase the risk of suicide.
How It Works
Benzodiazepines like Hypnodorm are thought to work by their action on brain chemicals, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Short-term use: Benzodiazepines such as Hypnodorm generally need only be taken for a few nights and then discontinued by gradually decreasing the dosage. Continuous long-term use is not recommended as it may lead to dependence.
How to Take Hypnodorm
The dose varies from patient to patient, and your doctor will decide the right dose for you. Hypnodorm should only be taken when you go to bed.
Dosage Instructions
The usual dose is 1 mg to 2 mg (one to two tablets) at bedtime. For elderly patients, the usual dose is 0.5 mg to 1 mg (half to one tablet) at bedtime. Swallow the tablets with a glass of water. Tablets can be broken in half if your doctor has prescribed half a tablet. Take only when you go to bed and only if you feel you will need help sleeping. Can be taken with or without food.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If you forget to take Hypnodorm before you go to bed and you wake up late in the night or early in the morning, do not take Hypnodorm as you may have trouble waking in the morning. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed dose.
Important: Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. Take Hypnodorm only for as long as your doctor recommends, usually just a few nights.
Available Tablet Strengths
Side Effects
Like all medications, this medicine can cause side effects. Most are mild and temporary, but some require medical attention.
Common Side Effects
These side effects occur relatively frequently and usually don’t require emergency care:
- tiredness or drowsiness
- hangover feeling in the morning
- headache
- confusion
- dizziness
- unsteadiness when walking
- stomach upsets
- dry mouth
- slurred speech
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- skin rash
- fast heartbeat
- muscle weakness
- aggressive behaviour
- delusions, hallucinations
- sudden excitation or anxiety
- severe sleep disturbances, nightmares
- loss of memory
- swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing
Important Warnings
There are several important conditions and situations where Hypnodorm should not be used or requires special caution.
Who Should Not Take Hypnodorm
Do not take Hypnodorm if you are allergic to flunitrazepam, any other benzodiazepine, or any ingredients in the medicine. Also avoid if you have severe and chronic lung disease, myasthenia gravis (severe muscle weakness), sleep apnoea (temporarily stopping breathing while asleep), or severe liver disease.
Medical Conditions to Discuss
Tell your doctor if you have hypotension (low blood pressure), myasthenia gravis, liver or kidney problems, lung problems, blood disorders, glaucoma (increased eye pressure), depression, psychosis or schizophrenia, or epilepsy. Also inform them if you drink alcohol regularly, need to drive or operate machinery, or plan to have surgery.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Hypnodorm crosses the placenta and may cause poor muscle tone, slowed breathing, feeding problems, and low body temperature in newborn infants if used in high doses during labor. Withdrawal symptoms in newborn infants have been reported with long-term use. Do not take Hypnodorm if you are breastfeeding, as it passes into breast milk and may affect your baby.
Withdrawal Risk: If you have taken Hypnodorm for a long period and suddenly stop, you may experience withdrawal symptoms including extreme anxiety, shaking, difficulty sleeping, depression, confusion, fits, and other serious symptoms. Hypnodorm should be stopped gradually to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Drug Interactions
Some medicines may interfere with Hypnodorm and affect how it works. Hypnodorm may produce additive depressant effects when used with other medications, potentially leading to significantly increased effects and risk of addiction or death from overdose.
Serious interaction risk: Combining Hypnodorm with other depressant medications has the potential to significantly increase effects and may lead to addiction or result in death from overdose.
- other sleeping tablets, sedatives or tranquillisers
- medicines for depression
- medicines used to treat mental illness
- medicines to treat epilepsy
- antihistamines, medicines for allergies or colds
- muscle relaxants
- cimetidine (medicine used to treat stomach ulcers)
- cisapride (medicine used to treat reflux)
- strong pain relievers
- disulfiram (medicine used in treatment of alcohol dependence)
- anticholinergics (medicines for travel sickness, stomach cramps or Parkinson’s Disease)
- alcohol, sedatives, antidepressants, antipsychotics drugs, epilepsy drugs, hypnotics, relaxants, antihistamines, severe pain relievers and anaesthetics
Alcohol & Driving
Hypnodorm can significantly impair your ability to drive and increases the effects of alcohol, making these activities dangerous.
Alcohol
Alcohol may increase the effects of Hypnodorm and should be avoided while being treated. Combining Hypnodorm and alcohol can make you more sleepy, dizzy or lightheaded, or increase the risk of sleepwalking and other related sleep behaviors, including sleep-driving, making phone calls or preparing and eating food while asleep. This risk increases if you take more than the recommended dose.
Driving and Operating Machinery
Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how Hypnodorm affects you. It may cause drowsiness, dizziness or lightheadedness. Even if you take Hypnodorm at night, you may still feel drowsy or dizzy the next day. Be especially careful if you are elderly, unwell, or taking other medicines, as side effects may increase the risk of falls.
Memory Effects
Some sleep medicines may cause short-term memory loss. When this occurs, you may not remember what happened for several hours after taking the medicine. To reduce this risk, ensure you can get a full night’s sleep (7 to 8 hours) before you need to be active again.
Storage
Store Hypnodorm below 30°C in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat, or sunlight. Keep tablets in the bottle until it’s time to take them, as they may not keep well if removed. Do not store in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car, or on window sills. Keep in a locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground, away from children.
Overdose Information
If you think you or anyone else has taken too much Hypnodorm, urgent medical attention may be needed. Immediately phone the Poisons Information Centre (Australia telephone 13 11 26) for advice, contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. Overdose symptoms may include feeling drowsy, confused, tired, unsteady when walking, weak muscle strength, dizzy, lightheaded, having trouble breathing, or becoming unconscious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hypnodorm should be taken when you go to bed as it is designed to help you fall asleep. The medication works by affecting brain chemicals to help with sleep problems.
Yes, Hypnodorm can be taken with or without food. Take it with a glass of water when you go to bed.
Yes, the use of benzodiazepines like Hypnodorm may lead to dependence on the medicine. This is why continuous long-term use is not recommended, and it should generally only be taken for a few nights.
If you have taken Hypnodorm for a long period and suddenly stop, you may experience withdrawal symptoms including extreme anxiety, shaking, difficulty sleeping, depression, confusion, and other serious symptoms. Hypnodorm should be stopped gradually under medical supervision to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
No, alcohol should be avoided while taking Hypnodorm. Alcohol increases the effects of Hypnodorm and can make you more sleepy, dizzy, or lightheaded. It also increases the risk of dangerous sleep behaviors like sleep-driving.
Elderly patients require a lower dose – typically 0.5 mg to 1 mg (half to one tablet) at bedtime compared to the usual 1-2 mg dose. Elderly patients over 65 may have an increased chance of side effects and should be especially careful due to increased risk of falls.
If you forget to take Hypnodorm before bed and wake up late at night or early morning, do not take it as you may have trouble waking in the morning. Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
Important Disclaimer
This information is intended for general educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.