Using some drugs with estazolam can raise the risk of serious or life-threatening respiratory issues, sedation, or coma. Inform your doctor if you currently use or intend to take any opiate medications, including those containing codeine (Triacin-C, Tuzistra XR), hydrocodone (Anexsia, Norco, Zyfrel), or both (in Fiorinal), actiq, Duragesic, Subsys, and other brands of fentanyl, hydromorphone, meperidine, and methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), oxycodone (found in Oxycet, Percocet, Roxicet, and other medications), morphine (Astramorph, Duramorph PF, and Kadian), and tramadol (Conzip, Ultram, in Ultracet). The dosages of your medications may need to be adjusted, and your doctor will closely monitor you. If you use estazolam together with any of these drugs and experience any of the following side effects, call your doctor right once or go to the emergency room right away: unusual dizziness, lightheadedness, extreme drowsiness, slowed or laboured breathing, or unresponsiveness. Make sure your carer or family members are aware of any symptoms that could be significant so they can contact an emergency room or a doctor if you are unable to do so on your own.

Estazolam might cause dependence. Never exceed the recommended dosage, frequency, or duration. Always follow your doctor’s instructions. Inform your doctor if you use or have ever used illicit drugs, consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, or have ever misused any prescription drugs. Don’t consume alcohol or use illicit substances while receiving treatment. Using illegal substances or drinking alcohol while receiving estazolam treatment increases your risk of developing these severe, sometimes fatal adverse effects. Additionally let your doctor know if you suffer from depression or any other mental disease now or in the past.

If you take estazolam for several days to weeks, especially, you run the risk of developing a physical dependence—a condition in which unpleasant physical symptoms appear if a medication is abruptly withdrawn or taken in reduced quantities. Without consulting your doctor, do not reduce the dosage or stop taking this drug. Sudden discontinuation of estazolam can make your illness worse and result in withdrawal symptoms that could last anywhere from a few weeks to over a year. Your estazolam dosage will likely be gradually reduced by your doctor. If you encounter any of the following symptoms, call your doctor or seek emergency medical attention: Unusual movements, ringing in the ears, anxiety, memory issues, difficulty concentrating, sleep issues, seizures, shaking, muscle twitching, changes in mental health, depression, burning or prickling sensations in your hands, arms, legs, or feet, thoughts of harming or killing yourself or others, excessive excitement, or losing touch with reality are all signs that something is wrong.

Estazolam is used to treat insomnia temporarily (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Estazolam belongs to the group of drugs known as benzodiazepines. It functions by reducing brain activity to promote sleep.

Estazolam is available as an oral tablet. When going to bed or after having trouble falling asleep, it is often taken as needed. Ask your doctor or chemist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Use estazolam as prescribed by your doctor.

After taking estazolam, you’ll probably feel quite tired and maybe stay that way for a while. After taking estazolam, make a plan to go to bed right away and spend the entire night in bed. If you won’t be able to sleep through the entire night after taking estazolam, avoid taking it.

If you begin taking estazolam, your sleep issues should start to improve within 7 to 10 days. If your sleep issues do not improve during this period, if they worsen at any point while you are receiving therapy, or if you observe any strange changes in your thoughts or behaviour, contact your doctor right once.

Talk to your doctor before stopping estazolam if your doctor has prescribed it for you on a regular basis. Your dose will likely be gradually reduced by your doctor. Estazolam withdrawal symptoms can include trouble falling or staying asleep, excessive shaking of a body part, stomach and muscular cramps, vomiting, sweating, a depressed mood, seeing or hearing things that are not there, and seizures.

If you need a prescription refill for estazolam, your doctor or chemist will provide you the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet (Medication Guide). If you have any questions, carefully read the information and ask your doctor or chemist. The Medication Guide is also available on the manufacturer’s website or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

Other prescriptions for this drug are possible. For more information, consult your physician or chemist.

Before taking estazolam,

• If you have an allergy to estazolam, any other medications, or any of the substances in estazolam tablets, let your doctor and chemist know right once. For a list of the ingredients, ask your doctor or chemist.
• Inform your physician if you are taking itraconazole or ketoconazole (Nizoral) (Onmel, Sporanox). If you are currently on either of these drugs, your doctor probably won’t recommend that you take estazolam.
• Inform your doctor and chemist about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products that you are now taking or intend to use. Incorporate any of the following: some barbiturates such phenobarbital or pentobarbital; antibiotics like erythromycin (E.E.S., Erythrocin, and E-Mycin); antidepressants; antihistamines; digoxin (Lanoxin), diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac), isoniazid (Laniazid, in Rifamate, in Rifater), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and cimetidine (Tagamet) are some examples of medications; drugs for nausea or mental illness, as well as phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) and carbamazepine (Equetro, Tegretol, Teril) for treating seizures; monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, such as tranylcypromine (Parnate), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), and selegiline; rifampin, nefazodone, sedatives, sleeping aids, and tranquillizers (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate, in Rifater). It’s important to inform your doctor about all of the medications you are taking, even ones that are not on this list, as many other drugs may also interact with estazolam. The dosage of your drugs may need to be adjusted, and your health may need to be closely watched for any negative effects.
• Inform your doctor if you have ever considered injuring or killing yourself, intended to do so, or actually tried to do so, as well as if you experience seizures, breathing issues, lung disease, kidney, or liver disease.
• Inform your physician if you are nursing a baby, intend to get pregnant, or are already pregnant. Call your doctor right away if you find out you’re pregnant while taking estazolam.
• If you are 65 years of age or older, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking estazolam with your doctor. Estazolam is often not recommended for usage in older adults since it is less safe than alternative drugs that can be used to treat the same disease.
• Inform the surgeon or dentist that you are taking estazolam if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
• You should be aware that taking this medication during the day may cause you to feel sleepy. Prior to understanding how this drug affects you, avoid using machinery or driving a car.
• You should be aware that some persons who took sleep aids got out of bed and did things like drive their cars, prepare and eat food, have sex, make phone calls, or perform other tasks while only partially awake. These people frequently had no memory of what they had done when they awoke. If you discover that you were operating a vehicle or performing any other activity while you were sleeping, call your doctor right once.

Estazolam should be taken as needed, according to likely advice. You should skip the missed dose and carry on with your regular dosing schedule if your doctor has instructed you to take estazolam on a regular basis. Estazolam should not be used unless you are prepared to go to bed and stay asleep for an entire night. Do not take a duplicate dose to make up for a missed one.

Estazolam could have negative effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Effect of a hangover (grogginess)
• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Mouth ache
• Constipation
• Aggression
• Agitation
• Alterations in conduct
• Sluggish or erratic motions
• Muscular rigidity
• Leg ache

Some adverse effects may be severe. Call your doctor right away or seek emergency medical attention if any of the following symptoms occur, in addition to those in the IMPORTANT WARNING section:

• Fever
• Blisters
• Rash
• Hives
• Eye, face, tongue, throat, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs swelling
• Breathing or swallowing challenges

Further negative effects of estazolam are possible. If you have any strange side effects while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right once.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom).

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your chemist or the garbage/recycling agency in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose warning signs may include the following:

• Sleepiness
• Decreased breathing
• Confusion
• Inability to coordinate
• Muddled speech
• Coma (loss of consciousness for a period of time)

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments.

No one else should take your medication. Estazolam is an illegal drug. Only a limited amount of refills are permitted for prescriptions; if you have any questions, speak with your chemist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.