Doral Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Doral Tablet (quazepam) is a prescription benzodiazepine sedative/hypnotic used to treat insomnia, including trouble falling asleep, frequent waking during the night, and waking up too early in the morning. It works on the brain and central nervous system to produce a calming, sleep-inducing effect. It carries risks of dependence, withdrawal, and serious interactions with alcohol or other sedatives, so it should be used exactly as prescribed.

What is Doral Tablet

Doral is a prescription benzodiazepine medicine used to treat insomnia, including trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the night, or waking up too early in the morning.

Doral Tablet uses

• Treatment of insomnia with difficulty falling asleep
• Treatment of insomnia with frequent waking during the night
• Treatment of insomnia with early morning awakening

Benefits of Doral Tablet

• May help you fall asleep faster.
• May reduce waking up during the night.
• May help reduce early-morning waking.
• May improve total sleep time.
• May support better rest when insomnia improves.

How Doral Tablet works

Doral works by acting on specific receptors in the brain and central nervous system, which produces a calming, sleep-inducing effect. The exact way it works is not fully known.

Doral Tablet dosage

Take Doral exactly as your doctor prescribes it, only when you are able to get a full night's sleep. Do not take more than prescribed or for longer than prescribed. Your doctor may have you split the tablet along the score line to get a lower starting dose. Do not take this medicine with alcohol or other drugs that make you sleepy unless your doctor says it is okay. Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly without talking to your doctor, since this can cause serious withdrawal symptoms. Call your doctor if your sleep problems do not improve after about a week to ten days of use. This medicine is generally not meant to be used for a long period of time.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablets (7.5 mg and 15 mg)

Side effects of Doral Tablet

Common

• Dizziness
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Blurred vision or other vision problems
• Daytime drowsiness
• Forgetfulness or memory problems
• Confusion
• Muscle weakness
• Trouble sleeping or nightmares
• Headache
• Feeling depressed, nervous, excited, or irritable
• Lower interest in sex or trouble with sexual function
• Itching or skin rash
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite
• Dry mouth
• Increased thirst
• Feeling tired
• Upset stomach

Serious

• Hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat (allergic reaction)
• Slowed or stopped breathing, especially with opioids or alcohol
• Confusion, agitation, or hallucinations
• Unusual thoughts or behavior
• Suicidal thoughts
• Worsening depression
• Doing activities like driving, eating, or making phone calls while not fully awake, with no memory of it afterward
• Sudden vision loss, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights
• Fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, chest fluttering, shortness of breath, or passing out
• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, limb weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, very stiff muscles, high fever, heavy sweating, or tremors

Warnings and precautions

• Taking this medicine together with opioids, alcohol, or other substances that depress the central nervous system can cause severe drowsiness, breathing problems, coma, and death.
• There is a risk of abuse, misuse, and addiction with this medicine, which can lead to overdose and death, even when taken as prescribed.
• Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine, as doing so can cause serious, life-threatening withdrawal reactions, including seizures.
• Some people have gotten out of bed and done activities such as driving, eating, or making phone calls while not fully awake, with no memory of it afterward.
• Serious allergic reactions can occur, including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, which can make breathing or swallowing difficult.
• This medicine may worsen existing depression.
• This medicine is not approved for use in people under 18 years old, and safety in children has not been established.
• Elderly patients may be more sensitive to this medicine and have a higher risk of confusion, over-sedation, and falls.
• Doral should not be used during pregnancy. It may cause birth defects if used early in pregnancy, and can cause breathing problems, sedation, or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if used late in pregnancy or near delivery.
• Breastfeeding is not recommended while taking Doral, since the medicine passes into breast milk and may affect the baby.
• People with kidney disease should tell their doctor, as this may affect how the body handles this medicine.
• People with liver disease should tell their doctor, as this medicine is processed by the liver and liver problems can change how it works.
• Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine or for several days after stopping it, since alcohol can dangerously increase drowsiness and the risk of slowed breathing.
• Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything requiring alertness until you know how this medicine affects you, since it can cause next-day drowsiness and impaired reactions.

Storage

• Store at room temperature (20–25°C).
• Protect from moisture and direct sunlight.
• Keep in the original packaging.
• Keep out of reach of children.
• Do not use after the expiry date.

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency medical help right away for signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing.
• Seek emergency help if breathing becomes slow with long pauses, lips turn blue, or the person is very hard to wake up.
• Call your doctor right away if you have confusion, agitation, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior, suicidal thoughts, or worsening depression.
• Get medical help right away if, after stopping this medicine, you have unusual muscle movements, being more active or talkative than usual, sudden severe mood or behavior changes, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, or suicidal thoughts.
• If you find out you drove, prepared food, made phone calls, or did other activities while not fully awake after taking this medicine, call your doctor right away.
• If you think you have taken too much of this medicine, get emergency medical help right away, since an overdose combined with alcohol or other drugs can be fatal.

Alternatives

• Zaleplon
• Triazolam
• Temazepam