Temazepam or midazolam for night sedation. A double-blind study.

The effects of oral temazepam (20 mg), oral midazolam (15 mg) and a placebo were compared for night sedation on the evening prior to surgery in a double-blind study. Patients in the placebo group had significantly worse sleep than those in the temazepam (p = 0.004) or midazolam groups (p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between the two drug groups, nor between the residual effects of the three treatments. Temazepam appears to be somewhat more effective than the ultrashort-acting midazolam in pre-operative transient insomnia.