Flumazenil, basically "Narcan for benzos," is for use in medically controlled settings to reverse benzodiazepine overdose, or otherwise when a reversal of benzodiazepines is desired, e.g., in anaesthesia reversal; in psychiatric patients on benzodiazepines receiving ECT, standard practice is to give a bolus of flumazenil to reverse the anti-seizure effects of the BZDs; the flumazenil is short-lived enough that by the end of the postictal phase and once the patient is reverting to baseline the anxiolytic effect of the BZDs is kicking back in. We also use flumazenil among other things (formerly intravenous caffeine, which apparently is no longer available; theophylline is another possibility) to reduce the seizure threshhold period to get better effects of ECT a lower dose of electricity.
This aside, flumazenil outside of these contexts is not a good idea. It might well kickstart you from out of your sedation, but it's quite short acting. Still,
theoretically, short T
½ aside, it might be enough to get you out of bed, reverse the grogginess until you can get to your morning cup of coffee and the z-drug wears off, but it's still ill-advised, starting from baseline, it's primary effects would be extreme anxiety with a side of possible seizures, i.e., it's pretty much guaranteed to be a bad time and possibly worse if you overshoot your dosage even mildly. Apparently it has been explored to treat sleep disorders, but this is not a currently accepted indication. Besides, it's only available in intravenous formulation. It's not scheduled but I doubt it's easy to source.
Dose your z-drugs at a better time, practice better sleep hygiene, and take your morning coffee. If you need something stronger to combat daytime sleepiness secondary to sleeping pills (or sedating psychiatric medications, as we occasionally use,) I'd suggest
modafinil (C-IV and expensive without insurance and prior authorization) or one of it's analogues (quite readily sourced and a bit cheaper), they are quite mild, it has a longer onset than most stimulants, but it will do the job. Due to it's slow onset, it won't help you much
initially getting out of bed in the morning—perhaps set an alarm, take your modafinil, sleep an hour, wake up when it kicks in? Something that I've done with some success with other stimulants.
➤ This post is not medical or clinical advice. I make no claim to any professional credentials nor to dispense professional information online. Even if I do possess credentials personally, to which I make no claim, as I have not evaluated you in person, or performed any other clinical assessment, review of your records, overall life situation and the larger context of your illness, psychiatric and medical history, medication history, and many other factors that may impact your situation as described, nothing that I post here can or should be taken as professional advice and furthermore there is no professional relationship established or implied. Anything that I post here is my personal opinion and strictly for informational purposes only and before undertaking any treatments, interventions, or changes to your current treatment, it is essential that you contact your physician or other provider(s), including providing absolute and full disclosure of substance abuse and/or other sensitive issues.
