Liu S, O'Donnell J, Gladden RM, McGlone L, Chowdhury F. People being prescribed any medication should disclose all other substances and medications they use and consult with their health care teams about avoiding or managing the risks of using certain medications and substances in combination. Food and Drug Administration boxed warnings on their labels highlighting the potential dangers of using these drugs together. 8 Both prescription opioids and benzodiazepines now carry U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain recommends that clinicians avoid prescribing benzodiazepines concurrently with opioids whenever possible. veterans with an opioid prescription found that receiving a benzodiazepine prescription was associated with increased risk of drug overdose death in a dose-dependent manner. 4,5įor example, a cohort study in North Carolina found that the overdose death rate among patients receiving both types of medications was 10 times higher than among those only receiving opioids. Research shows that people who use opioids and benzodiazepines concurrently are at higher risk of visiting the emergency department, being admitted to a hospital for a drug-related emergency, and dying of drug overdose. 3 Combining opioids and benzodiazepines can increase risk of overdose because both types of drugs can cause sedation and suppress breathing-the cause of overdose fatality-in addition to impairing cognitive functions. 
2 Co-Prescribing Opioids and BenzodiazepinesĮvery day, nearly 200 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. Researchers have also found benzodiazepines in the illicit opioid supply in some areas, which may mean that people are taking benzodiazepines in combination with illicit opioids knowingly or unknowingly. Common benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and clonazepam (Klonopin), among others. 3 Benzodiazepines (sometimes called "benzos") work to calm or sedate a person, by raising the level of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the brain.
In 2020, 16 percent of overdose deaths involving opioids also involved benzodiazepines, a type of prescription sedative commonly prescribed for anxiety or to help with insomnia.
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