FDA Issues Warning About Mixing Opioid Treatment Drugs & Other Meds
Summary and Analysis…
Another unintended, but predictable consequence of widespread use of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) drugs: the dangers associated with mixing any opioids, including buprenorphine and methadone, with other drugs such as benzodiazepines, sleep drugs, muscle relaxants and antipsychotics.
Excerpted from the fix
An article on the website The Fix coveres FDA warnings about the dangers of combining MAT drugs with other medications:
In particular, the FDA’s statement: “…listed a large number of both brand name and generic opioid drugs, including codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, and the MAT drugs buprenorphine and methadone, as potentially dangerous when mixed with benzodiazapines like Xanax and Klonopin, sleep drugs like Ambien, and several muscle relaxants and antipsychotics, including Abilify and Haldol.”
The FDA required their strongest warning — a “black box” — be added to packaging to warn of interaction dangers between MAT and other drugs.
“The FDA has decided to strengthen its 2016 warning about the combined use of opioid treatment medication and benzos.”
