FDA warns about withholding opioid addiction medications from patients on CNS depressants

opioid effects, may potentially avoid withdrawals, and experience reduced cravings.

Although patients with an opioid addiction can use benzodiazepines or other central nervous system-affecting medications, they need to do so under a doctor’s supervision.

The simultaneous use of these substances could persist outside of the addiction treatment, which will likely result in serious consequences. The FDA also stated that health care professionals must take precautions when developing plans to address the use of methadone or buprenorphine in tandem with benzodiazepines or other similar CNS depressants.