Drug interactions
Alprazolam + Pholcodine
Severity: Moderate
Alprazolam and Pholcodine: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Pholcodine is an opioid antitussive with sedative potential, and combining it with a benzodiazepine may increase drowsiness and respiratory depression. The effect is usually modest at antitussive doses but can matter in older or frail patients and with higher doses.
What this interaction means in plain words
Alprazolam and Pholcodine can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression from opioid and benzodiazepine activity.
What to do
Use the lowest effective doses and monitor for excessive sedation and slowed breathing, especially in older patients. Advise against driving and alcohol.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Alprazolam
- Alprazolam + Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates Contraindicated
- Alprazolam + Itraconazole Contraindicated
- Alprazolam + Ketoconazole Contraindicated
- Alprazolam + Levoketoconazole Contraindicated
- Alprazolam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Alprazolam Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Alprazolam with Pholcodine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Alprazolam and Pholcodine can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Pholcodine is an opioid antitussive with sedative potential, and combining it with a benzodiazepine may increase drowsiness and respiratory depression. The effect is usually modest at antitussive doses but can matter in older or frail patients and with higher doses.
How serious is the interaction between Alprazolam and Pholcodine?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Use the lowest effective doses and monitor for excessive sedation and slowed breathing, especially in older patients. Advise against driving and alcohol.
What other medicines interact with Alprazolam?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Alprazolam with, for example, Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates, Itraconazole, Ketoconazole. The full list is on the Alprazolam page.
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