Drug interactions
Butorphanol + Sodium oxybate
Severity: Contraindicated
Butorphanol and Sodium oxybate: contraindicated 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
Both drugs depress the central nervous system, and combining them can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Labeling for sodium oxybate generally warns against use with other CNS depressants such as opioids.
What this interaction means in plain words
Butorphanol and Sodium oxybate are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two.
Butorphanol belongs to Musculoskeletal; Sodium oxybate belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive pharmacodynamic CNS and respiratory depression.
What to do
Avoid the combination. If an opioid is unavoidable, use the lowest dose for the shortest time, and monitor respiratory status and consciousness closely, with consideration of reducing or interrupting oxybate.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Is there an alternative to one of these two medicines for me?
- If both are essential, who is monitoring me and how often?
- Which symptoms mean I should stop and seek help straight away?
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Other interactions of Butorphanol
- Butorphanol + Olanzapine / samidorphan Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Butorphanol Major
- Alprazolam + Butorphanol Major
- Alvimopan + Butorphanol Major
- Amobarbital + Butorphanol Major
- Belladonna and opium + Butorphanol Major
Other interactions of Sodium oxybate
- Alprazolam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Amobarbital + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Chloral hydrate + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Clonazepam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Clorazepate + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Eszopiclone + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Butorphanol with Sodium oxybate?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Butorphanol and Sodium oxybate are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two. Both drugs depress the central nervous system, and combining them can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Labeling for sodium oxybate generally warns against use with other CNS depressants such as opioids.
How serious is the interaction between Butorphanol and Sodium oxybate?
MediHelp rates it contraindicated, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid the combination. If an opioid is unavoidable, use the lowest dose for the shortest time, and monitor respiratory status and consciousness closely, with consideration of reducing or interrupting oxybate.
What other medicines interact with Butorphanol?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Butorphanol with, for example, Olanzapine / samidorphan, Alfentanil, Alprazolam. The full list is on the Butorphanol page.
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