Drug interactions
Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Diazepam
Severity: Contraindicated
Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates and Diazepam: 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
Oxybates are potent CNS depressants, and combined with a benzodiazepine they can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Labeling advises against combining them with sedative hypnotics.
What this interaction means in plain words
Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates and Diazepam 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.
Why it happens
Additive CNS and respiratory depression via GABA-A potentiation and GABA-B/GHB receptor activation.
What to do
Avoid concomitant use; if a benzodiazepine is unavoidable, consider an alternative to oxybate or stopping one agent. Monitor consciousness and breathing closely if exposure cannot be avoided.
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 Diazepam
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates with Diazepam?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates and Diazepam 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. Oxybates are potent CNS depressants, and combined with a benzodiazepine they can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Labeling advises against combining them with sedative hypnotics.
How serious is the interaction between Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates and Diazepam?
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 concomitant use; if a benzodiazepine is unavoidable, consider an alternative to oxybate or stopping one agent. Monitor consciousness and breathing closely if exposure cannot be avoided.
What other medicines interact with Diazepam?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Diazepam with, for example, Alfentanil, Alprazolam, Amobarbital. The full list is on the Diazepam page.
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