Drug interactions
Cenobamate + Diazepam
Severity: Moderate
Cenobamate and Diazepam: 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
Cenobamate has additive sedative effects with diazepam. It also has mixed effects on metabolism: it induces CYP3A4, lowering diazepam clearance pathways, and inhibits CYP2C19, which can raise concentrations of diazepam and its active metabolite desmethyldiazepam.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cenobamate and Diazepam 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.
Cenobamate belongs to Central Nervous System; Diazepam belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression, with cenobamate inducing CYP3A4 and inhibiting CYP2C19, both of which are involved in diazepam metabolism.
What to do
Monitor sedation and seizure control, and adjust the diazepam dose according to clinical response. Be alert to accumulation of desmethyldiazepam.
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 Diazepam
Other interactions of Cenobamate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cenobamate with Diazepam?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cenobamate and Diazepam 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. Cenobamate has additive sedative effects with diazepam. It also has mixed effects on metabolism: it induces CYP3A4, lowering diazepam clearance pathways, and inhibits CYP2C19, which can raise concentrations of diazepam and its active metabolite desmethyldiazepam.
How serious is the interaction between Cenobamate and Diazepam?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Monitor sedation and seizure control, and adjust the diazepam dose according to clinical response. Be alert to accumulation of desmethyldiazepam.
What other medicines interact with Diazepam?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Diazepam with, for example, Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates, Alfentanil, Alprazolam. The full list is on the Diazepam page.
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