Drug interactions
Chlordiazepoxide + Pholcodine
Severity: Moderate
Chlordiazepoxide 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, and opioid-benzodiazepine combinations can increase sedation and respiratory depression. The risk is lower at antitussive doses but is greater in the elderly or those with respiratory disease.
What this interaction means in plain words
Chlordiazepoxide 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 and respiratory depression via opioid receptor activity and GABA-A potentiation.
What to do
Use the lowest effective doses and warn patients about drowsiness. Monitor for excessive sedation and slowed breathing in at-risk patients.
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 Chlordiazepoxide
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Chlordiazepoxide with Pholcodine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Chlordiazepoxide 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, and opioid-benzodiazepine combinations can increase sedation and respiratory depression. The risk is lower at antitussive doses but is greater in the elderly or those with respiratory disease.
How serious is the interaction between Chlordiazepoxide 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 warn patients about drowsiness. Monitor for excessive sedation and slowed breathing in at-risk patients.
What other medicines interact with Chlordiazepoxide?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Chlordiazepoxide with, for example, Alfentanil, Alprazolam, Amobarbital. The full list is on the Chlordiazepoxide page.
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