Drug interactions
Clonazepam + Difenoxin
Severity: Moderate
Clonazepam and Difenoxin: 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
Difenoxin is an opioid antidiarrheal and the active metabolite of diphenoxylate. Combined with a benzodiazepine it may cause additive sedation and respiratory depression, particularly with overdose or in children and the elderly.
What this interaction means in plain words
Clonazepam and Difenoxin 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.
Clonazepam belongs to Central Nervous System; Difenoxin belongs to Gastrointestinal Tract.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression from opioid agonism and GABA-A potentiation.
What to do
Use the lowest effective doses and monitor sedation and breathing; counsel patients to avoid exceeding recommended doses.
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 Clonazepam
- Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Clonazepam Contraindicated
- Clonazepam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Clonazepam Major
- Alprazolam + Clonazepam Major
- Amobarbital + Clonazepam Major
- Belladonna and opium + Clonazepam Major
Other interactions of Difenoxin
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Clonazepam with Difenoxin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Clonazepam and Difenoxin 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. Difenoxin is an opioid antidiarrheal and the active metabolite of diphenoxylate. Combined with a benzodiazepine it may cause additive sedation and respiratory depression, particularly with overdose or in children and the elderly.
How serious is the interaction between Clonazepam and Difenoxin?
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 sedation and breathing; counsel patients to avoid exceeding recommended doses.
What other medicines interact with Clonazepam?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Clonazepam with, for example, Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates, Sodium oxybate, Alfentanil. The full list is on the Clonazepam page.
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