Drug interactions
Esketamine + Lorazepam
Severity: Moderate
Esketamine and Lorazepam: 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
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine that causes sedation, amnesia and respiratory depression, and esketamine adds sedation and dissociation. Combined use can cause excessive sedation and impaired psychomotor function, so patients need careful observation after dosing.
What this interaction means in plain words
Esketamine and Lorazepam 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.
Esketamine belongs to Central Nervous System; Lorazepam belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression from GABA-A potentiation and NMDA receptor antagonism.
What to do
Monitor sedation level and vital signs throughout the post-dose observation period. Use the lowest effective benzodiazepine dose and consider delaying the dose until after the session.
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 Esketamine
Other interactions of Lorazepam
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Esketamine with Lorazepam?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Esketamine and Lorazepam 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. Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine that causes sedation, amnesia and respiratory depression, and esketamine adds sedation and dissociation. Combined use can cause excessive sedation and impaired psychomotor function, so patients need careful observation after dosing.
How serious is the interaction between Esketamine and Lorazepam?
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 level and vital signs throughout the post-dose observation period. Use the lowest effective benzodiazepine dose and consider delaying the dose until after the session.
What other medicines interact with Esketamine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Esketamine with, for example, Alfentanil, Amobarbital, Belladonna and opium. The full list is on the Esketamine page.
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