Drug interactions
Lorazepam + Oxazepam
Severity: Moderate
Lorazepam and Oxazepam: 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
These are two benzodiazepines with the same pharmacological action, so using them together adds sedation, psychomotor impairment and respiratory depression without clear therapeutic benefit. The risk of falls, confusion and overdose rises, especially in older patients.
What this interaction means in plain words
Lorazepam and Oxazepam 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 belongs to Central Nervous System; Oxazepam belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Duplicate positive allosteric modulation of GABA-A receptors causing additive CNS depression.
What to do
Avoid concurrent use of two benzodiazepines; consolidate to a single agent at the lowest effective dose. If a switch is occurring, taper one drug while titrating the other and monitor sedation.
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 Lorazepam
Other interactions of Oxazepam
- Calcium / magnesium / potassium / sodium oxybates + Oxazepam Contraindicated
- Oxazepam + Sodium oxybate Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Oxazepam Major
- Amobarbital + Oxazepam Major
- Baclofen + Oxazepam Major
- Belladonna and opium + Oxazepam Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Lorazepam with Oxazepam?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Lorazepam and Oxazepam 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. These are two benzodiazepines with the same pharmacological action, so using them together adds sedation, psychomotor impairment and respiratory depression without clear therapeutic benefit. The risk of falls, confusion and overdose rises, especially in older patients.
How serious is the interaction between Lorazepam and Oxazepam?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid concurrent use of two benzodiazepines; consolidate to a single agent at the lowest effective dose. If a switch is occurring, taper one drug while titrating the other and monitor sedation.
What other medicines interact with Lorazepam?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Lorazepam with, for example, Alfentanil, Alprazolam, Amobarbital. The full list is on the Lorazepam page.
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