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Can Alprazolam And Benzodiazepine Be Taken Together?

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Posted on Tue, 8 Apr 2014
Question: Hello, my name is XXXX Our family member has been prescribed Oxycodone 325 by one doctor and Alprazolam 0.5 by another doctor for over 1-year. The consumption of Oxycodone 325 in the year 2013 totaled 1500-pills. The consumption of Alprazolam 0.5 during the same time period was 500-pills. Question, can mixing these narcotics cause negative reactions such as depression?
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: no , not a known side effect Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine, it is not in the narcotic family of medications. It can be associated with different potential side effects that may or may not occur. In terms of depression- when compared to placebo (persons not getting any medication)- 13.9% of the persons using alprazolam developed depression but it occurred in 18.1 of the persons who did not get the alprazolam In another study , depression occurred in approximately 13.8% of those who got the alprazolam and 14% of those who got nothing. This means that depression is a side effect that is as common or in some cases less common in persons with alprazolam. Commonly it is used in the initial stage of depression treatment because it helps with sleeping but it persons who use it do not develop depression because of it. It is associated with drowsiness, fatigue, problems with coordination and memory among other side effects. Oxycodone- is a narcotic. It can cause different effects including drowsiness and dizziness but it is not known to cause depression. SUMMARY Both of these medications can cause potential side effects but : (1)oxycodone is not associated with causing depression and (2)alprazolam can be associated with depression but the chance is less or the same as the general population The mixture would not cause an increased chance of depression. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Can Alprazolam And Benzodiazepine Be Taken Together?

Brief Answer: no , not a known side effect Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine, it is not in the narcotic family of medications. It can be associated with different potential side effects that may or may not occur. In terms of depression- when compared to placebo (persons not getting any medication)- 13.9% of the persons using alprazolam developed depression but it occurred in 18.1 of the persons who did not get the alprazolam In another study , depression occurred in approximately 13.8% of those who got the alprazolam and 14% of those who got nothing. This means that depression is a side effect that is as common or in some cases less common in persons with alprazolam. Commonly it is used in the initial stage of depression treatment because it helps with sleeping but it persons who use it do not develop depression because of it. It is associated with drowsiness, fatigue, problems with coordination and memory among other side effects. Oxycodone- is a narcotic. It can cause different effects including drowsiness and dizziness but it is not known to cause depression. SUMMARY Both of these medications can cause potential side effects but : (1)oxycodone is not associated with causing depression and (2)alprazolam can be associated with depression but the chance is less or the same as the general population The mixture would not cause an increased chance of depression. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions