One of the findings from the new CDC safety data was very concerning. Studies showed people who took an opiod with a benzodiazepine were at ten times greater risk of overdosing & death! Therefore, our clinic has made a difficult decision: our patients will no longer be allowed to use this medication combination.

Beginning now, our patients will have to choose between the use of an opiod for pain relief or a benzodiazepine for anxiety symptoms. This includes if your primary care doctor or psychiatrist was writing the benzodiazepine & we were writing the opiod pain med. The phase out of this dangerous med combination will occur over the next three months.

Patients on higher dose benzodiazepines will have to taper off slowly as rapid stopping of a benzodiazepine at higher doses can cause seizures.

As you know, safety always comes first in our clinic but pain relief is a close secondary goal. There are alternative meds to opioids for pain relief and alternative meds to benzodiazepines for anxiety that can be tried. We know this difficult decision will impact a lot of patients & rest assured we did not make it lightly. In the end though, not using an opiod with a benzodiazepine will be much safer for all.