FDA: Use Caution When Withholding Opioid Addiction Medication from Patients using CNS Depressants

​Providers should exercise caution before withholding opioid-addiction medication, such as buprenorphine and methadone, from patients taking benzodiazepines or other drugs that suppress the central nervous system (CNS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a September 20, 2017 safety announcement. Although the combined use of these drugs can produce serious side effects, FDA said, the risks are outweighed by the harm done by untreated opioid addiction.