Benzos Can Triple the Risk of Overdose Death in Opioid-Dependent Patients

Opioid-dependent patients who are being treated with methadone or buprenorphine should not be prescribed benzodiazepines due to a three-fold increase in risk of overdose death, according to a new study from the University of Bristol in the U.K.
This increase in overdose death risk was also observed in patients who had recently left opioid treatment. This is probably because these individuals continued to use opioid drugs after leaving treatment.
Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and Valium, are sed