Updated: January 27, 2026

Temazepam Drug Interactions: What to Avoid and What to Tell Your Doctor

Author

Peter Daggett

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The Most Dangerous Interaction: Opioid Medications
Alcohol: Another Dangerous Combination
Other CNS Depressants
Anticonvulsants
Food and Supplement Interactions
What to Tell Your Doctor Before Starting Temazepam

Temazepam has serious drug interactions — especially with opioids and alcohol. This complete guide covers what to avoid, what to tell your doctor, and how to stay safe in 2026.

Temazepam interacts with a significant number of medications, substances, and supplements. Some of these interactions are potentially life-threatening. Before starting temazepam, tell every healthcare provider you see — including dentists and urgent care — about all medications you take. This guide covers the most important interactions and what to watch for.

The Most Dangerous Interaction: Opioid Medications

AVOID unless absolutely necessary under close medical supervision. Combining temazepam with opioid pain medications carries a boxed FDA warning — the agency's most serious alert level. The combination can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression (breathing slows to life-threatening levels), coma, and death.

Opioids that interact with temazepam include:

Oxycodone (Percocet, OxyContin)

Morphine

Fentanyl (patch, lozenge, injection)

Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco)

Codeine (including in combination cough syrups)

Buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex) — risk of respiratory depression is particularly notable with buprenorphine

Alcohol: Another Dangerous Combination

Do not drink alcohol while taking temazepam. Both alcohol and temazepam are CNS depressants that enhance GABA activity. Used together, they produce additive sedation, memory impairment, and respiratory depression. Even a single drink can significantly worsen temazepam's effects, increasing the risk of dangerous over-sedation and making the "hangover" effect the next morning substantially worse.

Other CNS Depressants

Any medication that depresses the central nervous system can produce additive sedation with temazepam. These include:

Other benzodiazepines: Alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin)

Other sleep medications: Zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), suvorexant (Belsomra)

Barbiturates: Phenobarbital, butalbital — extremely dangerous in combination with benzodiazepines

Antipsychotics: Haloperidol, quetiapine, olanzapine — increased sedation risk

Sedating antihistamines: Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), found in many OTC sleep aids and allergy medications

Muscle relaxants: Cyclobenzaprine, carisoprodol (Soma)

Sedating antidepressants: Mirtazapine, trazodone, tricyclics — additive sedation, monitor closely

Anticonvulsants

Several anticonvulsants can interact with temazepam:

Clobazam (Onfi): Concomitant administration can increase CNS effects including sedation and respiratory depression.

Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica): Both have CNS-depressant properties and can increase sedation when combined with temazepam.

Food and Supplement Interactions

Caffeine (including green tea): May reduce temazepam's sedative effect through pharmacodynamic antagonism. Minor interaction, but relevant if you're drinking caffeinated beverages close to bedtime.

Herbal sedatives: Valerian, kava, and passionflower have sedative properties and may add to temazepam's CNS depressant effects. Do not use without discussing with your doctor.

Cannabis (marijuana): Can produce additive CNS depression when used with temazepam. Disclose use to your prescriber.

What to Tell Your Doctor Before Starting Temazepam

Before your prescriber writes a temazepam prescription, make sure they know about:

Every prescription medication you currently take, including the dose and how often

All over-the-counter medications, especially sleeping pills, antihistamines, and cough/cold preparations

All vitamins, herbal supplements, and natural remedies

Your alcohol use habits — be honest, as alcohol is one of the most dangerous combinations

Any history of substance use disorder or prior benzodiazepine dependence

Pregnancy or breastfeeding status

For a broader overview of temazepam risks and warnings, see Temazepam Side Effects: What to Expect and When to Call Your Doctor. And once you have your prescription, medfinder can help you find it in stock near you.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends entirely on which medications you take. Temazepam has significant interactions with many drugs — most importantly opioids, alcohol, and other CNS depressants. Never start temazepam without giving your prescriber a complete list of all medications, supplements, and alcohol use. Use a drug interaction checker like the one at Drugs.com to screen your specific medication list.

Use with extreme caution and only under your doctor's supervision. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is a sedating antihistamine that also depresses the CNS. Combining it with temazepam can cause excessive sedation, impaired coordination, and breathing difficulties — particularly in older adults. Over-the-counter sleep aids containing diphenhydramine should not be combined with temazepam without medical guidance.

Both temazepam and opioids independently suppress breathing — temazepam through the GABA system and opioids through brainstem opioid receptors. When combined, the respiratory depression is synergistic (more than additive), meaning breathing can slow to dangerous or fatal levels even at doses that would each be safe alone. This is why the FDA mandates a boxed warning on both drug classes about this interaction.

This combination requires medical supervision. Gabapentin has CNS depressant properties and increases sedation when combined with temazepam. The FDA has specifically warned about the risk of respiratory depression, sedation, and death with the combination of benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids. If you take both, your prescriber should carefully monitor for signs of over-sedation.

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