Clonazepam and Oxy were Rx'd..1 concern

[Saggy]

I apologize if this has been beaten like dead horse. I've suffered from anxiety for years and I have been on 3mg of Clonazepam for as long as I can remember.

Two months ago I was run over by a drunk driver at 70mph. Lucky to be here, still.

Hospital Rx'd me oxycodone 15 mg (take two ever 6 hours I believe)

For the past two months I never touched the oxy out of fear it would interact with the clonazepam. And I forgot to tell the hospital about the klonopin because I was unable to speak.

Can I take both? Coincidentally, I have major tolerance to klonopin (3mg does nothing for me, I just take it so I don't withdrawal) and coincidentally I also have a high tolerance to oxy. But the two together?

Would I be near respiratory failure with 30 mg of oxy and 3mg of klonopin?

Very respectfully ,
Mark

 

[AnythingEverything]

I'm sorry to hear about your accident and very glad you are still with us.

Maybe speak to a dr about your concerns. My own experience is ireelevant because it was dangerous and never reccomended and I am lucky I didn't end up dead as I could have any day for a couple of years (around half a gram of oxy and the same of Valium plus a lot of alcohol on top daily.). I was prescribed for legitimate reasons also but not those amounts obviously.

Anyway... As I said that's irrelevant (but can really only speak from my own experience) as nobody in their right mind would ever recommend that. What I do know is that nearly everyone I know who is on suboxone or an opiate is also prescribed a benzo, I am on 32mg subs and down to 20mg Valium. They are both prescribed by the same dr as are the others I know who are on similar. I am the same as you and the benzos no longer have ANY effect except to stop me getting sick. And obviously my opioid tolerance is high

It's good that you are being cautious and I would definitely run it past your doctor and ask their opinion. Sometimes people take the opiate and then the benzo many hours later and vice versa, don't know how this works with long acting benzos but I've heard of people doing it that way to be careful. Your doctor may be able to suggest something like this or give some clarity / reassurance.

There is no actual 'level' that will cause fatal respiratory depression as everyone is different as is every medication.

Best of luck with your recovery and I commend you for being so sensible. If only we all were.

 

[Phil.McKeer]

As a general rule, you want to avoid mixing downers. However, if you have a tolerance to either drug, or if both drugs are taken in low(ish) doses, you need not worry. The biggest risk is CNS depression resulting in respiratory failure (the mechanism that causes opioid OD fatalities) and there won't be enough CNS depression if the doses are kept low or if you have a tolerance to one or both drugs.

I regularly mixed opioids and benzos when I had a tolerance to both without any side effects.

There is no toxic interaction between the two drugs if that's what you were wondering.