title: Sedative drug interactions of clinical importance.
abstract: In an age of widespread availability of psychoactive drugs, use of multiple sedatives is very common. Why such multiple drug use prevails is poorly understood. Sequential drug use may leave sequential problems. Concomitant use of several drugs can produce a host of interactions. Increasingly, the metabolic basis of sedative interactions are becoming known. Cross-tolerance between sedatives permit substitution of one for another and reduced sedation when combined. Metabolic interactions at the hepatic oxidation enzyme level may greatly affect drug disposal rates. Recognition of polysubstance abuse can assist in management. Treatment ranges from urgent life support to abrupt or slow withdrawal, to substitution long-term treatment usually requiring specialized care, with abstinence the preferred goal. However, polysubstance abusers seem to have low probabilities of achieving lasting abstinence.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cushman
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000209:etiology; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001463:Barbiturates / Q000009:adverse effects; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000009:adverse effects; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001463:Barbiturates; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D001569:Benzodiazepines