Benzodiazepines carry a black box warning regarding what?

• A. The combined use of benzodiazepines and opioids can cause extreme CNS depression
• B. The risk of hypertension
• C. The risk of kidney injury
• D. The risk of liver injury

Answer: (A)

The important idea is safety with CNS depressants. Benzodiazepines carry a black box warning because using them with opioids can cause life-threatening breathing problems due to additive central nervous system depression, leading to severe sedation, respiratory depression, coma, or death. This warning focuses on the danger of combining these two types of drugs and the need for careful prescribing and monitoring. It’s not about hypertension, kidney injury, or liver injury, which aren’t the issues highlighted by the boxed warning.