U.S. Food & Drug Administration Adds Black Box Warnings About Mixing Opioids, Benzos

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has updated labels for nearly 400 opioids and benzodiazepines following a review of scientific evidence and a citizen petition from health officials across the nation arguing that combining the drug classes increases the risk of addiction and death. The makers of around 400 prescription opioid analgesics, cough medications with opioids and tranquilizers called benzodiazepines will have to add the agency's strongest form of warning, a black box, to the drugs, stating the risks of using them together. Those risks include sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death. The FDA is also requiring patient . . .