Cimetidine/Benzodiazepines Interactions

This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.

Medical warning:

Moderate. These medicines may cause some risk when taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.

How the interaction occurs:

When these two medicines are taken together, your body may not process your benzodiazepine properly.

What might happen:

The effects of benzodiazepines may increase and cause excessive drowsiness.

What you should do about this interaction:

If you experience excessive drowsiness, contact your doctor. It may be necessary to change one or both of your medicines.Your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.

View Reference
  • 1.Desmond PV, Patwardhan RV, Schenker S, Speeg KV Jr. Cimetidine impairs elimination of chlordiazepoxide (Librium) in man. Ann Intern Med 1980 Aug; 93(2):266-8.
  • 2.Klotz U, Reimann I. Delayed clearance of diazepam due to cimetidine. N Engl J Med 1980 May 1;302(18):1012-4.
  • 3.Klotz U, Reimann I. Influence of cimetidine on the pharmacokinetics of desmethyldiazepam and oxazepam. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1980 Nov; 18(6):517-20.
  • 4.Patwardhan RV, Yarborough GW, Desmond PV, Johnson RF, Schenker S, Speeg KV Jr. Cimetidine spares the glucuronidation of lorazepam and oxazepam. Gastroenterology 1980 Nov;79(5 Pt 1):912-6.
  • 5.Ruffalo RL, Thompson JF, Segal J. Cimetidine-benzodiazepine drug interaction. Am J Hosp Pharm 1981 Sep;38(9):1365-6.
  • 6.Patwardhan RV, Johnson RF, Sinclair AP, Schenker S, Speeg KV Jr. Lack of tolerance and rapid recovery of cimetidine-inhibited chlordiazepoxide (Librium) elimination. Gastroenterology 1981 Sep;81(3):547-51.
  • 7.Klotz U, Reimann I. Elevation of steady-state diazepam levels by cimetidine. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1981 Oct;30(4):513-7.
  • 8.Divoll M, Abernethy DR, Greenblatt DJ. Cimetidine impairs drug oxidizing capacity in the elderly. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1982 Feb;31(2):218.
  • 9.Gough PA, Curry SH, Araujo OE, Robinson JD, Dallman JJ. Influence of cimetidine on oral diazepam elimination with measurement of subsequent cognitive change. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1982 Nov;14(5):739-42.
  • 10.Hiss J, Hepler BR, Falkowski AJ, Sunshine I. Fatal bradycardia after intentional overdose of cimetidine and diazepam. Lancet 1982 Oct 30; 2(8305):982.
  • 11.Divoll M, Greenblatt DJ, Abernethy DR, Shader RI. Cimetidine impairs clearance of antipyrine and desmethyldiazepam in the elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc 1982 Nov;30(11):684-9.
  • 12.Abernethy DR, Greenblatt DJ, Divoll M, Moschitto LJ, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. Interaction of cimetidine with the triazolobenzodiazepines alprazolam and triazolam. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 1983;80(3):275-8.
  • 13.Greenblatt DJ, Abernethy DR, Morse DS, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. Clinical importance of the interaction of diazepam and cimetidine. N Engl J Med 1984 Jun 21;310(25):1639-43.
  • 14.Greenblatt DJ, Abernethy DR, Morse DS, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. The diazepam-cimetidine interaction: is it clinically important?. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1984 Feb;35(2):245.
  • 15.Greenblatt DJ, Abernethy DR, Koepke HH, Shader RI. Interaction of cimetidine with oxazepam, lorazepam, and flurazepam. J Clin Pharmacol 1984 Apr;24(4):187-93.
  • 16.Greenblatt DJ, Locniskar A, Scavone JM, Blyden GT, Ochs HR, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. Absence of interaction of cimetidine and ranitidine with intravenous and oral midazolam. Anesth Analg 1986 Feb;65(2):176-80.
  • 17.Locniskar A, Greenblatt DJ, Harmatz JS, Zinny MA, Shader RI. Interaction of diazepam with famotidine and cimetidine, two H2-receptor antagonists. J Clin Pharmacol 1986 Apr;26(4):299-303.
  • 18.Friedman H, Greenblatt DJ, Burstein ES, Scavone JM, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. Triazolam kinetics: interaction with cimetidine, propranolol, and the combination. J Clin Pharmacol 1988 Mar;28(3):228-33.
  • 19.Andersson T, Andren K, Cederberg C, Edvardsson G, Heggelund A, Lundborg P. Effect of omeprazole and cimetidine on plasma diazepam levels. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1990;39(1):51-4.
  • 20.Sanders LD, Whitehead C, Gildersleve CD, Rosen M, Robinson JO. Interaction of H2-receptor antagonists and benzodiazepine sedation. A double-blind placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of cimetidine and ranitidine on recovery after intravenous midazolam. Anaesthesia 1993 Apr;48(4):286-92.
  • 21.This information is based on an extract from the Certara Drug Interaction Database (DIDB) Platform, Copyright Certara 1999-2023..
  • 22.Ochs HR, Greenblatt DJ, Friedman H, Burstein ES, Locniskar A, Harmatz JS, Shader RI. Bromazepam pharmacokinetics: influence of age, gender, oral contraceptives, cimetidine, and propranolol. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1987 May;41(5):562-70.
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