Class landing · Benzodiazepines

Supplements and benzodiazepines.

Diazepam, lorazepam, temazepam and the supplements that add CNS sedation.

Benzodiazepines (diazepam, lorazepam, temazepam) potentiate GABA at the GABA-A receptor. Several supplements act on the same axis. Combining them adds sedation in a way that is sometimes useful and often overshoots.

Kava is the clearest exclusion: independent hepatotoxicity risk (the UK MHRA suspended kava-containing medicines for human consumption in 2003) plus additive GABAergic sedation. Valerian and passionflower add CNS depression in a softer, dose-dependent way; the Akhondzadeh 2001 RCT found passionflower clinically comparable to oxazepam for generalised anxiety, which gives you a sense of the additive potential. Ashwagandha is theoretical-only at this stage but worth flagging. Note that St John’s Wort reduces diazepam levels (CYP3A4) but does not affect lorazepam or temazepam, which are glucuronidated rather than CYP3A4-metabolised. The class page pre-selects all three benzodiazepines.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

Your supplements

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Your medications

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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

Read the full methodology

Your whole stack

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the same graded, cited interaction check across your whole stack, not just the pairs you thought to type in
where your current routine may be leaving you short of your goals
the evidence-backed compounds worth adding, and the ones worth dropping

It's a paid report: £79, or £49 for the first 25 customers. The interactions check is one section of it, and you can read a real one in full before you buy.

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Something missing?

If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.