Mixing Buprenorphine (Suboxone) and Zolpidem (Ambien)

Unsafe

The main cause of death in people taking buprenorphine.

Do this

Avoid recreational benzos on top, and do not stop a prescribed one abruptly.

General answer for Benzodiazepines: nothing specific to these two is documented.

Where the risk isTap for why
In an emergency, call 911911Never Use AlonePoison Control
What to do
  • Say what was taken and how much.Responders need it, and in most US states Good Samaritan laws protect both of you from drug possession charges when you call for an overdose.
  • Unresponsive: put them on their side, tilt the head back, and stay until help arrives.Never leave someone alone to “sleep it off”.
  • Give naloxone (Narcan) if you have it.It is sold over the counter in every US state and does no harm if opioids turn out not to be involved.
  • Never Use Alone 1-800-484-3731Stays on the line and sends help if you stop responding.
  • Full steps: what to do if it is already happeningOverdose signs, the recovery position, what to say on the call, and whether you can be charged for making it.
  • Poison Control 1-800-222-1222Free and 24/7, for “is this bad?” before it becomes an emergency.
What “Unsafe” means

Risk of serious physical or psychological harm. Not recommended under any circumstances.

How the ratings work
The longer explanation

The main cause of death in people taking buprenorphine. The ceiling does not extend to GABA-A depression. Prescribed benzodiazepines alongside buprenorphine treatment are not automatically dangerous and stopping either abruptly carries its own risk — the danger is recreational dosing on top, especially of short-acting benzodiazepines.

Sources (3)

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Other names
Buprenorphine
subutex, suboxone, bupe, bup, buprenorphine/naloxone, zubsolv
Partial agonist — displaces other opioids off the receptor
Zolpidem
ambien, ambien cr, stilnox, edluar, intermezzo, zolpimist
Works like a benzo, plus sleepwalking and sleep-driving with no memory of it
Also searched asSuboxone and Ambien, subutex and Ambien, Suboxone and ambien cr, subutex and ambien cr
Add a third substance in the checker

Related combinations

Buprenorphine withWhat not to mix with Buprenorphine →
Zolpidem withWhat not to mix with Zolpidem →
All combinations →

Can you mix Buprenorphine (Suboxone) and Zolpidem (Ambien)?

MixSafe rates mixing Buprenorphine and Zolpidem as "Unsafe" — risk of serious physical or psychological harm. Not recommended under any circumstances. No interaction specific to Buprenorphine and Zolpidem is documented; this is the default for Benzodiazepines. Source: MixSafe research. Educational information, not medical advice.

This is a class-level answer, inherited from Benzodiazepines. Nothing specific to this exact pair is documented, so treat it as the default for the class rather than a measurement of these two drugs together.