Alprazolam: study card

Alprazolam — Benzodiazepine (triazolobenzodiazepine). Study the mechanism, listed uses and warnings from the US label on one sourced card.

Generic name
Alprazolam
Class
Benzodiazepine (triazolobenzodiazepine)
Mechanism
Binds the benzodiazepine site of GABA-A receptors, enhancing GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition.
Used for
Acute treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in adults; Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults
Common side effects
Impaired coordination; Hypotension; Dysarthria; Increased libido
Boxed warning
With opioids: profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, death; abuse, addiction, dependence and withdrawal risks.
Warnings
Strong CYP3A inhibitors are contraindicated except ritonavir, which requires the source-specific dosing precautions; Impaired driving / CNS depression; Neonatal sedation and withdrawal
Interactions
Opioids; Other CNS depressants; CYP3A inhibitors and inducers

Brand questions use only name pairings verified against the linked product source. Unverified pairings are withheld from these questions; the other study content remains available.

Drug class families: Benzodiazepines

Read the source label ↗

Label date: 20260827 · For learning, not clinical decisions. US label and brand information; always consult the current source.

Source snapshot checked: 2026-10-21. The source document and selected fields were compared. The complete card has not had an independent clinical review.

Pronunciation

Alprazolam: al-PRAY-zoe-lam

Pronunciation is shown for the US English generic name.

Other drugs in the same class

Benzodiazepines: Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Diazepam

Body system

Psychiatry · 30 Drug cards

Compare with related cards

Clonazepam

Same class family: Benzodiazepines

Mechanism: Precise mechanism unknown; believed to enhance activity of GABA, the major inhibitory CNS neurotransmitter.

On both cards: Used for — Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults · Interactions — Opioids

Only on the Clonazepam card: Used for — Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, akinetic seizures and myoclonic seizures, alone or as adjunctive treatment; Absence seizures unresponsive to succinimides · Common side effects — Drowsiness; Ataxia; Behavior problems · Warnings — Contraindicated in significant liver disease; Contraindicated in acute narrow-angle glaucoma; Benzodiazepine hypersensitivity · Interactions — Phenytoin; CNS depressants

Lorazepam

Same class family: Benzodiazepines

Mechanism: Binds the benzodiazepine site of GABA-A receptors in the brain, enhancing GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition.

On both cards: Warnings — Neonatal sedation and withdrawal · Interactions — Opioids

Only on the Lorazepam card: Used for — Anxiety disorders in adults already receiving stable, evenly divided three-times-daily lorazepam tablets, when converted to the selected LOREEV XR formulation · Common side effects — Sedation; Dizziness; Weakness; Unsteadiness · Warnings — Contraindicated in acute narrow-angle glaucoma; CNS depression · Interactions — Alcohol / CNS depressants; UGT inhibitors

Diazepam

Same class family: Benzodiazepines

Mechanism: A benzodiazepine that interacts at GABA-A sites; most clinical effects are thought to result from facilitation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.

On both cards: Interactions — Opioids

Only on the Diazepam card: Used for — Anxiety disorders; Acute alcohol withdrawal; Skeletal muscle spasm (adjunct) · Common side effects — Drowsiness; Fatigue; Muscle weakness; Ataxia · Warnings — Contraindicated in myasthenia gravis and sleep apnea; Acute narrow-angle glaucoma; Severe respiratory or hepatic insufficiency · Interactions — Alcohol and other CNS depressants

An item counts as shared only when both cards use the same wording. If a card does not list an item, that is not a statement that the effect never occurs.

Boxed warnings on related cards

Same boxed-warning wording on: Clonazepam, Lorazepam

Diazepam: Opioid co-use can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression and death; abuse, dependence and withdrawal risks.