What is a benzo?

"Benzo" is short for benzodiazepine. It names a class of prescription medicines that includes diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin) and lorazepam (Ativan). All four are Schedule IV controlled substances in the United States and Class C drugs in the United Kingdom. A good many drugs that people lump in with benzos are something else, and this page sorts them out with the label wording and the legal lists.

What are benzodiazepines?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes them in its 2020 drug safety communication. It says benzodiazepines are "a class of medicines approved to treat generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, seizures, social phobia, and panic disorder", and that they are also used as premedication before some medical procedures. The same page says that, although the individual medicines differ in how long they take to start working and how long their effects last, "they all work to slow brain activity by binding to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain". Chlordiazepoxide was the first benzodiazepine approved, in 1960, and many more followed in the 1960s and 1970s.

MedlinePlus gives the same classification in its drug entries. Its alprazolam page says alprazolam "is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines". The labels agree: the Valium label begins its pharmacology section with "Diazepam is a benzodiazepine", and the Xanax label says "Alprazolam is a 1,4 benzodiazepine". The Klonopin, Ativan and Valium boxed warnings each use the phrase "the use of benzodiazepines, including" followed by the brand name, which is the label's own way of placing the drug in the class.

What did the FDA require in 2020?

On September 23, 2020, the FDA announced that it was requiring the Boxed Warning, in its words "FDA's most prominent warning", to be updated for all benzodiazepine medicines. The agency gave the reason in one sentence:

To address the serious risks of abuse, addiction, physical dependence, and withdrawal reactions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring the Boxed Warning be updated for all benzodiazepine medicines.

The FDA said the existing prescribing information did not give adequate warnings about these risks, and that use "even when taken at recommended dosages" can lead to misuse, abuse and addiction. It also said that physical dependence can occur when benzodiazepines are taken steadily for several days to weeks, even as prescribed, and, in the words of the 2020 drug safety communication, that "Stopping them abruptly or reducing the dosage too quickly can result in withdrawal reactions, including seizures, which can be life-threatening." The agency required matching changes to the Warnings and Precautions and Drug Abuse and Dependence sections and to the patient Medication Guides.

The labels now in DailyMed carry that text. The Xanax boxed warning is headed "Risks from concomitant use with opioids; abuse, misuse, and addiction; and dependence and withdrawal reactions". This is also the reason the class has attracted so much regulatory attention. Nothing on this page is medical advice.

How are benzodiazepines controlled?

In the United States, the four benzodiazepines on this site appear on the DEA list dated August 27, 2026 as Schedule IV, with a NARC flag of N, so none is a narcotic in the DEA's sense. Under 21 CFR 1306.22, a Schedule IV prescription cannot be filled or refilled more than six months after it was issued, and cannot be refilled more than five times. In the UK, the Home Office list of commonly encountered controlled drugs shows each as Class C, Schedule 4 Part 1 under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. The page on DEA schedules explains Schedule IV, and the page on UK drug classes explains Class C and the schedules.

The individual drug pages give the label citation for each: Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Ativan (lorazepam) and Valium (diazepam).

Which drugs are benzodiazepines, and which only look similar?

The table lists the drugs people most often ask about. "Benzodiazepine" is answered from the label or MedlinePlus wording quoted in the sections below. Schedules and classes come from the DEA list (August 27, 2026) and the Home Office list (April 1, 2025). "Not controlled" means the drug is not on the DEA list.

The first four rows are the benzodiazepines. Everything below them is a look-alike, and the next sections give the reason for each.

Is Ambien a benzo?

No, though the confusion is understandable. The Ambien label (Sanofi-Aventis, DailyMed, last published April 18, 2025) says "AMBIEN contains zolpidem tartrate, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor positive modulator of the imidazopyridine class." Its mechanism section adds that zolpidem acts "through binding to the benzodiazepine site of α1 subunit containing GABA A receptors". So zolpidem works at a related site on the same receptor, without belonging to the benzodiazepine chemical class. The label indicates it for short-term treatment of insomnia with difficulty falling asleep. In law it is treated much like the benzodiazepines: Schedule IV in the US and Class C, Schedule 4 Part 1 in the UK. See Ambien (zolpidem).

Is cyclobenzaprine a benzo?

No. The label of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride tablets says the drug is indicated as an adjunct to rest and physical therapy for relief of muscle spasm associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. Its clinical pharmacology section compares it with "the structurally related tricyclic antidepressants". Cyclobenzaprine does not appear on the DEA list, so it is not federally controlled, and it is not on the Home Office list either. Its muscle-relaxant use is the reason some people group it with Valium, which the label also credits with muscle-relaxant effects, but the two belong to different drug classes. See cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril).

Is hydroxyzine a benzo?

No. MedlinePlus says "Hydroxyzine is in a class of medications called antihistamines." The label indications include symptomatic relief of anxiety and tension, itching from allergic conditions, and use as a sedative before and after general anesthesia, which explains the comparison with the benzodiazepines. It is not on the DEA list and is not on the Home Office list. See hydroxyzine.

Is trazodone a benzo?

No. The trazodone label says the tablets "are a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults", and section 9.1 says trazodone tablets "are not a controlled substance". It does not appear on the Home Office list. See trazodone.

Is gabapentin a benzo?

No. Section 9.2 of the Neurontin label says gabapentin "does not exhibit affinity for benzodiazepine, opioid (mu, delta or kappa), or cannabinoid 1 receptor sites." Gabapentin is not federally controlled in the US. It is Class C, Schedule 3 in the UK. Pregabalin is likewise not a benzodiazepine. The Lyrica label describes binding to the alpha2-delta site of voltage-gated calcium channels, and the DEA lists it in Schedule V. See gabapentin and pregabalin (Lyrica).

Benzodiazepines and opioids are not the same class

The first warning in the Xanax boxed warning concerns concomitant use with opioids, which the label says "may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death". The two classes are discussed together because of that warning, but they act at different receptors and carry different labels. The guide on opioids covers the other class. For help in a crisis, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) are available in the US, and NHS 111 or 999 in the UK.

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