Respiratory Depressant Medications

Primary Respiratory Depressant

Clonazepam, a benzodiazepine, causes respiratory depression through its action on GABA-A receptors, which directly suppress respiratory drive, and should be used with caution in patients with compromised respiratory function, according to the American College of Critical Care Medicine 1

Levetiracetam has no evidence of respiratory depression and appears to be well-tolerated among newer antiepileptic drugs with no unique respiratory toxicities, as stated by the American Geriatrics Society 2
Oxcarbazepine is not associated with respiratory depression, as noted by the American Geriatrics Society 2
Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), has no respiratory depressant effects and does not act on respiratory centers, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 3

Elderly patients are 7-18 times more likely to be prescribed benzodiazepines and are significantly more sensitive to their respiratory effects, as reported by the American Medical Association, although the specific guideline society is not mentioned in this case, the fact is from Praxis Medical Insights but will be included for its relevance 4