Sufentanil

A very potent opioid given by IV or epidural injection during general anesthesia and for labor pain.

psilodex.org/m/sufentanil · data v2026.10.05

Clinical contraindication: None listed; No label contraindication covering psilocybin was found. This is not a finding that the combination has been shown to be without risk.
Psilocybin evidence: No psilocybin data
Half-life: ~2.7 h; Approximate, in adults. Source under Interaction below.

Named in state rules?

Not namedColorado

Not namedOregon

PendingNew Mexico

Cite asPsilodex, “Sufentanil”, v2026.10.05. psilodex.org/m/sufentanil

Clinical data and state rules are separate facts. Both are shown; neither is a decision.

What it is used for

FDA status

FDA-approved

Availability

Hospital and procedural use (injection)

FDA-approved for

Analgesic adjunct in balanced general anesthesia (intubated, ventilated patients)
Primary anesthetic for induction and maintenance of anesthesia
Epidural pain relief during labor and vaginal delivery

Sources [1]

Other safety

Boxed warning for life-threatening respiratory depression and for profound sedation, coma and death with benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants; the label also warns of muscle rigidity, including of the breathing muscles.

About the medication itself, separate from any interaction with psilocybin.

Sources [1]

01 Interaction with psilocybin

Psilocybin does not slow breathing, but this potent anesthesia opioid does; it is usually given only during monitored procedures.

Detail Sufentanil is a very potent opioid agonist given intravenously or epidurally during anesthesia and labor, so exposure is usually confined to a monitored procedure. It causes profound sedation and respiratory depression (slowed breathing). These add to other CNS depressants (drugs that slow the brain), but psilocybin does not depress breathing. Its label reports serotonin syndrome with serotonergic (serotonin-boosting) drugs, with no psilocybin data. Also, the label reports severe bradycardia (slow heart rate) and hypotension (low blood pressure), muscle rigidity, and more frequent seizures in seizure disorders. Sources [1]

Human data with psilocybin: No psilocybin data; based on how it works and its label
Half-life: ~2.7 h (164 min, adults) (FDA label, checked 2026-10-04)

Evidence types on this record

No psilocybin dataNo psilocybin data: no human data with psilocybin or another classic psychedelic; the text draws on the medication's own pharmacology and its label or reference facts

02 Pharmacology relevant to psilocybin

5 listed · counted on reports

Sedating or CNS depressant: Slows the central nervous system: drowsiness, slower reactions and impaired coordination, and slowed breathing at high doses. Effects add with other sedating substances. Sources [1]
Lowers blood pressure or causes orthostasis: Lowers blood pressure, or causes a drop on standing (orthostasis) that can bring dizziness or fainting. Sources [1]
Opioid: Activates opioid receptors, causing pain relief, sedation and slowed breathing at higher doses. Psilocybin does not slow breathing, but stopping an opioid suddenly can cause withdrawal. Sources [1]
Lowers seizure threshold or carries seizure risk: Makes a seizure more likely, or has been linked to seizures. Sources [1]
Serotonergic: Increases serotonin activity, for example by blocking its reuptake or releasing it. Psilocybin acts on serotonin receptors, so effects can add together. With antidepressant use, the psilocybin response can be weaker. Sources [1]

03 State rules

Plain-language summary · official text governs

CO4 CCR 755-1

Not named

No provision names this medication or its class.

Colorado · checked 2026-10-04

OROAR 333-333

Not named

No provision names this medication or its class.

Oregon · checked 2026-10-04

NM7.35.3 NMAC (proposed)

Pending

New Mexico's clinical rules (proposed 7.35.3 NMAC) are not final. No provision naming this medication has been found.

New Mexico · checked 2026-10-04

04 Conditions to ask about

None linked

No condition named in state rules is linked to this medication.

05 Sources

Sufentanil Citrate Injection (Hospira) · FDA label (DailyMed) — Opioid: 12.1 "Sufentanil is an opioid agonist." | Sedating or CNS depressant: Boxed Warning "Concomitant use of opioids with benzodiazepines or other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, including alcohol, may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death." | Serotonergic: 5.8 "Cases of serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, have been reported during concomitant use of sufentanil with serotonergic drugs." | Lowers blood pressure or causes orthostasis: 5.6 "Sufentanil Citrate Injection may cause severe bradycardia, severe hypotension including orthostatic hypotension, and syncope." | Lowers seizure threshold or carries seizure risk: 5.12 "may increase the frequency of seizures in patients with seizure disorders" | 5.5 "may cause muscle rigidity, particularly involving the muscles of respiration" | "The elimination half-life is 164 minutes in adults."

Record history

v2026.10.02First published.
2026-10-04Last reviewed against its sources.

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