Quick answer

Ask your pharmacist or doctor before combining. NIH says valerian might add to the effects of sedatives, naming benzodiazepines and barbiturates among medicines that slow the nervous system, and NCCIH says it should not be taken along with alcohol or sedatives. NIH names 3 sedating supplements as well: St. John's wort, kava and melatonin.^1,2

Key facts

NIH says valerian might have additive therapeutic and adverse effects if taken with sedatives, other medicines, or certain herbs and supplements with sedative properties.¹
NIH names benzodiazepines such as alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam and triazolam, and barbiturates and other depressants such as phenobarbital, morphine and propofol.¹
NCCIH says it is possible, though not proven, that valerian might have a sleep-inducing effect, so it should not be taken along with alcohol or sedatives.²
NIH calls the added sedative effect with alcohol or sedative drugs a theoretical possibility.¹
The alprazolam label says benzodiazepines produce additive effects on the central nervous system with other medicines that depress it. It does not name valerian.³

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements says valerian might add to the effects of sedatives and other medicines that slow the nervous system. It names benzodiazepines such as alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam and triazolam, and barbiturates and other depressants such as phenobarbital, morphine and propofol. NCCIH says valerian should not be taken along with alcohol or sedatives.^1,2

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

What does it mean that valerian might add to a sedative's effects?

Both NIH and NCCIH use careful language. NIH says valerian might have additive effects and calls the sedative effect with alcohol or sedative drugs a theoretical possibility. NCCIH says it is possible, though not proven, that valerian has a sleep-inducing effect. That is a reason for caution, not a measured result: the passages read for this page report no trial of valerian taken together with a sedative medicine.^1,2

What additive looks like is easier to see from a sedative's own label. The prescribing information for alprazolam, a benzodiazepine, says benzodiazepines produce additive effects on the central nervous system when taken with other medicines that depress it, and gives psychotropic medicines, anticonvulsants, antihistamines and alcohol as examples. Its Medication Guide warns that taking a benzodiazepine with alcohol or other central nervous system depressants can cause severe drowsiness, breathing problems, coma and death. The label does not name valerian. It shows the principle.³

Which sedatives does NIH name?

Benzodiazepines: NIH names alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam and triazolam.¹
Barbiturates and other depressants: NIH names phenobarbital, morphine and propofol.¹
Alcohol: both NIH and NCCIH name it.^1,2
Supplements with sedative properties: NIH names St. John's wort, kava and melatonin.¹

The sources checked do not address antihistamine sleep aids, muscle relaxants or individual prescription sleep medicines by name. That is not a finding either way, so ask your pharmacist about yours.¹

What are sedatives prescribed for?

Sedatives are a broad group, so MedlinePlus's page on one of them is a useful example. It describes alprazolam as a benzodiazepine used for anxiety disorders and panic disorder, working by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain. It says the medicine may make you drowsy, asks you not to drive or operate machinery until you know how it affects you, and lists St. John's wort among the herbal products that may interact with it.⁴

What do the sources say about valerian's own drowsiness?

Side effects of valerian include headache, stomach upset, mental dullness, excitability, uneasiness and vivid dreams.²

Drowsiness is the effect the combination warnings are about. NCCIH lists mental dullness among valerian's side effects, and NIH's trial summary notes extra sleepiness the morning after a larger dose. The sources read do not say how long any carryover lasts when valerian is combined with a prescribed sedative, so that is a question for your pharmacist.^1,2

What to ask your pharmacist about valerian and your sedative

Is my medicine a benzodiazepine, a barbiturate, a sleeping pill or another kind of sedative?
Do I also use alcohol, melatonin, kava or St. John's wort?
Does valerian appear in any tea, tincture or sleep blend I already use?
What should I watch for the next day, and when should I call you?

Do not stop a prescribed sedative on your own. MedlinePlus says to talk to your doctor before stopping alprazolam, because the doctor will probably lower the dose gradually.⁴

Questions people ask

Can you take valerian with sedatives?

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first. NIH says valerian might add to the effects of sedatives, and NCCIH says it should not be taken along with alcohol or sedatives.^1,2

Can valerian be mixed with sleeping pills?

Sleeping pills are sedatives. The NIH and NCCIH passages name sedatives and benzodiazepines in general, and the sources checked do not address each sleeping pill by name. Ask your pharmacist about yours.^1,2

Does valerian mix with alcohol?

NCCIH says valerian should not be taken along with alcohol or sedatives, and NIH names alcohol among the possible sources of added sedative effects.^1,2

Is valerian itself a sedative?

NIH says constituents of valerian have sedative effects in animals and that there is no scientific agreement on how it works. NCCIH says it is possible, though not proven, that valerian has a sleep-inducing effect.^1,2

Is there a melatonin or kava interaction with valerian?

NIH lists melatonin, kava and St. John's wort among supplements that might also have additive effects with valerian. Ask your pharmacist about any combination.¹

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.