It is a really bad idea to mix painkillers with antidepressants such as Xanax or Ativan, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Mixing opioids with benzodiazepines, which include Xanax, has resulted in slow or difficult breathing and deaths, a new review found.

In light of the review, the FDA is calling for updates to labels for opioids and benzodiazepines to reflect the risks.

Doctors traditionally prescribe benzodiazepines to treat anxiety or insomnia and seizures, while opioids are intended to treat pain.

However, combined use of the drugs can depress the central nervous system. The agency added that combining opioids and benzodiazepines and other drugs that depress the nervous system or alcohol are also dangerous.

The review looked into emergency room visits caused by the use of both types of drugs.

From 2004 to 2011, the rate of emergency room visits for non-medical uses of both drugs increased from 11 to 34.2 per 100,000 people. Overdose deaths from taking the two drugs together increased from 0.6 to 1.7 per 100,000 people, the FDA said.

The agency looked at the National Vital Statistics System and the Drug Abuse Warning Network to get the data.

Opioid use has exploded into a pressing public health concern as federal data shows 72,000 people die a year from overdosing on painkillers or heroin.

President Obama signed into law a major legislative package that aims to increase access to treatment options and help states tackling the problem.