Final answer:
When treating a patient intoxicated with alcohol or a sedative, CNS depressants like barbiturates and benzodiazepines should be avoided due to their combined, life-threatening effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
When dealing with a patient intoxicated with alcohol or a sedative drug, it's crucial to avoid the administration of central nervous system (CNS) depressants, such as barbiturates and additional benzodiazepines.
These substances can significantly increase the depressive effects on the CNS, leading to a higher risk of respiratory depression, coma, or even death due to their additive and synergistic effects. Particularly, barbiturates not only have additive CNS depressant effects but also increase the binding affinity of the benzodiazepine binding site, potentially resulting in an increased overall function of these channels.