diff --git a/Python/bytecodes.c b/Python/bytecodes.c
index b22916aeaa248b..e6525657cabc2b 100644
--- a/Python/bytecodes.c
+++ b/Python/bytecodes.c
@@ -611,7 +611,9 @@ dummy_func(
         // specializations, but there is no output.
         // At the end we just skip over the STORE_FAST.
         op(_BINARY_OP_INPLACE_ADD_UNICODE, (left, right --)) {
+        #ifndef NDEBUG
             PyObject *left_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(left);
+        #endif
             PyObject *right_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(right);
 
             int next_oparg;
diff --git a/Python/executor_cases.c.h b/Python/executor_cases.c.h
index 0ed361a2ee7fb0..15a6c7bc1a7966 100644
--- a/Python/executor_cases.c.h
+++ b/Python/executor_cases.c.h
@@ -737,7 +737,9 @@
             _PyStackRef left;
             right = stack_pointer[-1];
             left = stack_pointer[-2];
+            #ifndef NDEBUG
             PyObject *left_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(left);
+            #endif
             PyObject *right_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(right);
             int next_oparg;
             #if TIER_ONE
diff --git a/Python/generated_cases.c.h b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
index 7bd1b7dd5aba27..a9290986c24f45 100644
--- a/Python/generated_cases.c.h
+++ b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
@@ -183,7 +183,9 @@
             /* Skip 1 cache entry */
             // _BINARY_OP_INPLACE_ADD_UNICODE
             {
+                #ifndef NDEBUG
                 PyObject *left_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(left);
+                #endif
                 PyObject *right_o = PyStackRef_AsPyObjectBorrow(right);
                 int next_oparg;
                 #if TIER_ONE