Carisoprodol Risks, Warnings, and Complications

Precautions Before Starting Carisoprodol (Soma)

Tell your doctor if you have ever had an allergic reaction to carisoprodol, meprobamate, any of the active or inactive ingredients in carisoprodol formulations, or any other drugs. Your pharmacy can give you a list of ingredients.

Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products, especially St. John’s Wort. This can help avoid possible drug interactions.

Give your doctor a complete medical history. Carisoprodol may not be right for people with certain medical conditions such as substance abuse (alcohol, street drugs, or prescription medications), acute intermittent porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder), seizures, renal impairment (kidney disease), or impaired hepatic function (liver disease). 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, could be pregnant, plan to get pregnant, or are nursing an infant with breast milk. 

Discuss the pros and cons of taking carisoprodol with your doctor if you are over 65 years of age. There may be other safer muscle relaxants available for older adults. 

To avoid an overdose, check all medication labels to see if they contain carisoprodol. Carisoprodol may be an active ingredient in combination medications that are available in other countries, for example, Dorilax, which contains paracetamol, caffeine, carisoprodol.

Precautions During Use of Carisoprodol (Soma)

Keep all your medical appointments while on carisoprodol (Soma). Do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your healthcare provider first. Suddenly stopping carisoprodol (Soma) can lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. 

Carisoprodol can make you drowsy and dizzy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you. Avoid drinking alcohol while on carisoprodol because it can make these side effects worse.

Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while on carisoprodol.

Tell all your doctors you are on carisoprodol before any surgery, including dental procedures.

Carisoprodol (Soma) Drug Interactions

Certain other drugs can affect how carisoprodol works. Possible interactions between carisoprodol and other medicines can increase the risk of severe adverse effects. The following medications can have possible interactions with carisoprodol:

• Benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium, Diastat, Valtaco), flurazepam, alprazolam (Xanax), estazolam, triazolam (Halcion), and lorazepam (Ativan).
• Antidepressants like fluvoxamine (Luvox).
• Aspirin
• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) like amoxapine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline (Pamelor), clomipramine (Anafranil), doxepin (Silenor), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil), trimipramine, and protriptyline.
• Medicines used to treat allergies, colds, and coughs.
• Proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid).
• Prescription painkillers (opioid or narcotic pain medications) such as morphine, hydrocodone (Hysingla, in Anexsia), oxycodone (Xtampza, Oxaydo, in Percocet, others), methadone (Methadose), tramadol (Ultram, Qdolo, Conzip, in Ultracet, others), and meperidine (Demerol).
• Antibiotics like rifampin (Rimactane, Rifadin).
• Tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills.

The above list may not include all possible interactions of carisoprodol. Give your doctor or pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, OTC medications, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Also, tell your healthcare professional if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications when used with prescription medications.