Carisoprodol

 

Carisoprodol (Soma) is a drug prescribed to alleviate muscle pain.  Usual dosage is 750 to 1050 milligrams spread out over a day. It is recommended for a treatment of period of no longer than three weeks. But is has become a common drug of abuse, particularly when mixed with other drugs like hydrocodone (especially Vicodin), benzodiazepines (Xanax or Valium), codeine or alcohol.

 

Soma is Frequently Combined with Other Drugs

 

In fact, the combination of Xanax, Vicodin and Soma abuse may have started out when people were prescribed these three drugs together after serious trauma like a car accident. Xanax to deal with anxiety, Vicodin for pain and Soma as a muscle relaxant. If a person felt great after the accident, it is understandable that they might want to continue to take these drugs, even if the doctor wanted to stop prescribing them. But each individual drug is addictive and of course, the combination is going to be addictive as well.

Its addictiveness is why Soma has such a short recommended treatment period.

 

A person will develop a tolerance for the drug quickly, meaning that more of the drug needs to be taken to get the same effect. Cravings will set in that keep the person from being willing to quit taking it and there will be withdrawal symptoms if drug use is stopped. These three factors are what constitute addiction.

 

In most cases of adverse reaction that appeared in an emergency room, Soma was mixed with other drugs. Only one person in eight who needed emergency care for Soma abuse had used just that one drug.