Carisoprodol is a type of muscle relaxant used to relieve discomfort caused by muscle spasms. The liver metabolizes this drug into meprobamate (a barbiturate with anti-anxiety and sedative properties) to help treat muscle spasms due to injury or other muscle problems. Carisoprodol tablets, which are generally taken three times daily and at bedtime, should not be used for longer than two or three weeks.
What Is Carisoprodol?
Carisoprodol (Soma®) is a prescription muscle relaxant. It is meant to be used temporarily (up to two or three weeks) to treat muscle spasms due to injury or other muscle problems. Even though carisoprodol is not a controlled substance, it has the potential to be abused (see Soma Abuse) and should be used cautiously in people with a tendency toward alcohol or drug abuse.
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with carisoprodol. However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common.
Some of the most common side effects include, but are not limited to:
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Headache.
How Does It Work?
It is not known exactly how carisoprodol works to relieve muscle spasms. However, it is known that it works mostly in the brain stem and spinal cord and not directly on the muscles. Also, the liver metabolizes the drug into meprobamate, a barbiturate medication with anti-anxiety and sedative properties. It is thought that it is this metabolite that contributes to the abuse potential of carisoprodol. Interestingly, although meprobamate is a controlled substance in the United States, carisoprodol is not categorized as a controlled substance.
Source: http://pain.emedtv.com/carisoprodol/carisoprodol-p2.html
