Specialized pharmaceutical companies have released Soma or Carisoprodol on the market for patients experiencing mild to severe backaches. The relief provided by this drug has been welcomed by other patients as well, suffering from muscle strains and other injuries. The tablets are available in 250 and 350 mg doses and it seems that the first offers a lower risk for potential side-effects, including drowsiness. However, Soma remains a powerful medicine that is only available with prescription.

Whether we are talking about muscular spasms, a strain in one’s neck or pain in the hamstring tendons, Soma can prove out to be the best symptomatic treatment you have ever seen. It relieves acute pain with efficiency but there are certain precautions patients need to be careful of. For example, one should never drink alcoholic beverages or ingest other drugs that have similar effects with Soma. The list of contraindicated medication includes sedatives, medicine used to treat allergies and anti-anxiety drugs, all increasing the feelings of drowsiness and vertigo if taken simultaneously with Soma.

The doctor is the most recommended person to talk with when it comes to taking medication like Soma. Only a certified healthcare specialist can provide you with vital information regarding dosage, administration and contraindications. Did you know that patients who are allergic to meprobamate, an active metabolite of Carisoprodol, are forbidden to follow treatments with Soma? In fact, that rule applies to all persons who have been identified as being allergic to carbamates (salts of carbamic acid). One will also be explained about Soma’s sedative properties, possibility of drug dependence and abuse in case of extended usage. You might also want to ask the doctor about withdrawal and symptoms possible to appear.

Studies have shown that Soma or Carisoprodol is metabolized in the liver by a specialized enzyme known as CYP2C19, resulting in its active metabolite that is meprobamate. Talking about drug interactions, there are several types of drugs that have a powerful influence on Soma, including: CYP2C19 inhibitors and inducers, plus medications that depresses the central nervous system. Thus being the case, patients should be informed about the possible effects and adverse reactions of these drugs interacting. Specific populations – pregnant women, nursing mothers, children and older people – are mainly at risk for side-effects. Often times, the medication is not recommended for the above mentioned groups. Caution is also imposed in case of renal disease, hepatic impairment and patients who have a health problem resulting from CYP2C19 deficiency.

There are many drugs that act as CYP2C19 inhibitors but two of the most popular are represented by antacids (Omeprazole or Prilosec) and Fluvoxamine. Simultaneous administration of Soma with either of these drugs will affect the metabolism of Carisoprodol and have serious effects on the patient. The same situation is valid when CYP2C19 inducers, such as antibacterial drugs (Rifampin, commonly used for the treatment of tuberculosis), are administered. It is for the best that such co-administrations are avoided as much as possible. There are certain studies who have demonstrated acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to act as an inducer on the CYP2C19 enzyme.

Soma is not recommended to be taken by pregnant women, as animal studies have clearly shown that the drug has the ability to cross the placenta and affect the unborn baby, decreasing the chances for survival. Nursing mothers should also abstain from taking Soma, as there are studies made to show the drug passing into the mother’s milk.

Overdose is possible in patients following treatments with Soma, resulting in serious consequences for the central nervous system. We are talking about severe coma associating respiratory depression and convulsions. Other symptoms include: violent mental agitation, stiffness, intense headaches, delirium and vision problems. Immediate medical assistance is imposed and the patient informed in the future about the negative effects of Soma overdose. The medication works perfectly taken in recommended doses, reaching a peak plasma concentration in about 2 hours and not being influenced by the contents of a high-fat meal, like many other drugs.