Carisoprodol Oral Tablet

• Drowsiness: Carisoprodol can cause drowsiness. Don’t drive or use dangerous machinery until you know how this drug affects you.
• Dependence: The use of carisoprodol can cause dependence (addiction). If this occurs, stopping this medication suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can include sleep problems, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, or shakiness and muscle twitching. They can also include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t real) or other psychiatric problems. To help prevent dependence, don’t take this medication for longer than 3 weeks.
• Seizures: Carisoprodol may cause seizures. This risk is higher if it’s used with several drugs that are misused or used in overly high doses.

Carisoprodol oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.

To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with carisoprodol are listed below.

Interactions that increase your risk of side effects

• Side effects from other drugs: Taking carisoprodol with certain medications raises your risk of side effects from these drugs. Examples of these drugs include:
  • Benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam, diazepam, or flurazepam.
    • Increased side effects can include drowsiness.
  • Opioids, such as morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, or codeine.
    • Increased side effects can include drowsiness.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline, doxepin, or imipramine.
    • Increased side effects can include drowsiness.
  • Meprobamate.
    • Increased side effects can include drowsiness. This is because your body turns carisoprodol into meprobamate. This increases the amount of meprobamate in your body, and increases its side effects.
• Side effects from carisoprodol: Taking carisoprodol with certain medications raises your risk of side effects from carisoprodol. This is because the amount of carisoprodol in your body may be increased. Examples of these drugs include:
  • Drugs such as omeprazole or fluvoxamine.
    • If you take these drugs with carisoprodol, your doctor may monitor you more closely for side effects.

Interactions that can make your drugs less effective

• When carisoprodol is used with certain drugs, it may not work as well to treat your condition. This is because the amount of carisoprodol in your body may be decreased. Examples of these drugs include:
  • Drugs such as St. John’s wort or rifampin.
    • If you take these drugs with carisoprodol, your doctor may increase your dosage of carisoprodol.

Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we can not guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always speak with your healthcare provider about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking.

This drug comes with several warnings.

Allergy warning

Carisoprodol can cause a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms can include:

• trouble breathing
• swelling of your throat or tongue

If you have an allergic reaction, call your doctor or local poison control center right away. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Don’t take this drug again if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to it or to a drug called meprobamate. Taking it again could be fatal (cause death).

Alcohol interaction warning

Carisoprodol can make you drowsy. The use of drinks that contain alcohol can make your drowsiness worse. If you drink alcohol, talk to your doctor about whether this drug is safe for you.

Warnings for people with certain health conditions

For people with porphyria: Do not take carisoprodol. It could make your condition worse.

For people with an enzyme (CYP2C19) that works slowly: The CYP2C19 enzyme helps your body process carisoprodol. A genetic mutation causes the enzyme to process the drug more slowly. As a result, you may have higher levels of carisoprodol in your body. This raises your risk of side effects. Your doctor may prescribe you a lower dosage of this drug.

For people with liver problems: This drug is processed in your body by your liver. If your liver doesn’t work well, your body may process this drug more slowly. This may cause more side effects. To prevent this, your doctor may prescribe you a lower dosage of this drug.

For people with kidney problems: This drug is cleared from your body by your kidneys. If your kidneys don’t work well, your body may clear this drug more slowly. This can increase the amount of the drug in your body and cause more side effects. To prevent this, your doctor may prescribe you a lower dosage of this drug.

Warnings for other groups

For pregnant women: Carisoprodol is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:

1. Research in animals has shown adverse effects to the fetus when the mother takes the drug.
2. There haven’t been enough studies done in humans to be certain how the drug might affect the fetus.

Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. This drug should be used only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Call your doctor if:

• You notice that your muscle pain is not improving while you take this drug.
• You become pregnant while taking this drug.

Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking this drug.

For women who are breastfeeding: Carisoprodol may pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. This drug may also decrease the amount of milk your body makes.

Talk to your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.

For seniors: This medication hasn’t been studied in adults older than 65 years. It shouldn’t be used in people of this age group.

For children: This medication hasn’t been studied in children younger than 17 years. It shouldn’t be used in children of this age group.

Carisoprodol is used for short-term treatment. It comes with serious risks if you don’t take it as prescribed.

If you stop taking the drug suddenly or don’t take it at all: If you don’t take this drug, your muscle pain may continue or get worse. If you stop taking this drug suddenly, you may have withdrawal symptoms. These can include sleep problems, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, or shakiness and muscle twitching. They can also include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t real) or other psychiatric problems.

If you miss doses or don’t take the drug on schedule: Your medication may not work as well or may stop working completely. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times.

If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. This risk is higher if this medication is used with several drugs that are misused or taken in overly high doses. Symptoms of an overdose of this drug can include:

• low blood pressure
• fast heartbeat
• trouble breathing
• seizures
• delusions (believing in things that aren’t true)
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t real)
• unusual excitement
• vision problems
• muscle stiffness and lack of coordination
• coma
• death

If you think you’ve taken too much of this drug, call your doctor or local poison control center. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects.

How to tell if the drug is working: You should have decreased muscle pain.