Feedback on Soma Side Effects and Usage, page 30
About Soma
If you’ve used Soma, please help others by adding your feedback. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.
Subj: Experience with Soma
Date: 2/25/2010
No question about it – Soma can make you feel great for a short while. I “discovered” it about 20 years ago after a car accident left me with neck and shoulder injuries. These injuries resulted in severe headaches and muscle spasms in the neck and shoulder. I was prescribed Lortab and Soma. The first time I took it, I took one of each. After about 20 minutes I was feeling pretty good, so I added another at the next dose, thinking “If one is good, two must be better.” I was about 30 at the time, and in good health. I eventually had the combination of the two drugs down to a science and knew exactly how much I could take of each one so that I didn’t get sleepy, etc. Recently, I broke my shoulder and have had two surgeries to date. For whatever reason, the pain I was having had worsened quite a bit and I was having muscle spasms in my shoulder. My orthopedic doctor had been prescribing Vicodin, as needed, 30 at a time. These were lasting a month, sometimes more. When I went to see him about the increased pain and spasms, I remembered that the Soma had given me trememdous relief when my I had the car accident, so I requested a prescription. He gave it to me, no problem, because I had been doing so well with the Vicodin. I had forgotten that nice feeling that you could get from it though, and again, I began increasing the number of Soma with each dose. I wasn’t taking them by the handful, but was taking several at a time.
Over a period of several days, it caught up with me and I found myself waking up in the ER with a Soma overdose. They told me that I was totally unable to communicate with anyone and that my vitals signs were so low that they thought I wouldn’t recover. I had no intention of hurting myself; I just wanted the pain to stop. I don’t know why it happened this time and not so many of the other times I had done the same thing all those years ago. But now, I’m afraid to take so much as an asprin, though I do have to take one pill a day for high blood pressure. Even that terrifies me. For those of you who take Soma as directed…good for you. It definitely is a good drug for relieving muscle spasms. For those of you, like me, who have figured out that adding a couple more makes you feel good…please be careful. Ending up in the ER drinking charcoal is unpleasant enough, but you also let so many people down. Think of your significant other, your parents, your doctor even. One of the hardest things I had to do was to look my orthopedic doctor in the eye and apologize to him and to thank him for continuing to see me. No, we aren’t “buddies” but even in a professional doctor/patient relationship, there is an element of trust and I broke that. I will be a long time in forgiving myself for it. I hope this can help someone to just please be careful.
Jennifer
Subj: Soma overdose
Date: 3/3/2010
Today I dropped a neighbors daughter off from school her mom didnt answer and she used her key to get in. She comes running out screaming. I went inside she was unconsious sitting up against the wall, head tilted over. I was so scared to touch her she looked dead. Parameds took all medicine and the ER doc said she had taken a large amount of soma which she just refilled the day before. Prior to this she has normal days and really bad days. I blame myself for not saying something earlier but she is so defensive. Now her daughter seen her and I can not go to sleep because I cant get the look out of my head I can only imagine her daughters fears. From everyone I have talked to they claim there is no helping her and it has happened before. NEXT TIME SHE WILL DIE IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE!!! I am scared I want to help her but I am afraid she will not allow it. Is there anything she can take instead of soma thats not habbit forming and gives you a high??? I am really scared I am not even sure why I guess every time I close my eyes I see the look on her face it is haunting me and I cant stop thinking about her children she has no other family.
June
AskDocWeb: Soma is just one of a group of drugs called skeletal muscle relaxants (SMR’s). Alternatives for Soma include chlorphenesin (Maolate), chlorzoxazone (Paraflex), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), diazepam (Valium), metaxalone (Skelaxin), methocarbamol (Robaxin), and orphenadrine (Norflex). Comparisons of the various types of muscle relaxants have not shown any one of them to be superior to the others. All muscle relaxers can cause dizziness and drowsiness so there may not be a good alternative.
Subj: SOMA WORKS
Date: 3/3/2010
Been Rx’d Soma for about 3 years now and while I do have an addictive personality, Soma never got its hooks into me! I’m really grateful for that. I am prescribed between 1.5 to 3 tablets per 24 hours due to neck vertebrae and disc problems. I am really glad to say that I simply do NOT need to worry about a medication addiction so I limit my intake to when I feel I REALLY need it due to pain. That turns out to be half or 3/4 tablet every few days at bedtime. I find it immensely useful for those times when other medications and methods to relieve pain in neck don’t work – SOMA WORKS, but I am really careful and now my MD knows that I am extremely careful and so I am able to get about 100 at a time and make them last for months. Soma make me extremely sleepy and relaxed so I must take at bedtime only or when I can nap. (My body weight is 104 and I’m 5’3″ so that may be why small doses are very effective despite using them (not daily, however) for a long period of time. I fe el lucky because I didn’t realize so many had addictions this strong to this prescription drug! I empathize and wish everyone luck.
InTheRain
Subj: Insurance company charges
Date: 3/11/2010
My Doctor has given me a prescription for Soma 250mg. It has helped my back pain. My question is my insurance company charges a lot more for Soma what is the difference between Soma and Carisoprodol 350mg the cost is a lot less. Thanks
Darrell
AskDocWeb: Soma is a brand name of the drug, Carisoprodol. Other brand names include Sanoma and Carisoma.
Subj: Long-term Soma use
Date: 3/13/2010
I started taking Soma 7 years ago after a motorcycle wreck that broke bones in well over 25 places. Every rib on the right side was broken, several were broken in more than one place, like under my arm and near or in my back. Also punched a hole through my scapula, a couple fractured vertebrae, head injury and a fractured pelvis. The collarbone still sticks up like a V and my ribs are all mangled up. Looks like a couple fists sticking out of my chest where they are out of alignment.
I try to take just enough meds to take the edge off the constant pain. On a bad day, I might take 1 Soma during the day. For pain and being able to sleep through the night without a hangover, Soma has been a God Send. I was without them for 4 days a year ago when we were out of town. The only problem I had without them was pain of course and not being able to go to sleep when I needed to. Eventually I found that when you get tired enough, you’ll sleep. A Doctor wanted to put me on Oxycontin and I walked out. Soma can’t be as bad as Oxycontin.
I have found after 7 years that Soma seems to interfere with my thinking and slows me down a lot, even the next day… Could be my age I guess, I’m 57, but I have always been extremely type A. All my life I was on the move constantly with 5-6 hours of sleep a day. Since I have been on Soma, I no longer have that type A personality. I sleep 8 hours and feel very mellow most of the time. I can’t take stress as well as I used to and I am sure that’s another benefit from the Soma.
I only take Soma at night, during the day I take a Vicodin in the morning and one a half hour before dinner. Soma seems to block all kinds of pain, better than Vicodin for me. I had a terrible tooth ache and it took it away. Unfortunately now it takes 2 to do what one used to do 6 years ago, when I am really hurting. I wouldn’t have much of a problem as far as withdrawal, but I would hate to be without it. The back injury gives me pain all the way down the back of both legs, all the way to my shoulders almost all the time. The Soma does wonders for all that too. Does this make me addicted, or just dependent on it to help control my pain?
Barry
AskDocWeb: If you hate to be without it then you already know that you are dependent on it to control your pain. According to the manufacturer, Soma could be habit forming and you are to tell your doctor “if you have a history of alcohol or other substance abuse or dependence.” Do not stop taking Soma suddenly without first talking to your doctor.
Side Note: There seems to be a growing number of states that are limiting or banning the use of Vicodin with Soma.
Subj: Horrible withdrawal affects
Date: 3/14/2010
Soma has horrible withdrawal affects HORRIBLE, medical profession liken it to barbituate and alcohol withdrawal which can kill you. I was prescribed Soma for 3 pinched nerves in my neck, and 2 in my lower back.I started out using them regularly and by the end i was grossly abusing them. I started 1- 350mg at night ended with 30(yes 30) 350mgs in the case of a day (7pills at a time) I firmly believe the soma use made my pain even worse. Which made me believe I needed them to function due to pain(not yet realising how worse they make your pain).
When I’d run out I would suffer severe back pain, extreme anxiety-almost sounding crazy to others due t a very panicky anxiety, inner ear problems as if they were clogged-hated even driving in a car at this point cause the noises became so exagerated, insomnia, vomitting, a real nightmare. Yes I took extreme amount and caused this myself but if I knew of these withdrawals I would have never started taking them in the first place. What happensis you get prescribed for bad back/neck pain, then they actually start to make it worse so you start taking more, soon you can’t function not on them cause the pain is so great. The increased tolerance makes you take more at night especially when wanting to sleep before you know it you start to look forward to the lil buzz you feel at night especially when your days have become marked with increasing pain due to the soma.
I spent 10’s of 1,000’s of dollars on them. Sometimes getting 3-180ct 350mgs bottles of soma in 1 day and that wouldnt even last me a week. Today I am soma free but the only way I made it through the withdrawal was with klonopin-taken mildly only for about 1 week because they have their own abuse potentiial. In fact benzos are given for soma o/d. Soma also gave me amnesia like states while I was on them as well as seizures. It got real scary and I’d never remember them being told about them the following day. Soma is a highly intoxicating drug which I feel is extremely dangerous and to easy to get online.
NY
Subj: Long-term side effects from overdose?
Date: 3/15/2010
Are there any long-term side effects from a soma overdose; heart, stomach, etc…
Heather
AskDocWeb: We didn’t find anything listed by the manufacturer about long-term side effects or complications following an overdose of Soma, nor did a search engine turn up anything. Read more feedback about Soma. Soma report – 27 – 28 – 29 – Page 30 – 31 – 32 – 33 – Last Page 48
If you find this page useful share it with others. If you have used Soma, use the form below to add your review of Soma, feedback or suggestions that may help others. Please note that all addresses are held confidential.