soma withdrawal treatment

I know the original question was posted over a year ago, but I wanted to respond for anyone who googled their way here. 

I have been having migraine headaches for 10 years... for the past year I have been given a variety of medication and treatments... most recently... physically therapy, percocet four times daily, wellbutrin three times daily, Topamax 400mg daily, lorazepam at bed time for sleep, Soma three times daily while doing physical therapy, botox injections every three months, toradol 40mg when i have a break through migraine, promethazine for nausea, Hydromormorphone 2mg for break through migraine, plus multi-vitamin, vitamin b... I have reverse curvature of my cervevucak spine and a bulging disk that is compressing my spinal cord at c 3-4, I also have and extra vertabre in my lumbar spine. My pain is a daily 5 out of 10 and I am literally at my wits end. I do not want these medications any more and no one knows what to do. I feel like I am a my lowest of lows. Olease Help. I have three children, a full-time job, husband, graduated Magna-cum-Laude. I just want to throw every thing down the toilet and give up. Nothing helps. Please if there is anyone out there who can help me.

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the best thing to do for Soma withdrawals is to just rest and eat right, you can go to you dr to get Ativan or Xanax for the anxiety, but be careful these too are addictive, try some over the counter medication if you experience diarrhea or vomiting, herbal teas such a chamomile sleepy time may help as well.

I am 17 years old, currently taking 6 somas a day coupled with alcoho, and sometimes marijuanal...I wake up on my couch downstairs at 6 a.m. with my mom crying next to me because I'm unconscious. My father overdosed when I was 11 years old. My bad habits are destroying my mother and she is now taking xanax daily. I can't help but feel completely responsible. I'm broke...I can't pay for a rehab center or detox, maybe therapy but I feel like it would be a waste. I thought Soma was a harmless drug that just made one feel relaxed and loose for a while; it has completely ruined me. I received straight A's until my sophmore year in high school, the only other being a B. Now I'm failing, driving my addiction further. I don't eat, sleep or hang out with my friends like before. I can't understand how drugs like these can be given to people. I am now a complete zombie...well at least I've retained my ability to write...I always wanted to be a writer. I now see my father when I look into a mirror, and the path seems inevitable. All I hope is that there is someone, somewhere, with the same personality type and addictive behaviors. Please just stop everything. I don't even know you and I know that you can do great things without drugs and alcohol. I will continue fighting, but believe me it is incredibly easier to simply walk away from the fight in the first place.

I have been on one soma a day and one vicodin daily. They wanted me to take at least 3 of each a day but I refused and decided to just take the bare min. daily to take the edge of so I could live. However I have been on this for 7 years. I am now going to the Chiropactor and I am beginning to become pain free. So I decided to come off the pain killer and Soma. My dr. said I would have not withdrawls since I have not been taking very many. Yesterday was my second day without either and OMG my head started hurting so bad that I had to take a very small amount of vicodin to relieve the pain plus I took 1/2 of a valuim. I only take Valuim for emergency headaches so I can tolerate them. I am allergic to almost all pain relievers so that is all I can take. The new concoction helped but I do not want to have to take that everyday now. The headache is still dull behind my eyes. It must be from the Soma because it is still there and I am sick to my stomach. I am wondering how long it will take before it goes away so that I do not have to take the vicodin anymore or the valuim. Does anyone know how long the headaches last? This is my 3rd day with no Soma.

I quit Soma 14 days ago. My doc gave me Ambien to help sleep. Ambien has been a life-saver. I can at least sleep somewhat well. Otherwise there was no sleeping at all. I'm hoping that after 18 days or so my withdrawels will be a thing of the past. I would not recommend "cold turkey"

I will have to ween off the Ambien later on, but it won't be as bad as SOMA. I don't hate the drug. It was good while I used and abused it. It's just time to "pay the piper"

 

You are wrong. The only chemical in Soma is Carisoprodol. This is metabolized into meprobamat, which is thought to be responsible for most of soma's psychotropic activity (similar to how the narcotic effects of heroin are dependent upon its metabolism into morphine).



Meprobamate was marketed as a less-addictive, less-dangerous "alternative" to barbiturates back in the day. But it was soon discovered it had similar risks, especially w/ addiction potential & withdrawal. But both meprobamate & carisoprodol have no relation to barbiturates, other than the fact that they effect similar areas of the brain, the GABAergic system (just like alcohol, benzodiazepines for example). These two substances are considered Carbamates, of the GABA-a subtype anxiolytic type.



Please be careful about spreading misinformation.

The only thing that will help with avoiding withdrawal symptoms from Soma is to dig your heels in and slowly taper off what you are taking. Don't do what I did and abuse them as usual and then tell myself that I will just have to deal with it when I run, no big deal, right? I know it's hard to have a bottle of 60 in front of you and make yourself taper rather than take 5 of them and say, "I have 56 more in the bottle. I will start tapering on the next dose." This is addiction folks. If you don't want to tell your Dr. find a way to get another script and have someone you trust give u the pills as needed. Good luck to all of you. You are not alone and you can do it. Take your life back! You will thank yourself later. I am in the trenches with you. Many blessings.

Omg. I can honestly say I didn't know Soma was a barbituate and that it would make my life a living hell. I actually felt it wasnt helping me when I would take it -3x daily- as directed by my physician for my finromyalgia pain. I just stopped taking it a few days ago cold turkey because I felt it wasnt even helping me. I told my Dr my heart races at times, and that lately I have not been able to sleep. She mentioned NOTHING about withdrawls. She just gave me a script for Norflex. It wasnt until this morning when I stumbled upon this site, that I figured out all these issues I have ben having are probably due from the fact that I have not taken Soma for a few days. I called. In my refill this morning, and am going to taper off it. I feel like a zombie. And during the day my heart races. I am so pissed off at my Dr for prescribing this to me. Ughhhhh. Hope everyone finds the relief they need.

I have been going around and around with this drug for over ten years. I have taken over 80 soma in 24 hrs. I have over dosed, taken to er. Put into rehabes. Put into prison. Lost my family. Given my only son up for adoption. Lost all meaningful relasionships. Lost everything. I still have contact with my 13 year old daughter who has been out of my care and even very limited always supervised visists. We still seem to find a way to comunicate. She just told me she is takeing somas. I felt like I got shot. Her dad must see signes cause he took her for drug screan today.He and I have zero contact. She past test. I am very afraied. What test needs to be given to save my child? She will continue to take soma until its to late. Do you test for the white powder "miltown".?

you i have lost my family my children's self respect and contact,i have sabotaged every relationship job and anything that was important to me,they don't work as well like in the beginning and after binging on them Im left with anxiety depression and feelings of hopelessness,but you see i have a very good built in for getter and always think ill be more responsible with them well it still always turns out the same,if i found out my daughter was taking soma's i would feel the same as you ,Im not a 100percent sure but if she were to be tested you would have to specify what you want tested,i have passed many drug tests soma just dosent seem to show on them,milltown is what's known today as Valium,its what they gave in the olden days,and a doctor told me that milltown is a compound in soma,if you can talk to your ex and just tell him to have her tested for soma I know its a big ask to speak to your ex if hes anything like mine id rather chew nails but if my daughter was in danger of doing what ive been doing id just tell him. Good luck let me know how it goes

Hello everyone,

 

I really appreciate people who take the time to share there experience. I really believe it's saved my life! Im so ashamed of my habits. Im trying to get off somas and vicodin. I recently got off Xanax which about four months ago, worst experience of my life by far! the mental pain for me was horrible. I was taking .5mg pills 6-7 times a day for a year. havent touched them since. now its vicodin and somas. I stopped somas cold turkey 3 days ago and im still hurting physically and mentally. im so anxious, shakey and depressed. Im a microbiologist and its so obvious im hurting when my co workers see me, I just tell them ive always been shaky. LIE! I cant sleep anymore and I still have the 8 vicodin aday habit to kick too. I wish I never started this. Didnt know it would be this difficult. I also drink 5 beers everynight for the past two years. Im in alot of trouble but Im trying to be positive one day at a time, and one habit at a time. My emotions are so crazy right now. I cry so easily now. God help me. I really look forward to the day I can be clean sober and clear minded. I hope I get there soon before I lose my job, girlfriend, and family. No one knows of my struggles except for my brother but its about to fall apart and everyone will know. Stay strong everyone. Im praying for you! I will post later with progress, hopefully. God Bless!

Uggh.. STEPH- As i mentioned previously- SOMA is NOT a barbiturate!! The actual drug in soma is "carisoprodol" -- although it does have similar effects to barbiturates & acts in the same areas of the brain.. it is absolutely not a barbiturate, it is a "GABAergic carbamate" to be specific. Its in the same class as meprobamate (brand name "Miltown")--which was marketed and sold in the 70s & 80s as a safer alternative to barbiturates for use as a muscle relaxant, an anxiolytic, & a sedative.. but it was found out to be just a addictive..


Carisoprodol is actually metabolized INTO meprobamate & largely contributes to soma's psychoactive effects (just like codeine's effects are a result of it being METABOLIZED into morphine). Again, neither are barbiturates; but they do act in similar areas of the brain.


...And your experience w/ your doctor doesn't surprise me. Despite carisoprodol/soma being around for more than half a century, for whatever reason both doctors and the medical community are quite ignorant of carisoprodol's pharmacology and its affinity to cause dependency & severe withdrawal upon abrupt cessation (causing symptoms much like barbiturate and severe alcohol physical withdrawal)

Soma5- I am sorry to hear about your experience. I have also dealt w/ addiction to carisoprodol (soma). I found it helpful transitioning to a long-acting barbiturate, specifically butalbital (or "fioricet"); I found them cross-tolerant & felt little-to-no withdrawal during the transition. Plus, now my dose is steady, there is less euphoria (& thus, less susceptibility to abuse it) and i'm successfully (so far) weaning down. For me this was utterly impossible using carisoprodol. It is so addictive b/c it is so short acting, causes rapid tolerance, etc; similar to how ultra-short acting barbiturates are VERY addictive (i.e., pentobarbital), whereas long-acting barbiturates like phenobarbital or butalbital are not nearly as addictive & are much easier to wean down on (you see the same concept used w/ methadone & buprenorphine/suboxone--which are LONG acting opiates--used for treating addiction to heroin or other SHORT acting opiates).



In regards to drug testing- unfortunately there are aren't any commercially available urine tests for carisoprodol. BUT, since it is metabolized into meprobamate (or "Miltown").. testing for meprobamate in the urine could theoretically be utilized to detect use of soma.. but again, since meprobamate is rarely used today; it isn't tested for anymore, & i'd bet you'd have a hard time finding a home-drug test that detects it. Your best bet would be to see if you can get a custom drug test done at a hospital lab for meprobamate.. but you'd need a doctor's order.

I just read your post, and your usage is EXACTLY what i am going through! Got hooked on it after several years of bodybuilding and surgery. I would like to talk to you more about getting off this.  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use