What You Should Know About Quitting Carisoprodol

How to Stop Using Carisoprodol

Carisoprodol (Soma) is a muscle relaxant used to treat acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in the short-term. ^1,2,3

Its abuse and diversion to the illicit market have escalated over the last 10 years, and it has been associated with more deaths than opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, and oxymorphone. ²

Benefits of Quitting Carisoprodol

• Take back your health. Carisoprodol has many severe side effects including psychosis, seizures, and respiratory depression that can lead to coma and even death. ^1,2,3 It is also metabolized in your liver and excreted through your kidneys, which, over time, can affect the functioning of these organs and require medical intervention. ^1,2,3 Quitting carisoprodol can help you avoid these effects.
• Take back your life. Many people who struggle with addiction to substances stop spending time with the people they care about, stop doing the things they once enjoyed, and even sabotage their careers. Part of treatment and recovery might mean making amends with those you have hurt while engaged in addiction behaviors. Reconnecting with family, friends, employers, and hobbies can also be one of the most rewarding parts of recovery.
• Take charge of your finances. Addiction is time-consuming as well as financially consuming. You might want to create a sobriety jar that you put money into every time you feel like using again or just put money in that you would have otherwise spent on carisoprodol. Discovering how much money you have left over each month can be exciting and stress-relieving. You may even finally get to take that vacation you’ve been dreaming about!

Carisoprodol Addiction Treatment Center and Recovery Program Options

Quitting any substance is a grueling task, and doing so on your own can seem nearly impossible. When it is time to quit using carisoprodol, seeking a proper environment, trained professionals, and a positive support system will ease the transition from addiction to recovery, enhance your chances of success, and make sobriety seem less daunting.

Various levels of care for substance abuse treatment available to you or your loved one include:

• Inpatient – This is the highest level of treatment for substance abuse. It usually includes detox, which can last approximately 1 week. Residential treatment occurs after detox and provides care that can include individual, group and family therapy sessions; classes on nutrition and a healthy and balanced diet; and exercise and relaxation classes. This setting can help you establish new patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving and help you begin thinking about a new life without carisoprodol. Inpatient facilities offer trained staff 24 hours a day in a safe and controlled environment.
• Outpatient – Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are usually step-down levels of care from inpatient treatment. But some people may use them as primary forms of treatment. PHP is typically 5 full days a week and usually takes place at a hospital or a substance abuse organization. IOP typically runs 3-5 days a week, but only lasts for half a day. Both programs primarily offer group therapy.
• Group counseling – Group counseling can be a powerful therapeutic tool when going through substance abuse recovery. It is often offered in inpatient and outpatient recovery programs. You meet with other people who are also struggling with addiction and have the opportunity to share and receive honest feedback from other people in various stages of recovery.
• Individual counseling – Individual therapy can be useful in helping you or your loved one identify triggers, as well as hidden beliefs, thoughts, behaviors, or emotions that may be underlying your addiction. One-on-one therapy can also help heal relationships that may have been harmed during addiction. You may need to go to a few consultations before committing to a therapist as rapport with a therapist is one of the most important factors in successful therapy.
• 12-step programs – Twelve-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous can be used for ongoing support and relapse prevention after completing a recovery program. Some people also use them as their primary form of treatment, but they do not offer detox. Twelve-step programs are often religious or spiritually based. They also provide accountability, awareness, and a focus on repairing things that were damaged due to addiction. Non-12-step programs, such as SMART Recovery, are also available.

If you need help deciding which type of treatment is right for you, call to talk to a recovery support specialist.

Withdrawal Symptoms and Side Effects

Symptoms of withdrawal from carisoprodol may include the following. ^1,3 The length of detox and severity of symptoms experienced will vary from person to person, but can last up to 2 weeks. ³ Withdrawal from carisoprodol may give rise to some of the following symptoms:

Factors That Can Affect the Length of Withdrawal

• The length of time that you or your loved one abused carisoprodol.
• The amount taken each day.
• The amount of the last dosage.

Seek medical attention if you or your loved one experiences any changes in breathing or heart rate or begins experiencing psychosis.

Tips for Quitting Carisoprodol

The road to recovery can be a long and arduous journey, and many people relapse multiple times before maintaining their sobriety. Knowing how to prepare for this life transition will decrease the roadblocks to recovery and increase the likelihood of a successful transition to sobriety.

Some tips that will assist you or your loved one when quitting carisoprodol are:

• Create a support system. Find one person or a few people you trust and ask if they will support you in your recovery. Your support system can drive you to appointments, check in with you on a regular basis, join you in activities that enhance your wellbeing, or sit with you when you feel triggered to use again. Avoid negative people. Hanging out with people you may have used with will distract you from your goals and can lead to relapse.
• Do not quit taking carisoprodol without supervision. Seeking a medically supervised detox center is recommended due to some of the more serious side effects of intoxication and withdrawal. If you or your loved one does not feel comfortable checking yourself in to a facility, make an appointment with a psychiatrist or a medical doctor who can gradually taper you off of carisoprodol and monitor you for any serious symptoms of withdrawal.
• Seek treatment for substance abuse. There are various levels of care and many choices of facilities for those struggling with substance abuse. Speak with someone who can thoroughly evaluate your situation you and help you make the best decision.
• Fully commit to your recovery. Checking yourself in to a treatment facility is not enough to recover from substance abuse. You must do all the work that is asked of you, which isn’t easy. Therapy might bring up things from your past that you may have used substances to help ignore. Stick to your treatment plan and seek out a support system.
• Establish follow-up care. Follow-up care is the key to long-term sobriety. It provides ongoing accountability, increased awareness about your struggle with addiction, and support from others who have been through addiction, treatment, and sustained recovery.

How to Help an Addict Quit

It can be hard to tell if someone you love needs help. But there are signs you can look for if you think your loved one is abusing or addicted to carisoprodol.

Your loved one may need help if he or she is: ⁴

• No longer doing activities that he or she used to enjoy.
• Neglecting responsibilities at work, at home, or at school.
• Consuming more carisoprodol than prescribed.
• Spending a lot of time using or trying to get carisoprodol or buying carisoprodol illegally.
• Experiencing any of the withdrawal symptoms discussed above.

Approaching the Person

Confronting someone about his or her substance abuse can be difficult. Unless the person is ready to confront it themselves, your concerns may be met with anger or denial.

Remaining open and adopting a caring approach may make the person more receptive to getting help than demanding that he or she go to treatment.

Try to avoid these approaches:

• Approaching the person when he or she is under the influence of carisoprodol.
• Approaching the person if you are still emotional from a recent event.
• Blaming, lecturing, or yelling at the person about his or her drug abuse.
• Using any substances around them.
• Making excuses for the person, taking care of his or her responsibilities or giving the person money.

Instead, try these approaches:

• Before you approach your loved one, make a list of recent incidents that have led you to be concerned.
• Identify how each of these incidents have left you feeling and write them down.
• Use statements that express how you feel and avoid placing blame on the person for your feelings.
• Prepare several options for treatment so that you can discuss them with your loved one if he or she seems receptive.
• Do not push them to seek treatment – he or she has to be ready to initiate the change that recovery requires.
• Approach your loved one when you are calm so that you can remain present and offer your love and support.
• Let your loved one know in what capacity you can and will be there for him or her throughout the process of recovery.

You can also seek the help of a trained professional such as a therapist who is certified in addiction counseling. A professional counselor can moderate a conversation between you and your loved one and help you to seek the treatment that is best for your loved one’s long-term recovery.

Can I Quit Cold Turkey? Is It Dangerous?

Cold turkey is not recommended for the following reasons:

• Detoxing alone can lead you or your loved one to relapse.
• Accidental overdose and subsequent respiratory and central nervous system depression, coma, and even death can occur if relapse happens during unsupervised detox. ¹
• Other severe side effects, including psychosis and seizures, can also occur if carisoprodol is stopped abruptly.

Seek a trained professional who can gradually decrease your dosage of carisoprodol (also known as tapering). Or check yourself in to a medically supervised detox where staff can monitor any physical or mental health issues that may arise during withdrawal and gradually wean you off of the medication completely. ³

Find a Rehab Center

If you or a loved one is addicted to or dependent on carisoprodol, please contact one of our representatives today at . Our trained and dedicated staff can guide you through this process and identify the best treatment options for you.

[1]. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2009). Soma.

[2]. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). (2014). Carisoprodol.

[3]. Reeves, R.R., & Burke, R.S. (2010). Carisoprodol: Abuse potential and withdrawal syndrome. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 3(1), 33-38.

[4]. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association