Is the frequency of carisoprodol withdrawal syndrome increasing?

Author(s): Reeves RR, Hammer JS, Pendarvis RO

Affiliation(s): Mental Health Service, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA. roy.reeves@med.va.gov

Publication date & source: 2007-10, Pharmacotherapy., 27(10):1462-6.

Publication type: Case Reports

Carisoprodol is a commonly used centrally acting muscle relaxant. A number of case reports have suggested that the drug may have abuse potential, presumably because it is metabolized to the anxiolytic drug, meprobamate, which is a controlled substance at the federal level. Two recent case reports described symptoms of withdrawal after the cessation of carisoprodol. We present two additional cases that support the concept of a withdrawal syndrome with this drug. Symptoms of carisoprodol withdrawal include anxiety, tremulousness, insomnia, jitteriness, muscle twitching, and hallucinations. These symptoms are most likely caused by withdrawal from the meprobamate that accumulates after large amounts of carisoprodol are ingested. Although carisoprodol is not a controlled substance at the federal level, clinicians should be aware of its significant potential for abuse.