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Soma (Carisoprodol) - Summary

 



SOMA SUMMARY

Carisoprodol produces muscle relaxation.

Carisoprodol is indicated as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. The mode of action of this drug has not been clearly identified, but may be related to its sedative properties. Carisoprodol does not directly relax tense skeletal muscles in man.
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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Media Articles Related to Soma (Carisoprodol)

SOMA 250 MG Shown To Significantly Improve Functionality And Reduce Disability In Patients With Low Back Pain In Three Days
Source: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials News From Medical News Today [2010.02.04]
A recent analysis of two pivotal clinical trials in patients with acute low back pain (ALBP) who were treated with SOMA® (carisoprodol) 250 mg showed significantly improved functionality and reduced disability after three days of treatment, as measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ)...

Somaxon Provides Update On New Drug Application For Silenor(R) For The Treatment Of Insomnia
Source: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia News From Medical News Today [2010.01.22]
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc...

Mogadishu: 66 Women And Children Injured By Indiscriminate Shelling
Source: Public Health News From Medical News Today [2010.02.04]
As fierce fighting once again grips Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has admitted 89 people suffering from blast injuries to its hospital in the Daynile area of the city between January 29 and February 2. Of these, 66 were women and children...

St. George's Hospital Boosts Trauma Centre With Order For Next Generation CT
Source: Bones / Orthopaedics News From Medical News Today [2010.01.29]
St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust has ordered a SOMATOM® Definition Flash CT from Siemens Healthcare. The next generation system will be used as part of the hospital's major trauma and stroke centre to provide fast, low dose images in an emergency setting. Last year, St. George's Hospital was designated one of London's four major trauma centres by Healthcare for London...

What Is Turner Syndrome? What Causes Turner Syndrome?
Source: Endocrinology News From Medical News Today [2010.01.14]
Turner syndrome, also known as Turners syndrome, Ullrich-Turner syndrome or Gonadal dysgenesis, is a chromosomal disorder that affects only females. It is characterized by the absence of part or all of a second sex chromosome in some or all cells. Approximately 1 in every 2,500 to 3,000 girls is born with the condition...

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Published Studies Related to Soma (Carisoprodol)

Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of carisoprodol 250-mg tablets in the treatment of acute lower-back spasm. [2008.02]
PURPOSE: The objective of this placebo-controlled trial was to determine the efficacy and safety of carisoprodol (Soma, MedPointe Pharmaceuticals, Somerset, NJ, USA), a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant used to treat acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions, at a dosage of 250 mg three times daily and at bedtime in patients with acute, painful muscle spasm of the lower back... CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with acute muscle spasm of the lower back had significantly greater and more rapid relief from starting backache, and had improved functional status, as measured by the RMDQ, during treatment with carisoprodol 250-mg tablets compared to placebo. Patients experienced clinical improvement with or without sedation.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy for patients with multiple somatoform symptoms--a randomised controlled trial in tertiary care. [2004.04]
OBJECTIVE: (a) To evaluate the effect of a cognitive-behavioural inpatient treatment and (b) to analyse the differential efficacy of an additional ("soma") group management training of somatisation... CONCLUSION: Considering the subjects' high initial impairment, the outcome results are encouraging. The specific effect on health care use highlights the socioeconomic relevance. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

Late toxicity results of the GORTEC 94-01 randomized trial comparing radiotherapy with concomitant radiochemotherapy for advanced-stage oropharynx carcinoma: comparison of LENT/SOMA, RTOG/EORTC, and NCI-CTC scoring systems. [2003.01.01]
CONCLUSION: Concomitant radiochemotherapy increased overall survival and locoregional control rates. The difference between the two treatment groups for Grade 3-4 complications was only significant for the teeth. The late toxicity assessment of a treatment may depend on the toxicity scale used. The LENT/SOMA scale seems to be the most accurate scale, but most of the score results were not concordant with those obtained with other scales. The results of this study confirm the necessity of using a common late toxicity scale in clinical trials.

Time course of adult castration-induced changes in soma size of motoneurons in the rat spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus. [2009.04.24]
The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) innervates striated muscles, the bulbocavernosus and levator ani (BC/LA), which control penile reflexes. Castration results in shrinkage in the size of SNB somata and dendrites, as well as BC/LA muscle mass...

The cytoarchitecture and soma-dendritic arbors of the pyramidal neurons of aged rat sensorimotor cortex: an intracellular dye injection study. [2009.01.23]
We studied the cytoarchitecture and dendritic arbors of the output neurons of the sensorimotor cortex of aged rats and found that although individual cortical layer became thinner, the overall cytoarchitecture and neuron densities remained comparable to those of young adults... These could underlie the compromise of sensorimotor functions following aging.

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Clinical Trials Related to Soma (Carisoprodol)

Prevention of Radiation Pneumonitis After Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) in Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer [Recruiting]
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the interest of breath holding for the prevention of radiation pneumonitis following conformal radiation therapy.

Eligible patients will be randomly assigned in a 2-arm trial to free breathing or breath holding during conformal radiation.

The primary objective of the study is to establish the efficacy of breath holding, compared to free breathing, in the prevention of early pulmonary toxicity following conformal radiation.

Several departments of radiotherapy, many pneumology units and two basic and applied research laboratories take part in this multicentric study.

The number of patients required to demonstrate a reduction in radiation pneumonitis from 45 % to 22. 5 %, assuming an alpha risk of 5% in a two-sided test and 95% power, is 240 (120 per arm). With a planned accrual of 7 patients per month, it is estimated that the inclusion period should be approximately 3 years.

Parotid-Sparing Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Compared With Conventional Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Oropharyngeal or Hypopharyngeal Cancer Who Are at High Risk of Radiation-Induced Xerostomia [Active, not recruiting]
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy delivers thin beams of radiation of different strengths directly to the tumor from many angles. This type of radiation therapy may reduce damage to the parotid (salivary) glands, prevent xerostomia (dry mouth), and improve quality of life. It is not yet known whether intensity-modulated radiation therapy is more effective than conventional radiation therapy in preventing xerostomia and improving quality of life in patients who have throat cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying intensity-modulated radiation therapy to see how well it works compared to conventional radiation therapy in treating patients with oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer who are at risk of developing xerostomia caused by radiation therapy.

Trial of Safety Nets In Hospitalized Patients [Completed]
This study compared standard hospital restraints to a newer safety net restraint system to compare them for acceptability, tolerance, duration of restrain, length of stay in the hospital, and satisfaction of MD, nurse, and relatives of patients.

A Pharmacogenetic Investigation of Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia and Schizophrenia-Like Psychoses [Recruiting]
An individual's genetic make-up is known to determine their response to antipsychotic medication. Genetic markers that determine efficacy and side effects of medication may be identified and used to predict treatment outcome.

The study is a naturalistic study of routinely prescribed antipsychotics using outcome measures undertaken as part of the routine clinical care of the cohort. These clinical data are linked with genetic information obtained from DNA and RNA from blood samples undertaken as part of the study.

No alteration is made to the subjects treatment regime or medication.

The study is a two stage investigation:

- The first stage involves the collection of a databank of clinical information and blood

samples for DNA and RNA extraction from patients treated with antipsychotic medication.

- The second stage is a molecular genetic investigation of treatment-related genetic

factors that may contribute to response prediction and predisposition to side effects.

From these genetic studies pharmacogenetic prediction tests will be validated and/or developed.

Study to Determine if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is Helpful for Treating Radiation Tissue Injuries [Recruiting]
The principle objective of this research is to more precisely determine the degree of benefit that hyperbaric oxygen therapy affords in the treatment of late radiation tissue injury.

The study has eight* components. Seven involve the evaluation of established radionecrosis at varying anatomic sites (mandible, larynx, skin, bladder, rectum, colon, and gyn). The eighth will investigate the potential of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to prophylax against late radiation tissue injury.

*(One of the arms, HORTIS IV - Proctitis has been closed to further patient recruitment.

This decision was based on an interim statistical analysis which generated sufficient evidence to support closing down this arm of HORTIS.)

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PATIENT REVIEWS / RATINGS / COMMENTS

Based on a total of 2 ratings/reviews, Soma has an overall score of 3.50. The effectiveness score is 6 and the side effect score is 6. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst.
 

Soma review by 39 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   back injury
Dosage & duration:   350mg taken 1 tablet 4 times daily for the period of 2 weeks
Other conditions:   na
Other drugs taken:   na
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Minimized pain immediatley and made back injury seem non-existant
Side effects:   Could not remember doing things. ALmost like being in a time warp. Not good to take this medication unsupervised.
Comments:   Have a bulging disc. I was given Carisoprodol to relieve the pain. I took the medication for 2 weeks. I actually needed it much longer but the side effects were too intense. This medication does relieve pain but in no way cures injury.

 

Soma review by care giver of 42 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Ineffective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Broken Ribs
Dosage & duration:   500mg , taken when needed / every four hours for the period of 1 month
Other conditions:   Bi-Polar disorder
Other drugs taken:   Wellbutrin Soma changed to Flexril 10 mg
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The Soma made the patient agitated and did not work. The Flexril made the patient relax and sleep enough to let the rib heal nicely.
Side effects:   The Wellbutrin at times causes confusion in thought transfer.
Comments:   No Activity for six weeks as patient was a truckdriver for a living and fell in the bathroom at home and broke her rib. It was floating around and lung puncture was the greatest concern. The Flexril made the patient relax to almost oblivion therefore disabling her ability to move around. The Wellbutrin was for bipolar disorder and was taken twice a day for at least a year and prior to that Cymbalta which she said gave her gas.

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Page last updated: 2010-02-04

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