FDA-filed SPL labeling · retrieved through openFDA

Carisoprodol

Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant used to relieve discomfort from acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in adults.

Brand names SomaRelaVanadom
Drug class ⓘ Muscle Relaxant
Rx Schedule CIV Form 1 Route Oral
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand

The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 52 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →

At a glance
Linked label effectiveAug 29, 2025
Clinical labels in scope ⓘ52
AvailabilityRx
Earliest approval/marketing year ⓘ1959
FDA-listed product records ⓘ175
Boxed warningNone found in compared labels
How we combine label and product data →
✓No current FDA shortage listed · checked Sep 24, 2026
⭐ Carisoprodol at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
💊
HelloPharmacist Editorial Team Bottom Line
Carisoprodol (brand name Soma) is a short-term muscle relaxant for acute musculoskeletal pain in adults — it should be used for no more than two to three weeks. It carries a meaningful risk of sedation, abuse, and dependence, especially when combined with alcohol or other sedating medications. Always follow your prescriber's instructions and never exceed the recommended duration of use.
How we write & review this content — our editorial policy →

📖 Carisoprodol: Patient Information Guide

A plain-language walkthrough of Carisoprodol — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.

🎯What it's used for▾

Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant approved for short-term relief of discomfort caused by acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in adults.

  • Soma (oral tablet) is indicated for relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in adults — for up to two to three weeks
  • Carisoprodol tablets USP (oral tablet, including the 350 mg formulation) carry the same indication — short-term relief of acute musculoskeletal discomfort in adults
  • None of these products are approved for long-term or chronic musculoskeletal pain — evidence of effectiveness beyond two to three weeks has not been established
⚙️How it works▾

Carisoprodol acts on the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — rather than directly relaxing muscle tissue. Animal studies suggest it works by altering nerve signal activity in the spinal cord and in a brain region called the descending reticular formation. The body also converts carisoprodol into a substance called meprobamate, which has calming (anxiolytic) and sedating properties, though how much this contributes to the drug's pain-relieving effect is not fully known.

💊How it's taken▾

Carisoprodol tablets are taken by mouth several times daily, including a dose at bedtime, for a maximum of two to three weeks. The tablets can be taken with or without food — a high-fat meal does not affect how the body absorbs the medication.

  • Soma: taken multiple times a day and at bedtime; use limited to two to three weeks
  • Carisoprodol tablets USP (including 350 mg formulation): same general schedule — multiple times daily and at bedtime, up to two to three weeks
  • Do not take longer than prescribed; do not stop suddenly after extended use without medical guidance
🤒Side effects — in detail▾

The most commonly reported side effects with carisoprodol are drowsiness, dizziness, and headache — these occurred in more patients taking carisoprodol than those taking placebo in clinical trials.

  • Drowsiness or sleepiness
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Nausea, vomiting, or stomach discomfort
  • Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
  • Fainting or low blood pressure when standing (postural hypotension)
  • Facial flushing
  • Tremor, agitation, or irritability

More serious reactions — including seizures, severe low blood pressure, hallucinations, and signs of dependence or withdrawal — require prompt medical attention. If you experience difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or a seizure, call emergency services immediately.

⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
  • Sedation and impaired driving: Carisoprodol can significantly impair your alertness and reaction time. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how the medication affects you. Combining it with alcohol or other sedating drugs makes this risk much worse.
  • Abuse, dependence, and withdrawal: Carisoprodol has been subject to abuse and dependence. Stopping suddenly after prolonged use can cause withdrawal symptoms including insomnia, tremors, vomiting, hallucinations, and seizures. Treatment should be limited to three weeks.
  • Seizures: Seizures have been reported, most often in the setting of overdose or use with other drugs or alcohol.
  • Overdose risk: Overdose — especially when combined with other CNS depressants — can be fatal. Signs include coma, difficulty breathing, and seizures.
🔀What it interacts with▾

Carisoprodol interacts with several common medications and substances — always tell your prescriber and pharmacist everything you take.

  • Alcohol: Adds directly to carisoprodol's sedating effects — this combination can be dangerous
  • Benzodiazepines (e.g., diazepam, alprazolam): Combined sedation can be severe
  • Opioid pain medicines: Increases risk of dangerous sedation and respiratory depression
  • Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline): Can worsen sedation
  • Meprobamate taken separately: Should not be combined with carisoprodol since meprobamate is already a breakdown product of the drug
  • CYP2C19 inhibitors (e.g., omeprazole, fluvoxamine): May raise carisoprodol blood levels, increasing side effect risk
  • CYP2C19 inducers (e.g., rifampin, St. John's Wort): May lower carisoprodol blood levels and alter how much meprobamate is produced
  • Low-dose aspirin: May also affect carisoprodol metabolism through CYP2C19

This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.

📋Before taking it▾
  • Acute intermittent porphyria: Do not take carisoprodol if you have this rare metabolic condition — it is contraindicated
  • Allergy to carbamates: Do not take if you have had a hypersensitivity reaction to meprobamate or similar carbamate drugs
  • Kidney problems: Use with caution — carisoprodol is removed from the body through the kidneys; dose adjustment may be needed
  • Liver problems: Use with caution — carisoprodol is broken down in the liver
  • History of drug or alcohol abuse: This medication has abuse and dependence potential; discuss your history with your prescriber
  • Children under 16: Safety and effectiveness have not been established
  • Adults over 65: Safety and effectiveness have not been established; extra caution is advised
  • Pregnancy: Decades of use have not identified a clear risk of birth defects, but discuss with your doctor; animal data showed some concerning effects at higher doses
  • Breastfeeding: Carisoprodol and meprobamate pass into breast milk; one case of infant sedation has been reported — monitor any nursing infant for sleepiness
  • Reduced CYP2C19 activity (poor metabolizers): Some people genetically process this drug more slowly, leading to higher drug levels — your prescriber should know if this applies to you
🚑If you take too much▾

Taking too much carisoprodol — or combining it with alcohol, opioids, or other sedating drugs — can be life-threatening. Signs of overdose include deep sedation, coma, difficulty breathing, seizures, hallucinations, muscle rigidity, and very low blood pressure. Fatal overdoses have been reported.

If you suspect an overdose, call 911 or your local Poison Control Center immediately. Do not try to make the person vomit. Emergency treatment may include airway support, intravenous fluids, and medications to control seizures.

📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾

Carisoprodol is classified as a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant — meaning it works through the brain and spinal cord, not by directly relaxing muscle fibers. It does not act on the muscles themselves. One of its metabolites, meprobamate, contributes additional calming and sedating (anxiolytic and sedative) effects, though the extent to which meprobamate drives the overall therapeutic benefit of carisoprodol is not fully established.

🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾

After taking a carisoprodol tablet by mouth, peak blood levels are reached in about 1.5 to 2 hours. The drug itself clears the body relatively quickly, with a half-life of roughly 2 hours, but its active metabolite meprobamate lingers much longer — about 10 hours. Carisoprodol is broken down in the liver primarily by an enzyme called CYP2C19; people who are genetically slow metabolizers of this enzyme can have up to four times more carisoprodol exposure than average. The drug is eliminated through both the kidneys and other routes, and it can be removed by dialysis. Food does not significantly affect how the drug is absorbed.

📦How to store it▾

Store at controlled room temperature 20° - 25°C (68° - 77°F) .

📄 Written from Carisoprodol’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →

53

Supplements & herbs that interact with Carisoprodol

53 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Carisoprodol in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.

Severity mix
  • Major · 2
  • Moderate · 38
  • Minor · 13
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL Major PROCAINE Major ADRAFINIL Moderate ARTICHOKE Moderate BACOPA Moderate BAIKAL SKULLCAP Moderate BOSWELLIA SERRATA Moderate CANNABIDIOL (CBD) Moderate +45 more
Every supplement checked against Carisoprodol — ranked by severity The full interaction hub: 2 major · 38 moderate · 13 minor · every one linked to its full report. Check Carisoprodol against your exact supplements

Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.

🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Carisoprodol — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

What exactly is carisoprodol used for? ▾
Carisoprodol — you may know it by the brand name Soma — is a short-term muscle relaxant for adults dealing with acute muscle pain and discomfort, like a back injury or muscle strain. It's not meant for ongoing or chronic pain. The prescription is typically limited to two to three weeks, because that's how long this type of pain usually lasts and how long the drug has been studied.
Will it make me really drowsy? Can I drive? ▾
Yes, drowsiness is the most common side effect — it happened in up to 17% of people in clinical trials. You should not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how carisoprodol affects you. Mixing it with alcohol, opioids, or any other medication that causes sleepiness makes the sedation much stronger and potentially dangerous — so avoid alcohol while you're taking it.
Can I get dependent on carisoprodol? ▾
There is a real risk. Carisoprodol can be habit-forming, and cases of abuse and dependence have been reported — especially with prolonged use or in people with a history of substance use issues. That's a key reason it's meant for short-term use only. If you stop suddenly after taking it for a long time, you could have withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, tremors, or even hallucinations. Never stop abruptly without talking to your doctor.
Can I take this with my other medications? ▾
That depends on what you're taking. Carisoprodol interacts with a number of common drugs — especially anything that causes sedation, like opioid pain medicines, anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines), and certain antidepressants. Some stomach acid medications and herbal supplements like St. John's Wort can also affect how your body processes carisoprodol. Make sure your pharmacist and prescriber have a full list of everything you take, including vitamins and supplements.
Is it safe to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding? ▾
Decades of use haven't shown a clear pattern of birth defects, but animal studies at high doses did show some concerning effects on fetal development. If you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk to your doctor about whether the benefit outweighs any potential risk. If you're breastfeeding, carisoprodol and its main breakdown product do pass into breast milk, and there is at least one report of a nursing infant becoming sedated. Watch your baby closely for unusual sleepiness and discuss this with your doctor.
What should I do if I miss a dose or accidentally take too much? ▾
If you miss a dose, take it when you remember — but skip it if it's nearly time for your next scheduled dose. Never double up. If you think you or someone else has taken too much, call 911 or Poison Control right away. Signs of a serious overdose include extreme drowsiness, trouble breathing, confusion, hallucinations, or seizures. Do not try to induce vomiting — get emergency help instead.
Is Carisoprodol available over the counter? ▾
Carisoprodol is dispensed by prescription according to its FDA labeling, so it isn't sold over the counter. Your prescriber and pharmacist will determine if it's appropriate for you.
Is Carisoprodol a controlled substance? ▾
Yes — Carisoprodol is a federally controlled substance (Schedule IV) in the United States, so how it is prescribed, refilled and dispensed is regulated by the DEA.
When was Carisoprodol first available? ▾
Carisoprodol has been available in the United States since at least 1959, based on FDA approval history (Drugs@FDA) and product marketing records.
Who makes Carisoprodol? ▾
Carisoprodol is supplied by 49 manufacturers listed in the FDA NDC Directory, including Bryant Ranch Prepack, PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., A-S Medication Solutions.

💬 Answers drafted from Carisoprodol’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →

🧰 Keep exploring

📊Carisoprodol supplement interactions53 checked — ranked by severity 🌿Drug & Supplement CheckerCarisoprodol vs. vitamins & herbs 💬Ask a PharmacistFree answer, usually < 24h 🔎NDC & pricing lookupFind Carisoprodol NDCs & costs 🅰️Browse Drugs A–ZLook up any medication

💊 How Carisoprodol comes

Carisoprodol is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.

Tablet

By mouth
Brands Soma
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Soma tablets are indicated to relieve discomfort from acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in adults
  • Carisoprodol tablets USP are indicated to relieve discomfort from acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions in adults
  • Intended for short-term use only — up to two or three weeks
Important instructions
  • Soma tablets are taken by mouth multiple times a day, including at bedtime, for up to two to three weeks
  • Carisoprodol tablets USP are taken by mouth multiple times a day, including at bedtime, for up to two to three weeks
  • Tablets may be taken with or without food — food does not meaningfully affect absorption
  • Follow your prescriber's dosing instructions exactly and do not use longer than recommended
Available strengths 2 strengths
250 mg 350 mg
164 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

📊 Carisoprodol across the U.S. market

How Carisoprodol appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.

1
Dose forms ⓘ
49
Manufacturers
3
Brand names
175
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
1959
First marketed ⓘ

Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (11) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.

Bryant Ranch Prepack22%
PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.9%
A-S Medication Solutions8%
Remedyrepack Inc.5%
Aurobindo Pharma Limited4%
Aphena Pharma Solutions - Tennessee, LLC4%
Other makers48%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

📈 How widely Carisoprodol is used

A general measure of how commonly Carisoprodol is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.

Think of this as a proxy for how widely Carisoprodol is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.

38,921
Medicaid prescriptions filled (Q1–Q4 2025)
$477,385 gross Medicaid reimbursement (before mandatory rebates — net cost is lower)

How commonly is Carisoprodol prescribed? Of the 1,597 medications we measure, Carisoprodol ranks #681 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 57% of them.

Where Carisoprodol ranks among the drugs we measure · Q1–Q4 2025 · neighbors ±5
Total prescriptions — #681 of 1,597
#676 Dapagliflozin / Metfor... 40,800 Rx #677 Calcium Gluconate 40,321 Rx #678 Dutasteride 40,080 Rx #679 Granisetron 39,710 Rx #680 Acarbose 39,489 Rx #681 Carisoprodol 38,921 Rx #682 Disulfiram 38,864 Rx #683 Rocuronium 38,861 Rx #684 Dextrose / Sodium Chlo... 38,682 Rx #685 Erythromycin and Benzo... 38,628 Rx #686 Ferric Carboxymaltose... 37,991 Rx

Utilization by Carisoprodol product

Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.

The 350 mg oral tablet is the most-dispensed Carisoprodol product — about 95% of these Medicaid prescriptions.

carisoprodol 350 MG Oral Tablet Most dispensed

37,120 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 95% of Carisoprodol prescriptions shown $404,660 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $11 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 10 of 361 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197446

carisoprodol 250 MG Oral Tablet

1,801 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 5% of Carisoprodol prescriptions shown $72,725 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $40 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 3 of 23 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 730794

Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.

Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Carisoprodol, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 13 of 384 listed Carisoprodol NDCs with Medicaid activity.

🔍 Compare Carisoprodol products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Carisoprodol — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)

Showing 175 of 175 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 175 Carisoprodol NDCs →

RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength

This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.

Ingredient (IN) Carisoprodol RxCUI 2101 1 dose form · 3 strengths
  1. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 371288 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 125 MG RxCUI 105974 250 MG RxCUI 730794 350 MG RxCUI 197446

Look up RxCUI 2101 in the RxCUI Atlas →

RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.

🏷️ Sold under these brand names

Soma Rela Vanadom

🏭 Manufacturers & labelers

Bryant Ranch Prepack 36 PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 15 A-S Medication Solutions 14 Remedyrepack Inc. 8 Aurobindo Pharma Limited 7 Aphena Pharma Solutions - Tennessee, LLC 6 Quality Care Products, LLC 5 Direct_Rx 5 NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. 5 Wilshire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 4 St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy 4 Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc. 4 Proficient Rx LP 4 Actavis Pharma, Inc. 3 Asclemed USA, Inc. 3 ScieGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3 Directrx 3 Chemeca Drugs Private Limited 2 Chartwell RX, LLC 2 Westminster Pharmaceuticals, LLC 2 Oxford Pharmaceuticals, LLC 2 Advanced Rx Pharmacy of Tennessee, LLC 2 Nostrum Laboratories, Inc. 2 Northwind Health Company, LLC 2

…and 16 more on the FDA NDC directory.

RxNorm drug class

Carisoprodol belongs to the Muscle Relaxant class.

Pharmacologic class Muscle Relaxant
Drug family (ATC) Carbamic acid esters

Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.

🔬 Where this comes from

Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Aug 29, 2025
🏭
Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Carisoprodol.
📈
Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
🚨
Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Carisoprodol after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
52
NDC products indexed
175
Distinct labelers/manufacturers represented
49
Linked representative label ⓘ
Meda Pharmaceuticals
Linked label effective
Aug 29, 2025
Composite sections available
25
Linked SPL Set ID
6297cf20-830a-11dc-94c8-0002a5d5c51b
Linked SPL Document ID
7272db18-d8cf-4bd0-ab9d-37e191a06f18
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗

How we combine label and product data

HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 52 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.

For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Meda Pharmaceuticals is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.

This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.