Prescription Soma Information
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Soma Uses |
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Physicians
prescribe Soma as a muscle relaxant. Soma works by
blocking the pain messages sent to the brain. This is
a narcotic analgesic and changes the body's sensation
of pain. Soma also contains codeine. When combined
with rest and physical therapy, Soma is an effective
treatment for painful muscle problems or other
injuries.
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Soma Directions |
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Follow your physician's
instructions exactly. You should drink a full glass of
water with every dose. Do not take more than 1,400 mg
(four tablets) in a 24 hour period.
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Soma Side
Effects |
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Some people
experience severe side effects after taking Soma,
including an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing;
closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue,
or face; or hives); paralysis or extreme weakness;
vision loss; agitation or tremor; red, black, or
bloody stools; or blood in your vomit. Get emergency
medical attention if you have any of these effects.
It's common to experience mild side effects such as
hiccups; headache; depression; blurred vision or small
pupils; drowsiness or dizziness; faint ringing in the
ears; insomnia; or nausea, vomiting, or constipation.
If these are persistent or bother you, talk to your
doctor about them.
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Soma Warnings |
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Anyone with acute intermittent
porphyria should never take this prescription. Codeine
is habit forming, so individuals with drug or alcohol
addictions should be carefully supervised if they are
taking Soma. If you have a medical history of an ulcer
in your stomach or intestines, a head injury, a
bleeding or blood-clotting disorder, kidney disease,
liver disease, urinary retention, an enlarged
prostate, hypothyroidism, or Addison's disease, make
sure your doctor is aware of it. In these cases, you
may require additional monitoring or adjusted doses.
Soma and aspirin should not be used together by women
who are pregnant or breastfeeding without their
physician's knowledge and supervision. Children under
12 should not take Soma.
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Soma Drug
Interactions |
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Many drugs
interact with Soma and can cause serious sedation. You
should inform your doctor of all other medications you
use, especially sedatives such as phenobarbital,
amobarbital, and secobarbital; phenothiazines,
fluphenazine, mesoridazine, perphenazine,
prochlorperazine, thioridazine, and trifluoperazine;
brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton,
Teldrin, others), azatadine, clemastine (Tavist), and
many others; narcotics (pain killers) such as
meperidine (Demerol), morphine (MS Contin, MSIR,
others), propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet), hydrocodone
(Lorcet, Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet, Percodan),
fentanyl (Duragesic), and codeine (Fiorinal, Fioricet,
Tylenol #3, others); or antidepressants such as
doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil),
nortriptyline (Pamelor), fluoxetine (Prozac),
paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), phenelzine (Nardil),
and tranylcypromine (Parnate). Aspirin will decrease
the effects of some drugs.
Inform your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking
Soma if you are also using medications such as
angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors used to
treat high blood pressure and other heart conditions
such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten),
and enalapril (Vasotec); commonly used ACE inhibitors,
including fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil,
Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), quinapril (Accupril),
and ramipril (Altace); probenecid (Benebid) and
sulfinpyrazone (Anturane); and beta-blockers used to
treat high blood pressure and other heart conditions
such as acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor),
propranolol (Inderal), atenolol (Tenormin), and
carteolol (Cartrol).
Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs have the
potential to change the effects of Soma and lead to
dangerous side effects: oral anticoagulants such as
warfarin (Coumadin); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Rufen,
others), ketoprofen (Orudis, Oruvail), and naproxen (Anaprox,
Naprosyn, Aleve); other commonly used NSAIDs,
including diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), etodolac (Lodine),
fenoprofen (Nalfon), flurbiprofen (Ansaid),
indomethacin (Indocin), ketorolac (Toradol),
nabumetone (Relafen), oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene),
sulindac (Clinoril), and tolmetin (Tolectin); other
salicylates (forms of aspirin) such as salsalate (Disalcid),
choline salicylate, and magnesium salicylate; bismuth
subsalicylate in drugs such as Pepto-Bismol; and
calcium supplements and antacids. Other drugs that
should not be combined with aspirin and Soma include
steroids such as prednisone (Deltasone), oral
antidiabetic drugs such as glipizide (Glucotrol) and
glyburide (Micronase, Diabeta), alcohol, lithium (Lithobid,
Eskalith, others), and cyclosporine (Sandimmune). Talk
to your doctor before you take any new
over-the-counter medication.
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Soma Missed Dose |
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Never double up
on a dose of Soma if you discover you missed a dose.
Just skip the missed dose and return to the regular
dose the next morning.
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Soma Storage |
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Medications
such as Soma should be stored at room temperature,
and should not be exposed to excessive heat, sunlight,
or moisture. As with any medication, keep Soma out
of the reach of children. |
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