Addiction Drug Use Prescription Medications Print How Long Does Soma (Carisoprodol) Stay in Your System? Soma (Carisoprodol) in Your Blood, Urine, Hair, & Saliva By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial process Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on December 15, 2015 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 04, 2020 More in Addiction Drug Use Prescription Medications Cocaine Heroin Marijuana Meth Ecstasy/MDMA Hallucinogens Opioids Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Soma (carisoprodol) is a muscle relaxant and is used to help relieve pain and discomfort caused by strains, sprains, and other muscle injuries. Soma works by affecting the communication between nerves in the central nervous system. It produces muscle relaxation and pain relief. Soma is available in tablets and it is also available in combination products that include aspirin or codeine and aspirin. It is taken several times a day as prescribed. You should take Soma with milk or food as it can cause an upset stomach. How Soma Affects Your System Carisoprodol is broken down into meprobamate in the body, which is also active in its effects. Carisoprodol is absorbed and begins to have effects after 30 minutes and the effects last for 4 to 6 hours. Peak concentrations are seen in an hour for carisoprodol and almost three hours for its meprobamate metabolite. The half-life of carisoprodol is about 100 minutes, but depending on individual metabolism that can be extended for up to three times as long. The half-life of meprobamate is very long, between 6 and 17 hours, which can lead to accumulation with multiple doses. Both carisoprodol and its metabolite meprobamate are excreted in the urine and can be detected for several days after use. Overview of Your Medication's Half-Life Precautions To prevent side effects and drug interactions, be sure to discuss all prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking or plan to take with your doctor. Especially discuss muscle relaxants, sedatives, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, vitamins, and medications for allergies, coughs, or colds. Your metabolism of Soma can be affected if you have ever had liver or kidney disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant, discuss with your doctor what the implications may be for taking Soma. Soma can make you drowsy, so it's important to take precautions for driving or operating machinery. Side effects can include headache, fast heartbeat, drowsiness, confusion, slowed thinking, upset stomach, skin rash, and sluggish movements. Severe Side Effects Soma should be taken exactly as directed. To avoid the following severe side effects, do not take more than prescribed or take it more often than directed by your healthcare provider. Difficulty breathingFeverWeaknessBurning in the eyes Contact your doctor immediately or call 911 if you have any of these symptoms. In very large doses, Soma will produce a meprobamate overdose, which can include coma. With long-term use, you may also develop tolerance and experience mild withdrawal symptoms that can last for 2 to 4 days after your last dose. The Dangers of Medication Tolerance How Long Soma Stays in Your System If you abruptly discontinue using Soma after long-term use, you may experience mild withdrawal symptoms 12 to 48 hours after your last dose, and these symptoms can last for another 12 to 48 hours. Carisoprodol and meprobamate can be detected on a screen for prescription or over-the-counter drugs in blood and urine, as may be done in the case of a suspected overdose. They typically aren't included in a urine drug screen such as done for employment. However, if you are taking the combination product that includes codeine, that will be detected. Be sure to disclose your medications to the testing lab so they are able to better interpret the test results. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Highlights of prescribing information. Soma (carisoprodol) tablets for oral use, CIV. Updated April 2019. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Database. Carisoprodol. Wang G, Huynh K, Barhate R, et al. Validation of a new homogeneous immunoassay for the detection of carisoprodol in urine. J Anal Toxicol. 2011;35(2):108–112. doi:10.1093/anatox/35.2.108 Gatch MB, Nguyen JD, Carbonaro T, Forster MJ. Carisoprodol tolerance and precipitated withdrawal. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012;123(1-3):29–34. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.10.010 Gunchan P, Parshotam GL, Garg R. Carisoprodol withdrawal syndrome resembling neuroleptic malignant syndrome: Diagnostic dilemma. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2016;32(3):387-388. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.173346 Additional Reading Carisoprodol. MedlinePlus NIH. Carisoprodol (And Meprobamate). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Test ID: PDSU Drug Screen, Prescription/OTC, Urine. Mayo Medical Laboratories.