Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking soma as follows:
- Soma could take some time to fairly adjust to your body, before any optimal relief with muscle spasms and easing of side-effects is experienced. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Soma only helps with relieving muscle spasms, probably by depressing the brain and inhibiting the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to the skeletal muscles. Soma only temporarily relieves the spasms but does not fix the actual condition causing the muscle spasms and so, is not a permanent cure. Continue taking soma as ordered, even if you experience relief from muscle pain and spasms, until your physician orders for the discontinuation on the medication.
- Your physician could change the dose of soma, based on the response you show, relief obtained, and side-effects presented with. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Soma is mainly metabolized inside the body by the liver and is excreted out of the body in urine by the kidneys. Soma is metabolized by the liver to active products that have a strong abuse potential, which makes soma a risky drug for individuals with history of drug abuse. If liver is deficient, metabolism of the drug could be compromised, which can result in higher concentrations of the drug in the body for longer periods of time. If kidney function is deficient, elimination of the drug could be compromised, which also can result in higher concentrations of the drug and metabolites in the body for longer periods of time. Either case can contribute to toxicity. While taking soma, periodical labs could be ordered for evaluation of liver and kidney functions. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and lab draws ordered. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes accordingly to achieve an optimum response and prevent development of any undesired side-effects & toxicity.
