I've had severe chronic pain for a very long time. Due to blood work and negative mri, I've been left with a very weak foundation of a fibromyalgia diagnosis. I've asked three doctors to prescribe me this drug, and yet they'd rather put me on OxyContin butrans or vicotin. They say the risk of addiction and dependency to soma is too great a weight than the benefit this drug would do to my quality of life despite how awful my pain is affecting my job performance and relationships, even though I'm constantly complaining the ssri's and opiates are not benefiting me enough alone. I've found no evidence this is even considered a high risk drug. Why are they stone walling me?
Soma - Why won't doctors prescribe it anymore?
Question posted by Tehandyz on 13 Dec 2011
Last updated on 9 January 2024
22 Answers Page 2
WOW! Thats the first I heard anything like that bout somas. I have been on soma everyday for 6 yrs now and dont know what I would do with out it. I have tried a dozen other muscle relaxers and thats the only one that gives me any relief. I take it with lortab. narcotics,opiats are way more addictive than somas.
After doing further research, I've discovered soma has been bumped up to a schedule 4 drug, meaning it is higher risk in the eyes of the FDA, thus considered more dangerous than opiates... Ridiculous
Thats weird cause I looked it up on this site and it said it was NOT a controlled substance and there was no class # for it but my pharmacy had told me before it was considerd a controlled substance... I so dont get it!
I cannot get it through my mail order as it is a controlled substance. I have tried all the opiate pain meds and can not tolerate them as the itching is too intense. I am taking zanaflex and neurontin regularly and soma when I get in total agony.
Soma's went Schedule IV in January 2012. That doesn't rank them worse than narcotics. They are on the same level as Xanax. Miltown was never taken off of the market, but replaced by benzodiazepines. Scripts are still written; albeit a lot less. I can't believe doctors lie to their patients like that. Narcotics are FAR more addictive than Soma. It gets a bad rep for some reason, I guess. The only negative thing I have to say about Soma is the taste. :)
I also have been taking Soma for years but last year my pain dr said that the were being moved to a schedule II controlled substance so he was taking all patients off it. It for some reason has always been a controlled substance here in AL just not Schedule II. I think it's all BS because it really worked for me but I had other drs who if I told them I took Soma refused to give me any meds because he said it doesn't react well with other meds now this dr refused this year to continue to give me my kolopin because I take oxycodone and gave the same excuse that you can't take the two together or it interacts with one another and I've been taking them together for years with no problems. I think some drs just don't like certain meds and won't give you anything because they don't like what other drs give you.
Sugamama06. I'm also from Alabama and I was prescribed Soma by my former Pain Management Dr. I started going to PM in 2009. I was also prescribed pain meds and Xanax. The DEA have a LOT of guidelines that Drs must use now. The only muscle relaxer that helps me, almost as much as Soma, is Zanaflex. I now have to go to a psychiatrist to be prescribed Xanax, and she has started weaning me off of them. I have debilitating, severe anziety/panic attacks. I have been on Xanax for 15+ years. It is unfair to those of us who really need these meds, having them taken away from us because of the ones who abuse them.
Sorry, guys... Now that it is 2018 and we have an epidemic of opiate related deaths opiates are now a schedule II. Soma is a schedule III. Illegal drugs such as heroin are schedule I. And only pain management doctors can prescribe it.
Soma has been a medication that has been threatened to black boxed, taken off the market and just recently it was put as a Schedule IV drug (Benzos are in the same class). It depends on the doctor. Some have no problem at all prescribing it while others down right refuse. Now you can't take opiods, Soma, and Benzos together (they depress your central nervous system) Some pharmacies have it where it will flag it and the Pharmacist will tell you that you can only have two out of the three. Now you have to figure out what health condition you will just have to suffer with. If Soma worked well for you and your doctor is saying he doesn't prescribe them then maybe look for another one. I have been on and off Soma for a few years and not until recently I had a problem obtaining it. I'd rather docs be upfront and honest with patients on why they won't write it, instead of lying to you. Hang in there and best of luck.
Soma has been a medication that has been threatened to black boxed, taken off the market and just recently it was put as a Schedule IV drug (Benzos are in the same class). It depends on the doctor. Some have no problem at all prescribing it while others down right refuse. Now you can't take opiods, Soma, and Benzos together (they depress your central nervous system) Some pharmacies have it where it will flag it and the Pharmacist will tell you that you can only have two out of the three. Now you have to figure out what health condition you will just have to suffer with. If Soma worked well for you and your doctor is saying he doesn't prescribe them then maybe look for another one. I have been on and off Soma for a few years and not until recently I had a problem obtaining it. I'd rather docs be upfront and honest with patients on why they won't write it, instead of lying to you. Hang in there and best of luck.
Hi T - I see that you've gotten the answers that I got when I posted a very similar question several months ago. They are right. Because Soma metabolizes into this other drug they are now saying that it is highly addictive and don't want to prescribe it. My pain mgmt clinic took all their patients off Soma several months ago and I went through months of agony while they tried me on about 5 other muscle relaxers. I have been on Soma for years and it works well for me. I have heard Zanaflex works well also but I couldn't take it because it caused my heart to race and my bp to shoot up. The only other one that even worked at all was Flexiril and it made me feel like crap and I got very depressed. The only thing I can tell you is that it seems like it is mostly the pain mgmt clinics that are doing this. My primary doc said he didn't have a problem at all prescribing it for me. He knows me very well though and has been my primary doc for about 15 yrs.
I, like other friends that responded don't understand the double-standard with this drug. The pain meds I'm on are also highly addictive... so what gives. Anyway, I hope you get the help you need. Believe me I feel your pain!! My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Your friend,
Terri
Hi:
I'm a Soma user also--the ONLY drug that has ever touched my chronic neck and shoulder pain! I am in FL and it was a Sports Med doc down here who first prescribed it for me in '05. Later, when I got a scan from another doc, he REFUSED to write it for me--- but, like some of the others said, he was more than willing to prescribe more heavy duty drugs! Needless to say, I left and never went back!
I have been on the same dose ever since the beginning, and have never needed to increase it. To me, Soma is a miracle worker--it LETS me sleep, and still wake up feeling normal, with no drugged out affect. Other docs have tried to put me on sleep meds and they only work for a week or two, then you have to increase the dose--then I would wake up in a fog!
I have no problem refilling it in CA, when we go out there to visit relatives.
I keep hearing that it is going to be taken off the market, but, so far, I have had no problem getting it refilled at Walgreens here in FL.
Good Luck to you--I hope you can get it, if it works for you and doesn't cause you any problems...
Mary, madhatter
Same thing in Madison WI. I at one time I was still on A LOT of opiates but when I asked for Soma she said no? I didn't get it? Your writting me tons of shedule 2 drugs but not a muscle relaxer? Don't get it. She said its a "highly addictive drug" & morphine & Dilaudid aren't?
From bestpup
Buddy 1971, I too take many pain relievers (both scheduled 2 and 3), however the more of these pills we take the slower our CNS acts, thus decreasing our resperations & heart rate. I too took Soma and it worked great, especially at nite. My doctor had to take me off of it, because the Soma caused to many contra indicators with my other diseases. My point here is it wasn't a trust/abuse issue between myself and my doctor. I know it's' frustrating when you're in pain and nothing works. Try to hang in there?bestpup
I have come up against this bias a time or two myself. I had been on Soma for years from my family Dr then I had a couple of pain Drs who hated Soma. It is oxymoronic to think it is a worse risk than oxycodone or hydrocodone! I had one Dr who flat out said he WILL NOT prescribe Soma because the addictive properties outweigh the muscle relaxant/pain relieving properties. It breaks down in the body into a drug called meprobamate which was taken off the market years ago because it was too much of an addiction risk so I guess this is the basis for their refusal. Luckily, in my case, I was changed to a different Dr at the pain center who agreed it was oxymoronic and since I handle myself with OxyContin and oxycodone with no problems, she allowed me to have the Soma back. I had been on Zanaflex. Some days I think the Zanaflex was better ands some I think the Soma is.
I never could take the Zanaflex during the day because it made me too sleepy but it did help me sleep wonderfully at night. I can take the Soma during the day without so much drowsiness but I dont sleep at night nearly so well. Overall though I think the Soma relaxes my muscles better but Zanaflex allowed me to sleep better.
My pain doc DID prescribe Soma while my rheumatologist said he could not because of the meprobamate issue. I have also been on it off and on for years and never had a problem stopping it. I also have Zanaflex (from my rheumatologist), so I will try that at night instead of the Soma and see if it works better as a sleep aid.
Thanks for the info!
I had the same response from my spine care doc here in GA. She said all she can give me now is Oxycodone until the UA comes back clean of SOMA.
I feel that the FDA in the doctors need to bring back the Soma muscle relaxer it's the only thing that helps when you have in cruciating muscle spasms due to complications of a failed lumbar surgery that happened to me in 2011 and I have more pain now than I did after my surgery because I did not have nerve damage to my legs which excruciating when I stand up and my muscles are Contracting spasms to where it feels like somebody stabbing knives inside my thighs and legs they need to think about the patients I'm making them comfortable just like any other patient for cancer or heart disease in my case it's severe chronic back disease that I have and now I have injuries to my legs which affects my whole body now and it's very painful not to battle sleep eat walk of being in a relationship because that it has affect my whole life I just feel that the doctors should speak up for their patients they took a oath and swear today best capability of helping your patients ...
but to leave us in pain the most worst pain that I've been door it's just not human-like it's wrong and something needs to be done soon because I don't have a life without walking out the door going to the grocery I'm constantly cruciating pain I have my pain medicine but it's just not enough without my Soma muscle relaxer I try non-narcotic muscle relaxants they do not work on people that have very real consist of true pain something needs to change back so where we can at least be comfortable please get this out and listen I cannot no longer enjoy life or to even take a walk because the pain is on bearable sometimes all I'm asking for I'm tired of the good people suffering for the bad I don't have use it so I shouldn't be punished by it but not getting it because someone else abused it please if anyone's out there listening please take a picture and think about this because as a patient I'm getting to the point in so much pain it again it's affecting me mentally to where I just want to be out of pain all together if they do not come back with under cardiac muscle relaxer that does work with the pain medicine I don't see much of a future for myself I can't answer for anyone else but if they have the pain that I Endure I can imagine how they feel too God please answer our cries I'll pain the name of Jesus Amen..
Good Morning Tehandyz!
I've taken Soma off and on for years with my back from an injury 12 years ago. I lived in Texas then and when I moved to Illinois 7 years ago the doctor here asked me if anything helped in the past and I told her that during flare ups all I ever took was Vicodin and Soma so that is what she prescibed me. About a year ago when my back became much much worse (I recently had a triple laminectomy) she had to change my pain medicine because vicodin no longer touched my pain and she told me Zanaflex was a much better muscle relaxer than Soma and she wanted me to try it. I did and I do think it works fairly well.
She continues to prescibe both so I can choose which one I take but told me never to take them both together! Now that my surgery has failed and I'm left in worse pain that before surgery I have been taking the Zanaflex more often than I take the Soma.
I've never heard of any problems with doctor prescibing it but my opinion is that your doctor may either feel a newer medicine would work better (Soma has been out for at least 12 years because that is when I first took it) or depending on your relationship with your doctor may not have gave it to you because you "asked" for it. Doctors in my area DONT like to be asked for anything specific because it makes them feel you are seeking a certain drug most likely for abuse, at least that is what the nurse told me at my PM doctors office. Good luck to you and I hope you get some relief. I really had no idea that Soma helped with the pain because I thought it was just a muscle relaxant so I am going to do some research on it now and maybe start taking it instead and see if it helps my pain.
Oh and I just seen that the doctors told you there is a high risk of dependency and addiction with Soma? I would have NEVER guessed that especially since I've taken it off and on for several years and never felt like I "oh I want to take a Soma". I wish you the best and hope you find something if not Soma to help with your pain!
I had major back surgery August 18th 2011 I suffer with my back since I was little and it just got worse not even eight weeks later to the day the screws were coming out and damaged my ways it's been 7 years I have cruciating pain I am in pain management I do not know why they letting I suffer I have placed titanium and screws all up in my lower back and I have new injuries and I have been experiencing some serious cruciating pain where I can't even hardly walk and I can take a lot of pain but the tears just come rolling down and I am on pain medicine and I feel that they should start describing the muscle relaxer Soma with my medicine again I'm here Mississippi I would like to know the rules the laws the pain has taken on me mentally so now I have once again mental pain and physical pain I'm at the point I can barely walk without having to go sit down and I was not that bad off I am 56 and I just want to be constable just like any other sick patient if someone ...
does know of any doctors that still use this medicine which I'll benefit a great deal from I'll be able to try to walk without crying so anybody out there has any ideas please let me know thank you my email address is r.mariebert62@gmail .com PS I had a very bad experience with my back surgery 8 weeks later I had to have my stomach to open again and flip me on my back and that was cut too and I've never healed right the screws damaged my legs so I have more problems now than I did before my back surgery and it is getting worse please can someone give me some good advice thank you.
i hear the same thing on this site, where im from , in hawaii, my dr prescribes that as one of his so called pain remody. leanne
Related topics
soma, pain, fibromyalgia, blood disorders, doctor, chronic
Further information
- Soma uses and safety info
- Soma prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Soma (detailed)
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