What is this medicine?
ASPIRIN; CARISOPRODOL; CODEINE (AS pir in; kar eye soe PROE dole; KOE deen) helps to relieve pain and stiffness in muscles caused by strains, sprains, or other injury to your muscles.
This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.
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What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:
- allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue
- confusion
- difficulty breathing
- fainting spells
- fever
- redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
- ringing in the ears or changes in hearing
- signs or symptoms of bleeding like black, tarry stools, or vomiting or coughing up blood or black material
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- nausea, vomiting
This list may not describe all possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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How should I use this medicine?
Take this medicine by mouth with a glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. If it upsets your stomach, take it with food or milk. Do not take more medicine than you are told to take.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. While this drug may be prescribed for children as young as 12 years of age for selected conditions, precautions do apply.
Overdosage: If you think you have taken too much of this medicine contact a poison control center or emergency room at once.
NOTE: This medicine is only for you. Do not share this medicine with others.
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What if I miss a dose?
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.
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What may interact with this medicine?
Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications:
- medicines that treat or prevent blood clots like warfarin or heparin
- methotrexate
This medicine may also interact with the following medications:
- alcohol or medicines that contain alcohol
- ammonium chloride
- antacids
- antihistamines
- barbiturates, like phenobarbital
- ethyl alcohol
- medicines for depression, anxiety, and other mental conditions
- medicines for diabetes
- medicines for gout or arthritis
- medicines for pain
- medicines for sleep
- NSAIDs, medicines for pain and inflammation, like ibuprofen or naproxen
- phenothiazines like chlorpromazine, mesoridazine, prochlorperazine, thioridazine
- probenecid
- steroid medicines like prednisone or cortisone
- sulfinpyrazone
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
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What should I watch for while using this medicine?
Tell your doctor or health care professional if your pain does not go away, if it gets worse, or if you have new or a different type of pain. You may develop tolerance to the medicine. Tolerance means that you will need a higher dose of the medicine for pain relief. Tolerance is normal and is expected if you take the medicine for a long time.
Do not suddenly stop taking it because you may develop a severe reaction. Your body becomes used to the medicine. This does NOT mean you are addicted. Addiction is a behavior related to getting and using a drug for a non-medical reason. If your doctor wants you to stop the medicine, the dose will be slowly lowered over time to avoid any side effects.
You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medicine affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells.
Too much aspirin can be very dangerous. Do not take aspirin or medicines that contain aspirin with this medicine. Many non-prescription medicines contain aspirin. Always read the labels carefully.
If you are less than 15 years of age and have the chicken pox, flu, or other infection like the common cold, talk to your doctor. Do not use the medicine if you are a teenager or child that may have a viral infection.
This medicine may cause constipation. Try to have a bowel movement at least every 2 to 3 days. If you do not have a bowel movement for 3 days, call your doctor or health care professional.
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What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
- drink more than 3 alcohol containing drinks per day
- drug abuse or addiction
- hemophilia, von Willebrand's disease, low platelets, or other bleeding problems
- kidney disease or problems going to the bathroom
- liver disease
- lung or breathing disease, like asthma
- peptic ulcer disease or gastrointestinal bleeding
- porphyria
- an unusual or allergic reaction to carisoprodol, meprobamate, aspirin, codeine, other medicines, lactose, foods, dyes, or preservatives
- pregnant or trying to get pregnant
- breast-feeding
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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.
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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.
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