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Emergency Department Visits Due to Carisoprodol Misuse Doubled in Five Years
The number of emergency department visits involving misuse of carisoprodol doubled from 15,830 visits in 2004, to 31,763 visits in 2009, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network Report (PDF) published October 27, 2011. The report, published by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also highlights that for adults aged 50 or older, the number of emergency department visits tripled between 2004 and 2009 (from 2,070 to 7,115 visits). In addition, 77% of the total visits involved misuse of carisoprodol in combination with other pharmaceutical products, most commonly narcotic pain relievers (55%) and benzodiazepines (47%). The report indicates that “Although it is a useful medication for short-term (i.e., 2 to 3 weeks) treatment of acute muscle pain, carisoprodol can be dangerous when combined with other sedative medications or with alcohol; when used for extended periods of time and/or in higher doses; or when used by individuals who are at risk for developing addiction.”
