Meprobamate is used to treat anxiety. It's a schedule IV controlled substance that's not commonly used anymore. The brand name is no longer available, but a generic version is still available. Some side effects of meprobamate include sleepiness, dizziness, and slurred speech.
Anxiety
Meprobamate is an antianxiety medication. The exact way it works to help relieve anxiety symptoms isn't fully understood. But it's thought to work within your nervous system to help slow down brain signals and cause you to relax.
Meprobamate can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Risk factors: History of alcohol or substance abuse
Meprobamate is a controlled medication and has a high risk for addiction and dependence. Let your provider know if you have a history of alcohol or substance misuse. Even if you take the medication exactly as directed, your body can become dependent on the medication.
Risk factors: History of seizures
Don't stop taking meprobamate suddenly, as this can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms, such as vomiting, shaking, confusion, and hallucinations. Rarely, meprobamate can make seizures more likely to occur, especially in people with a history of seizures. Let your provider know if you've had seizures before you take meprobamate to make sure this medication is safe for you. If you need to stop this medication for any purpose, your provider will help you gradually lower your dose to lower the risk of these withdrawal symptoms.
Don't use meprobamate if you have an allergy to carbamate medications, such as carisoprodol (Soma). You might also be allergic to meprobamate. Get medical attention right away if you start developing throat tightness, face swelling, difficulty breathing, hives, or dizziness.
Meprobamate can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and vision problems. Avoid driving and other tasks that require concentration until you know how the medication affects you.
Source:Â DailyMed
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
Rare
Confusion
fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
sore throat and fever
unusual bleeding or bruising
unusual excitement
wheezing, shortness of breath, or troubled breathing
Symptoms of overdose
Confusion (severe)
dizziness or lightheadedness (continuing)
drowsiness (severe)
shortness of breath or slow or troubled breathing
slow heartbeat
slurred speech
staggering
weakness (severe)
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
Clumsiness or unsteadiness
drowsiness
After you stop using this medicine, it may still produce some side effects that need attention. During this period of time, check with your doctor immediately if you notice the following side effects:
Clumsiness or unsteadiness
confusion
convulsions (seizures)
hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there)
increased dreaming
muscle twitching
nausea or vomiting
nervousness or restlessness
nightmares
trembling
trouble in sleeping
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Works to treat short-term relief of anxiety
Can be used in children age 6 and older
Available as a lower-cost generic
Not known whether it continues to work well after 4 months
Risk for addiction, misuse, and dependence
Stopping the medication suddenly can cause your body to go through withdrawal
Take meprobamate with or without food.
Meprobamate works best for short-term treatment of anxiety. It's not known whether it continues to work well after 4 months because long-term studies haven't been done. After a few months, your provider might re-evaluate whether you need to continue to take this medication.
Use the lowest meprobamate dose needed to treat your anxiety symptoms. Don't take more than what your provider prescribed because this can lead to more side effects that can be dangerous.
Meprobamate commonly causes side effects like dizziness and blurred vision. Be careful if you take other medications that can also make you dizzy and drowsy. Don't drive or do anything that requires a lot of concentration until you know how meprobamate affects you.
If you've been taking meprobamate for a while, don't stop taking it all of a sudden. This can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like more anxiety, trouble falling asleep, vomiting, and a loss of appetite. If you need to stop this medication, your provider will help you lower your dose slowly over time.
Adults age 12 and older: The usual dose ranges from 1200 mg to 1600 mg by mouth per day, split into 3 or 4 doses throughout the day.
Children age 6 to 12 years old: The usual dose ranges from 200 mg to 600 mg by mouth per day, split into 2 or 3 doses throughout the day.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Acute intermittent porphyria (a rare genetic disorder)
Allergy to carisoprodol (Soma), mebutamate, tybamate, or carbromal
Itching from allergic skin conditions (e.g., hives, eczema, etc.)
Sleep aid (sedative) while receiving general anesthesia for surgery
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Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited. (2023). MEPROBAMATE tablet [package insert]. DailyMed.
Conermann, T., et al. (2022). Carisoprodol. StatPearls.
Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2023). Meprobamate. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
GAD Clinical Practice Review Task Force. (2015). Clinical practice review for GAD. Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Â
Gonzalez-Mosquera, L. F., et al. (2023). Acute intermittent porphyria. StatPearls.
LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. (2020). Meprobamate. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
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