meprobamate
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.
What is Meprobamate?
What is Meprobamate used for?
- Anxiety
How Meprobamate works
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.
Drug facts
Risks and warnings for Meprobamate
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.
Addiction and dependence
- 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.
Withdrawal symptoms
- 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.
Serious allergic reaction
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.
Dizziness and drowsiness
Meprobamate can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and vision problems. Avoid driving and other tasks that require concentration until you know how the medication affects you.
Side effects of Meprobamate
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Slurred speech
- Headache
- Weakness
- Vision changes
Less Common Side Effects
- Vision problems
- Problems with movement and balance
Meprobamate serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Severe allergic reaction: skin rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, facial swelling, throat tightness, swollen lips and/or eyelids
- Withdrawal: vomiting, problems with coordination, tremors, muscle twitching, confusion, hallucinations, seizures
The following Meprobamate side effects have also been reported
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.
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Pros and cons of Meprobamate
Pros
- Works to treat short-term relief of anxiety
- Can be used in children age 6 and older
- Available as a lower-cost generic
Cons
- 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
Pharmacist tips for Meprobamate
- 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.
Common questions about Meprobamate
No, meprobamate isn't a benzodiazepine. It's part of a different class of anxiety medications that work a little differently than benzodiazepines.
Meprobamate isn't commonly used to treat anxiety anymore, but it's still available on the market. Currently, there are only generic products available. The brand products have all been discontinued.
No, meprobamate isn't the same as carisoprodol (Soma), a muscle relaxer. But, carisoprodol (Soma) gets broken down by your liver and becomes meprobamate as a byproduct, so the two medications have similar effects. People who are allergic to meprobamate are often allergic to carisoprodol (Soma) as well.
It can be. Meprobamate has a risk of being addictive. This is why it's considered a Schedule IV controlled substance and has more restrictions than other prescription medications. Let your provider know if you have a history of alcohol or substance misuse. And keep meprobamate up and away from children and visitors.
Probably not. Meprobamate should be avoided during pregnancy because it can harm your unborn baby and possibly cause birth defects. And other medications are more preferred while breastfeeding because meprobamate can pass into your breast milk. If you're pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant, or breastfeeding, talk with your provider about safer medications for your anxiety symptoms.
Avoid drinking alcohol when you're taking meprobamate. Alcohol and meprobamate have similar effects and can make you very dizzy and drowsy, especially when taken together.
How to save using GoodRx
Meprobamate dosage
Tablet| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200mg | 30 tablets | $56.68 | $1.89 |
| 400mg | 90 tablets | $187.68 | $2.09 |
Typical dosage for Meprobamate
-
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.
Interactions between Meprobamate and other drugs
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
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.
- Alfentanil
- Alprazolam
- Amobarbital
- Aprobarbital
- Benzhydrocodone
- Bromazepam
- Bromopride
- Buprenorphine
- Butabarbital
- Butalbital
- Butorphanol
- Calcium Oxybate
- Cannabidiol
- Carbinoxamine
- Carisoprodol
- Cetirizine
- Chloral Hydrate
- Chlordiazepoxide
- Chlorzoxazone
- Clobazam
- Clonazepam
- Clorazepate
- Codeine
- Dantrolene
- Diazepam
- Dihydrocodeine
- Doxylamine
- Esketamine
- Eslicarbazepine Acetate
- Estazolam
- Ethchlorvynol
- Fentanyl
- Flibanserin
- Fluconazole
- Flunitrazepam
- Flurazepam
- Fospropofol
- Gabapentin
- Gabapentin Enacarbil
- Halazepam
- Hydrocodone
- Hydromorphone
- Ketamine
- Ketazolam
- Lemborexant
- Levocetirizine
- Levorphanol
- Lofexidine
- Lorazepam
- Lormetazepam
- Loxapine
- Magnesium Oxybate
- Meclizine
- Medazepam
- Meperidine
- Mephenesin
- Mephobarbital
- Metaxalone
- Methadone
- Methocarbamol
- Methohexital
- Metoclopramide
- Midazolam
- Morphine
- Morphine Sulfate Liposome
- Nalbuphine
- Nitrazepam
- Oxazepam
- Oxycodone
- Oxymorphone
- Pentazocine
- Pentobarbital
- Periciazine
- Phenobarbital
- Potassium Oxybate
- Prazepam
- Pregabalin
- Primidone
- Propofol
- Quazepam
- Remifentanil
- Remimazolam
- Scopolamine
- Secobarbital
- Sodium Oxybate
- Sufentanil
- Tapentadol
- Temazepam
- Thiopental
- Tramadol
- Trazodone
- Triazolam
- Zolpidem
How much does Meprobamate cost?
$56.68
Meprobamate contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Meprobamate will not be safe for you to take.
- Acute intermittent porphyria (a rare genetic disorder)
- Allergy to carisoprodol (Soma), mebutamate, tybamate, or carbromal
What are alternatives to Meprobamate?
Meprobamate images
