Carisoprodol

What is Carisoprodol?

Carisoprodol is an oral centrally-acting muscle relaxant that was historically prescribed for short-term relief of painful muscle spasms. Carisoprodol has not been prescribed in the UK since 2008, when it lost its approval for medical use. It’s still available on prescription in some other countries. 

It is metabolised in the liver to meprobamate, a sedative which was also used clinically for short-term treatment of anxiety or painful muscle spasm in the UK until 2016 when the license for meprobamate production was cancelled.

Carisoprodol is used non-medically to produce feelings of relaxation, giddiness, and drowsiness. The drug typically acts within ~30 minutes and its effects last several hours. 

Methods of use

For non-medical use, Carisoprodol is obtained from non-UK legitimate pharmaceutical sources or by purchasing counterfeit versions from online sources (see also our page on fake medicines). The tablets are typically swallowed, but are sometimes snorted for quicker absorption. They’re sometimes used in combination with alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids, which greatly increases the risk of overdose.

Pills containing carisoprodol and the opioid analgesic tapentadol (known as ‘red apples’) have been found by WEDINOS.

Prevalence

In the UK, evidence shows a rising trend in the detection of Carisoprodol in the illicit drug market. From 2020 to 2024, the number of UK drug-seizure samples testing positive for Carisoprodol increased year-on-year (from 6 in 2020 to 25 in 2023) with a total of 123 detections over the period 2020-2025 (GOV.UK, ACMD report – a review of the evidence on the use and harms of carisoprodol).

Voluntary drug-checking programmes also reflect this trend: since 2020, 68 samples submitted to WEDINOS tested positive for carisoprodol alone (GOV.UK, ACMD report – a review of the evidence on the use and harms of carisoprodol).

Risks

Harms associated with Carisoprodol:

  • Dependence and withdrawal: prolonged or excessive use can cause physical dependence. Abrupt stopping can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, tremor, muscle twitching.
  • Sedation and impairment: even at therapeutic doses it can cause drowsiness, dizziness and impaired concentration, increasing risk of accidents (including motor vehicle accidents). Effects are amplified with alcohol, opioids or other sedatives (NIH, National Library of Medicine, Carisoprodol).
  • Serotonin toxicity: High doses of carisoprodol may result in the development of serotonin toxicity, and in severe cases it can be life threatening.

Law

Carisoprodol is not currently controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) but it may be covered by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 which makes it an offence to import, export, supply, and possess with intent to supply. However, the ACMD’s November 2025 review concluded that harms justify scheduling the drug and the council recommended making carisoprodol a Class C.

Meprobamate is already controlled as a Class C drug.

Updated November 2025

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