Ibuprofen/Vicodin/Soma - Questions - Back Problems Message Board

jitteryme · 06-08-2006, 12:37 PM

For the past year, I have been experiencing extreme muscle tension in my neck at the base of my skull. My actual pain level is minimal at the moment, but the muscle tension is about to do me in. It has pretty much consumed my life. My head feels like it weighs 50 pounds. I had an MRI last September which showed DDD, three bulging disks (C-5/6 and C 6/7 being the worst) and a straigtening of the cervical spine.

I've been through physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments and massage with no relief. Yesterday I had my first appointment with an orthopedic neck/back doctor. He suggested the pain management clinic for injections. I've got vacation plans for the next few weeks (how I am going to get through that is another story), so at this point, the doctor prescribed Ibuprofen (just regular 200 mg. Motrin, two tablets three times a day), Vicodin 5 500 mg. and Soma 350 mg. I will go back to see him in approximately a month to see how I am doing.

I will admit that I am fearful of taking new medications. The Motrin I have no problem with although it doesn't seem to provide much of any relief. I cut one of the Soma tablets in half last night and took that. Other than making me drowsy, I don't feel like it helped much either.

My questions are: Does it take the Soma awhile (i.e. several days of usage) to relax the muscles? Do I need to just keep taking this to see what happens? The RX is for one tablet three times a day, which would most likely have me sleeping all day long. I will probably only take this before bed.

The other question is: Since I am not in a great day of pain, and my complaint is more the muscle tension, should I even mess with the Vicodin? This is the one that scares me the most. The doctor said that pain is often masked as muscle tension and the muscles are tense to "protect." The RX for this is also one tablet three times a day.

Finally, the Vicodin has acetaminophen in it and is that okay to take on top of the Motrin?

I browse this board all the time and you guys seem to know a great deal about these things. Any replies would be appreciated.

zeroman · 06-08-2006, 07:06 PM

soma is fast acting (like 30 mins) so it should kick in right away. they are potent so watch out driving till you know its effects.

basically they just put me to sleep, they didnt really help my back spasms.

luv2play747 · 06-09-2006, 12:01 PM

I have had chronic neck tension and pain since a car accident in 2000. My PCP has had me try everything under the sun and nothing seems to work. Massage and therapy feel better for about an hour, but after that, I am in extreme pain for the rest of the night. I was told by a chiropractor and my massage therapist that my vertabrae in my neck are not curved at all, they are straight. I can't seem to figure out how to get my neck to curve again. They only relief is if I lay flat on my back with a round neck pillow under my neck, but it is hard being a single mom and working two jobs to find time to do that often. I think I would lose my job if my boss came up and found me on the floor resting my head. I have tried all of the meds from ibuprofen to Percocet. I have found the best for me is Flexeril. Soma did not do as much. But, I have to take 2 to get any relief and my prescription is for 1 every night... So I wait until the pain is really bad and then take two for a few nights in a row... As soon as I stop, it hurts again.
My massage therapist suggested I try laying on the floor with a tennis ball under my neck. I have not purchased a tennis ball yet, I will let you know if it works. Good luck and if you find anything that helps, I would love to get out of pain for even a day...

mmusilli · 06-10-2006, 06:30 AM

Hello everyone..

I too took soma... You really should give it a chance, and take it as directed, 3 times a day at least for the first few days to a week, and see what happens... It does act within 30 minutes, BUT, for the spasms to subside, it takes a bit of time, as muscles have memory..

It is ok to take ibuprofen with drugs that contain some acetaminophen. Just dont take other NSAIDS with ibuprofen (such as asprin, naproxen, etc)...

Now, I take soma here and there only when I feel something acting up... Soma can be habit forming, so you would not want to do this long term, but I took it for over 2 months (at least once a day) and was able to get off it fairly easily..

Maurice

mamakitkat · 06-10-2006, 09:35 PM

Hi All,
I have taken soma after my first fusion, one of the side effects for me was I could not ever get to a deep sleep, it didn't let me get past the first level of sleep, I would sleep for like an hour or so and then be wide awake for hours. Not a side effect that is senn very often but it was terrible for me. Hope you dont' have this trouble.

Good Luck & God Bless

Carol