A 52-year-old woman presented with central nervous system depression and a
Glasgow Coma Score of 9 secondary to ingestion of carisoprodol, a centrally
acting muscle relaxant analgesic. After administration of i.v. flumazenil,
the patient's neurologic status normalized and she required no further the
rapy. Carisoprodol and its active sedative-hypnotic metabolite, meprohamate
, are gamma aminobutyric acid receptor indirect agonists with central nervo
us system chloride ion channel conduction effects similar to the benzodiaze
pines, thus making flumazenil a potentially useful antidote in toxic presen
tations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.