Flexeril vs Ultram Prescription Treatment for Back Pain: Differences and Side Effects
Do not increase your dose or use this drug more often or for longer than prescribed. Your condition will not improve any faster, and your risk of side effects will increase. Muscle relaxants can be addictive, so it’s ideal to use them for the shortest possible time and keep them away from other adults and children. Because these medications depress the central nervous system, breathing can be affected, and an overdose can be fatal. 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.
- Prolonged use can lead to increased tolerance and physical dependence.
- Nine24,25,30,31,33-37 of these ratings of improvement were physician rated, and 118 was patient rated.
- The only salient difference is that Valium has a higher potential to cause drug dependency than Flexeril.
- But if those don’t work, or you can’t take them because you have another issue like liver problems or ulcers, you may need to try a muscle relaxant.
Depending on the type of muscle relaxer, there are different forms in which you can take them, such as tablets, capsules, solutions or injections. But providers usually only prescribe them for brief periods due to the addiction potential of certain types. Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. This medication has been prescribed for your current condition only.
Secondary endpoints included a physician’s evaluation of the presence and extent of palpable muscle spasm. Acute recovery phase of myocardial infarction, and patients with arrhythmias, how long does it take for flexeril to kick in heart block or conduction disturbances, or congestive heart failure. All patients suspected of an overdose with FLEXERIL should receive gastrointestinal decontamination.
More about Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine)
Refills had a mean duration of 60 days, and over 8,600 people took it continuously.7 Annual expenditures for cyclobenzaprine in BC in 2016 were $3.9 million, of which PharmaCare paid $1.5 million. The most common adverse reactions to cyclobenzaprine are somnolence, dry mucous membranes, dizziness, and confusion. Less commonly, tachycardia, dysarthria, disorientation, and hallucinations have been reported [2]. Flexeril is a muscle relaxant and works by blocking the pathways of the neurotransmitters that signal pain. It is not an anti-inflammatory drug and does not reduce any inflammation to provide muscle relief.
If you have symptoms of overdose, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Muscle relaxers have a potential for misuse and addiction, especially carisoprodol and diazepam. Prolonged use can lead to increased tolerance and physical dependence. Taking them without a prescription, or taking more than your doctor has recommended, can increase your chances of becoming addicted. Check the labels on all your medicines (such as allergy or cough-and-cold products) because they may contain ingredients that cause drowsiness.
The drug comparisons information provided does not cover every potential use, warning, drug interaction, side effect, or adverse or allergic reaction. RxList.com assumes no responsibility for any healthcare administered to a person based on the information found on this site. Call your healthcare provider if the dose you are taking does not control your pain. Using Flexeril with other drugs that make you drowsy can worsen this effect. Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.
Muscle relaxants are typically a second-line treatment for back pain
Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor’s approval.
You shouldn’t use cyclobenzaprine if you have hyperthyroidism, arrhythmias, heart failure, heart conduction issues, or are recovering from a heart attack (8). Don’t drive or operate heavy machinery while taking cyclobenzaprine (8). Muscle relaxants can act on the central nervous system or on the peripheral nervous system, depending on the cause of the muscle spasm. They’re generally classified as antispastic drugs or antispasmodic drugs, depending on their mechanism of action. Antispasmodic and antispastic drugs aren’t interchangeable for muscle pain treatment, although a handful of drugs (such as tizanidine and diazepam) can exhibit both antispastic and antispasmodic properties (1). Drug information found in the drug comparisons published on RxList.com is primarily sourced from the FDA drug information.
Cyclobenzaprine: Side Effects, dosage, uses, and more – Medical News Today
Cyclobenzaprine: Side Effects, dosage, uses, and more.
Posted: Fri, 22 May 2020 13:31:24 GMT [source]
The other prescription muscle relaxants aren’t controlled substances. There are no over-the-counter (OTC) muscle relaxants in the United States. But some OTC medications can help muscle issues (like soreness), such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and acetaminophen. You also shouldn’t drive or operate heavy machinery while taking muscle relaxants.
Studies comparing the relative value of acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and cyclobenzaprine individually and in combination in the treatment of back pain are needed. Conservative treatment is the first line of treatment with all muscle spasm. Cyclobenzaprine may help with acute musculoskeletal pain, while baclofen may help relieve chronic pain and spasticity due to a neurological origin. Your medical history will help determine the safest medication for you. Conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, exercise, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), should always be the first line of treatment for muscle spasm and related pain. However, more severe cases, these primary treatments may prove insufficient.