Cyclobenzaprine Flexeril Side Effects, Interactions, Uses, Dosage, Warnings

If a person has liver or kidney problems, the drug may remain in the body for longer. This is because the liver will take longer to process the drug through. It’s important that someone on Flexeril let the test administrator know they’re taking Flexeril. This is because it can give false positives on other narcotic substances. For instance, a person may be seen as using cocaine when they’re not. The DEA found that nearly 25 million prescriptions were given out for cyclobenzaprine, the active ingredient in Flexeril.

• I slept there until the morning, at which point, I was still groggy, but at least I could move my legs.
• The technical name of the active compound in Flexeril is cyclobenzaprine which can be found in a variety of different products.
• Cyclobenzaprine usually begins working about one hour after it is ingested, relaxing muscles and relieving muscle spasms.
• The efficacy of FLEXERIL 5 mg was demonstrated in two seven-day, double-blind, controlled clinical trials enrolling 1405 patients.
• If a person has an overactive thyroid, heart issues or problems with the liver, Flexeril can be risky and should not be taken.
• In the higher dose groups this microscopic change was seen after 26 weeks and even earlier in rats which died prior to 26 weeks; at lower doses, the change was not seen until after 26 weeks.

Robaxin needs to be taken three to four times a day to provide relief from muscle pain and muscle spasms. When certain drugs are used with cyclobenzaprine, they may cause more severe side effects such as increased drowsiness or sedation. A person should ask their doctor whether it is safe to combine another medication with cyclobenzaprine and take care not to operate any machinery while taking it. Cyclobenzaprine belongs to a class of drugs called muscle relaxants. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way.

Important considerations for taking cyclobenzaprine

It is structurally similar to the tricyclic antidepressants and adverse effects similar to those seen with the tricyclic antidepressants are therefore to be expected. Skeletal muscle relaxants are often prescribed for musculoskeletal conditions including low back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, tension baclofen stronger than flexeril headaches, and myofascial pain syndrome. The goals of treatment include managing muscle pain and improving functional status so the patient can return to work or resume previous activities. Both drugs are skeletal muscle relaxants or antispasmodic agents, but they contain different active ingredients.

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Whether cyclobenzaprine is superior to other drugs for the management of acute myofascial strain is unclear and it usually adds more side effects with little therapeutic gain (Turturro et al 2003). For neck pain, however, mixed results are obtained (Peloso et al 2005). There are no extensive studies on the use of cyclobenzaprine in the management of painful orofacial musculoskeletal conditions. A recent study on patients with orofacial myofascial pain compared the effect of adding therapy with clonazepam, cyclobenzaprine or placebo to a universally applied self-care and patient education programme (Herman et al 2002).

Adverse Effects

Acute recovery phase of myocardial infarction, and patients with arrhythmias, heart block or conduction disturbances, or congestive heart failure. As management of overdose is complex and changing, it is recommended that the physician contact a poison control center for current information on treatment. In rats treated with FLEXERIL for up to 67 weeks at doses of approximately 5 to 40 times the maximum recommended human dose, pale, sometimes enlarged, livers were noted and there was a dose-related hepatocyte vacuolation with lipidosis. In the higher dose groups this microscopic change was seen after 26 weeks and even earlier in rats which died prior to 26 weeks; at lower doses, the change was not seen until after 26 weeks.

Based on the findings, FLEXERIL should be used with caution in subjects with mild hepatic impairment starting with the 5 mg dose and titrating slowly upward. Due to the lack of data in subjects with more severe hepatic insufficiency, the use of FLEXERIL in subjects with moderate to severe impairment is not recommended. Cyclobenzaprine HCl relieves skeletal muscle spasm of local origin without interfering with muscle function. It is ineffective in muscle spasm due to central nervous system disease.

Drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, constipation, or tiredness may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. This medication should only be used short-term (for 3 weeks or less) unless directed by your doctor. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.

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The extended-release form typically has a half-life of hours. A long-acting formulation of cyclobenzaprine has been introduced and is believed by some clinicians to have a lower side effect profile than the immediate-release formulation of this drug. Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with cyclobenzaprine are listed below.

It isn’t known exactly how this drug works to relax your muscles. It may decrease the signals from your brain that tell your muscles to spasm. The AequoScreen HEK293/Gα16 parental cell line (ES-000-A26) was purchased from Perkin Elmer. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking hard candy, and drinking plenty of water may help. Contact your care team if the problem does not go away or is severe.

Taking MAO inhibitors with this medication may cause a serious (possibly fatal) drug interaction. Avoid taking MAO inhibitors (isocarboxazid, linezolid, metaxalone, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, safinamide, selegiline, tranylcypromine) during treatment with this medication. Most MAO inhibitors should also not be taken for two weeks before treatment with this medication. Ask your doctor when to start or stop taking this medication. It works by blocking nerve impulses (or pain sensations) that are sent to your brain. Your dose will depend on the severity of your pain and the formulation of cyclobenzaprine you’re using.