Flexeril Muscle Relaxer

A question that comes up repeatedly is "Where do muscle relaxants fall into the treatment approach for different musculoskeletal conditions"?

Patients sometimes ask about them and physicians who see these patients sometimes wonder if these drugs must be taken into consideration.

Skeletal muscle relaxants are the class of drugs most prescribed in the United States for back pain nonspecific low.

In addition, this class of drugs is used for neck pain, muscle spasms, fibromyalgia and myofascial pain.

Targets for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders include pain relief and improved muscle function and therefore the return to normal activities of daily living.

The two main types of muscle relaxants are anti-spasmodic (eg, baclofen [Kemstro and Lioresal] or dantrolene [Dantrium]) for diseases such as cerebral palsy, spasmodic torticollis, and multiple sclerosis and anti spasmodic for muscle-related ailments.

The anti-spasmodic are rarely used for musculoskeletal disorders, but some success in treating fibromyalgia rheumatologists compared with baclofen. Since this is an "off-label" use, caution should be exercised and the lowest dose possible should be prescribed ... and only by specialists who have extensive experience. Patients be informed about potential side effects.

antispasmodic agents are much more widely used for musculoskeletal disorders.

The agents most often prescribed antispasmodic are carisoprodol [Soma), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), metaxalone (Skelaxin), and methocarbamol (Robaxin). In terms of effectiveness, there seems to be no one muscle relaxant that is superior to another. Often, doctors will prescribe muscle relaxants are most familiar. Another reason why it is chosen over another is that the physician may have samples in his office he may give to a patient to try before giving the patient a prescription.

The most studied and used agent is cyclobenzaprine. It has been shown to be effective for various musculoskeletal conditions but causes drowsiness, as does tizanidine [Zanaflex]. Accordingly, patients with insomnia caused by muscle spasms, tizanidine or cyclobenzaprine may find to be useful. Cyclobenzaprine is particularly useful for many patients with fibromyalgia.

All muscle relaxants have adverse effects most commonly include dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth.

Methocarbamol and metaxalone may be less sedating than tizanidine and cyclobenzaprine. However, they may also be more used to, in some cases.

Muscle relaxants are generally not considered first-line treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. Most doctors will start with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) first. Numerous clinical trials have supported the idea that NSAIDs are superior to muscle relaxants in patients with acute low back pain. However, it is also known from the data that muscle relaxants are superior to placebo.

For low back pain syndromes, muscle relaxants may be used as an adjunct to NSAIDs.

For acute low back pain, muscle relaxants should be used short term (two weeks). Some patients suffering from chronic back and that patients with fibromyalgia may require chronic long-term use of muscle relaxants.

Muscle relaxants should be avoided in frail elderly patients because of the danger related to sedation and falls.