Flexeril Cyclobenzaprine Hcl: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Interactions, Warning

Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures. At oral doses of up to 10 times the human dose, cyclobenzaprine did not adversely affect the reproductive performance or fertility of male or female rats. Cyclobenzaprine did not demonstrate mutagenic activity in the male mouse at dose levels of up to 20 times the human dose. Pharmacologic similarities among the tricyclic drugs require that certain withdrawal symptoms be considered when FLEXERIL is administered, even though they have not been reported to occur with this drug.

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It should be avoided in the elderly13 and be given as 5 mg. While muscle relaxants have abuse potential,14 we did not find studies describing abuse of cyclobenzaprine. The DEA has stated there really is no risk when it comes to Flexeril. In fact, the DEA has not officially listed cyclobenzaprine as a controlled substance at all. However, when abusing Flexeril recreationally, it does become a greater risk to the user.

Why do Doctors Prescribe Muscle Relaxers?

Some people may not feel drowsiness at all, while others may feel it intensely. Other common Flexeril side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and dizziness. Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor.

Because cyclobenzaprine is closely related to the tricyclic antidepressants, some of which are known to be excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when FLEXERIL is administered to a nursing woman. Less frequent dosing should be considered for hepatically impaired or elderly patients (see PRECAUTIONS, Impaired Hepatic Function, and Use in the Elderly). Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment with Flexeril. It is unknown if Flexeril passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby.

Cyclobenzaprine (Oral Route)

This means it will show up on drug tests for nearly 4 days. 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.

• Although some of the trials had treatment arms with other drugs, including diazepam,30-32,35,36 diflunisal (Dolobid),21 and methocarbamol,22 only cyclobenzaprine and placebo data from each trial were abstracted.
• Likelihood of experiencing overall improvement in back pain by the end of the study among patients treated with cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride compared with placebo.
• This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.
• Robaxin and Flexeril are both effective medications for musculoskeletal pain and muscle spasms.
• The technical name of the active compound in Flexeril is cyclobenzaprine which can be found in a variety of different products.
• It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements.

Higher doses of cyclobenzaprine or tizanidine would be appropriate to promote sedation in cases of more severe discomfort or perceived muscular spasm. Although there appears to be insufficient data on metaxalone and methocarbamol, these may be useful in patients who cannot tolerate the sedative properties of cyclobenzaprine or tizanidine. Of note, methocarbamol costs substantially less than metaxalone. Stopping muscle relaxants suddenly can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Anyone with a history of substance abuse should mention this medical history to their doctor.

Physostigmine is not recommended except to treat life-threatening symptoms that have been unresponsive to other therapies, and then only in close consultation with a poison control center. The plasma concentration of cyclobenzaprine is increased in the elderly (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics, Elderly). The elderly may also be more at risk for CNS adverse events such as hallucinations and confusion, cardiac events resulting in falls or other sequelae, drug-drug and drug-disease interactions. For these reasons, in the elderly, cyclobenzaprine should be used only if clearly needed. In such patients FLEXERIL should be initiated with a 5 mg dose and titrated slowly upward.

I was still in a daze, and I didn’t take any more of the drug. I did drink some alcohol when it was offered to me, and the strangest thing happened. I was sitting on the sofa in the living room, and after some time, I couldn’t move my legs. They didn’t hurt at all, but it was like the connection between my legs and my brain had been severed. I slept there until the morning, at which point, I was still groggy, but at least I could move my legs.

If consciousness is impaired, the airway should be secured prior to lavage and emesis is contraindicated. In order to protect against the rare but potentially critical manifestations described above, obtain an ECG and immediately initiate cardiac monitoring. Protect the patient’s airway, establish an intravenous line and initiate gastric decontamination.

However, because it is closely related to tricyclic antidepressants, which are excreted in human milk, the FDA cautions against breastfeeding if using cyclobenzaprine. Another potential side effect of Flexeril abuse is cyclobenzaprine overdose, especially if taken in conjunction with other substances such as other CNS depressants like alcohol. Flexeril causes the body to become relaxed and abusing the substance in flexeril or tizanidine high doses can lead to cardiac arrest, low blood pressure, heart attack, and seizures. Taking Flexeril in the recommended dosage and for the right length of time should pose little to no risk of dependence or addiction forming. Abusing the drug in higher doses or combining it with other central nervous system depressants like benzodiazepines increases the risk of addiction as well as the potential for overdose.