Your first-line treatment will still be over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen, Advil, naproxen, Aleve). They work better for neck and back pain than muscle relaxants, but there may be a benefit to taking them together, especially at night. Research shows that a muscle relaxant added to acetaminophen or an NSAID works better than either alone.

Now, let’s compare nine popular muscle relaxants. How well do they work and what are their side effects? Oh, and are they affordable?

1) Methocarbamol (Robaxin)

An inexpensive and relatively less sedating option, methocarbamol has been well studied for use in back pain. In recent studies where it was used for up to eight days, 44% of folks that took methocarbamol had complete pain relief (compared to 18% who took nothing)—and that was without any serious side effects.

Taken as needed, 1500 mg every 6 to 8 hours is a cheap and well-tolerated option for sufferers of acute neck and back pain. Think of trying this first, as it is less sedating than other options, like cyclobenzaprine and carisoprodol.

2) Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)

At the standard dose of 10 mg to 30 mg a day, cyclobenzaprine will make you sleepy. If used during the day you’ll want to break your 10 mg tab in half and take 5 mg to lessen the drowsiness. Interestingly, 5 mg three times a day has been shown in studies to work as well as 10 mg taken three times a day.

Cyclobenzaprine is a reasonable first choice because it’s a cheap generic, but the sedation side effect limits its use during the day. It may also cause more dry mouth, especially in older folks. If this is a concern, consider a better non-sedating option.

3) Carisoprodol (Soma)

Carisoprodol is a Schedule IV drug (similar to benzodiazepines Ativan, Valium, and Xanax) and has the potential for being abused. For this reason, it should not be used if there is a history of substance abuse.

The general opinion is that carisoprodol should be phased out as a muscle relaxant in favor of much better options. If prescribed, carisoprodol should only be used for short periods of two to three weeks due to lack of evidence for effectiveness with longer use. It may cause drowsiness and dizziness, and should not be used in folks over 65.

4) Metaxalone (Skelaxin)

Taken as 800 mg tablets three to four times a day, metaxalone has the fewest reported side effects and lowest sedation potential of the muscle relaxants based on clinical studies. Simply put, it is the best-tolerated of the muscle relaxants.

Metaxolone is a generic alternative for the brand drug, Skelaxin, but it is still pricey and insurance companies don’t like to cover it because there are cheaper alternatives. Having said that, it works as well as cyclobenzaprine and carisoprodol with fewer side effects and less sedation—so paying cash may be worth it.

5) Tizanidine (Zanaflex)

Tizanidine is used more for spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. Spasticity is where the muscles undergo continuous contraction, which leads to tightness and stiffness. In head to head studies with Baclofen for those conditions, it tends to have fewer side effects—but they both work just as well. This is not a first-line choice for acute neck or back muscle pain though.

6) Baclofen

Similar to tizanidine, Baclofen is primarily used for spasticity in spinal cord injury patients or those with multiple sclerosis. Drowsiness occurs in up to 20% of folks taking it, and there are better options for neck and back muscle pain. Also not a first choice.

7) Oxazepam

Benzodiazepine medications like oxazepam and diazepam (Valium), are sometimes prescribed as muscle relaxants. However, these really aren’t recommended because they don’t work well, are sedating, and can be habit-forming. Avoid benzodiazepines for neck and back muscle pain because there are much better options.

8) Chlorzoxazone (Lorzone)

Chlorzoxazone is not well-studied for acute low back and neck pain in adults, and when investigated for pain after spine surgery, it wasn’t found to be effective. Chlorzoxazone has also been reported as a rare cause of acute liver toxicity. Don’t choose this until you’ve exhausted all other options.

9) Orphenadrine (Norflex)

For neck and back pain in adults, the first four medications on this list work better than orphenadrine, so save this as another last resort in the event the others don’t work. It just hasn’t been well studied for this purpose.

Dr O.

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