Muscle Relaxants

Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics we stock

This category holds medicines that reduce muscle spasm, and they divide by where they act. Baclofen, stocked at 10MG and 25MG, and tizanidine at 2MG and 4MG work centrally and are used for spasticity arising from neurological conditions as well as for acute spasm. Cyclobenzaprine, methocarbamol and carisoprodol are used mainly for short-term musculoskeletal spasm and pain, and frequently appear in combination products with an anti-inflammatory such as aceclofenac or diclofenac.

Sedation is the common thread

The common thread is sedation. Nearly all of these cause drowsiness, and the effect is amplified considerably by alcohol, by antihistamines and by anything else with a sedative action. That matters for driving and for operating machinery, and it is the reason many of them are taken in the evening where the dosing schedule allows. Tizanidine also lowers blood pressure and can cause dizziness on standing, and it interacts with ciprofloxacin and fluvoxamine strongly enough that the combination is avoided.

Baclofen and carisoprodol need particular care

Baclofen deserves a particular note: after regular use it is not stopped suddenly. Abrupt withdrawal can cause rebound spasticity, confusion and, uncommonly, seizures, so reductions are tapered. Carisoprodol has recognised misuse potential and is used for short periods only.

Reading combination products

Combination products are worth reading carefully, since the anti-inflammatory component counts towards your total NSAID exposure, and taking a separate painkiller alongside can double it without you noticing.

What helps besides medication

Heat, gentle movement and returning to normal activity as soon as it is tolerable generally do more for acute spasm over a fortnight than extending medication does, and bed rest beyond a day or two tends to slow recovery rather than speed it.

Spasm that continues beyond a couple of weeks, or that comes with weakness, numbness or bladder changes, is a reason to be assessed rather than to continue treating. Every listing shows the molecule, the strength, the pack size and, for combinations, both components, with the guaranteed minimum expiry date displayed. All stock ships from India through licensed distributors.