Cyclobenzaprine Flexeril Side Effects & Interactions

Your risk may be higher if you also take certain other medicines that affect serotonin levels in your body. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below.

You must check to make sure that it is safe for you to take this drug with all of your drugs and health problems. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any drug without checking with your doctor. Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines.

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Its actions on the CNS may also cause some of this medicine’s side effects. People might also use Flexeril as a way to come down from Stimulant drugs, such as Cocaine or Adderall. When people addicted to Flexeril attempt to stop taking it or reduce their doses they may start to experience withdrawal symptoms, although these are typically not severe. Flexeril withdrawal symptoms can include headache, nausea, fatigue, and cravings for the drug.

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This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss possible side effects with a healthcare professional who knows your medical history. This medicine will add to the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants (medicines that slow down the nervous system, possibly causing drowsiness). Check with your doctor before taking any of the above while you are using this medicine. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products.

• Ask your doctor before making any changes in how or when you take your medications.
• The extended-release formulation should be administered at the same time each day.
• The starting dose for Flexeril typically ranges from 5 mg to 10 mg for muscle spasms.
• This enables the provider to evaluate for any potential interactions and helps them keep the patient safe.

Alcohol or marijuana (cannabis) can make you more dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs alertness until you can do it safely. Talk to your doctor if you are using marijuana (cannabis). Secondary endpoints included a physician’s evaluation of the presence and extent of palpable muscle spasm.

Common Cyclobenzaprine Side Effects

Clinicians should monitor for signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome if the patient is taking other serotonergic drugs. In two case reports, the authors described patients who quickly developed serotonin syndrome after initiating cyclobenzaprine in the short term. In both cases, the patients took serotonergic medications (phenelzine and duloxetine) before starting cyclobenzaprine.[21]Clinicians should also monitor for vital signs, as cyclobenzaprine flexeril.live can cause reflex tachycardia. 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.

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This combination can cause extreme drowsiness and respiratory depression, but many people that abuse Flexeril will mix the substances anyway simply to increase the intoxication experienced. It can also enhance the effects of agents with CNS depressant activity. Older adults appear to have a higher risk for CNS-related adverse reactions, such as hallucinations and confusion, when using cyclobenzaprine.

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. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. All patients suspected of an overdose with FLEXERIL should receive gastrointestinal decontamination. This should include large volume gastric lavage followed by activated charcoal.

Eight double-blind controlled clinical studies were performed in 642 patients comparing FLEXERIL 10 mg, diazepam, and placebo. Muscle spasm, local pain and tenderness, limitation of motion, and restriction in activities of daily living were evaluated. In three of these studies there was a significantly greater improvement with FLEXERIL than with diazepam, while in the other studies the improvement following both treatments was comparable. 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. Abrupt cessation of treatment after prolonged administration rarely may produce nausea, headache, and malaise. For most patients, the recommended dose of FLEXERIL is 5 mg three times a day.

If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. Cyclobenzaprine is structurally and pharmacologically related to tricyclic antidepressants. Among the most dreaded toxicities linked with cyclical antidepressants, overdoses affect fast-acting sodium channels in the cardiac conduction system. Cyclical antidepressants block the cardiac sodium channel and cause prolongation of cardiac depolarization, which manifests as QRS widening on electrocardiograms. There is also evidence that cyclical antidepressants may decrease the seizure threshold by interfering with chloride conductance on the GABA receptor.