Flexavil?
Canada17 - Nov 19th, 2009 4:41 PM
[ Original Post ]

My doctor prescribed this to me to take for a couple of days to help me get a good night's sleep until I can go for a sleep study. She prescribe 10mg and I am to break it in half and then in half again and take one quarter before bed.

I took a look at the ingredients, mostly vitamins and minerals to make up this muscle relaxer.

Has anyone else taken this or know anything about it?

Comment


 

Canada17 - Nov 19th, 2009 4:47 PM

Or maybe it's Flexeril...why can't doctors have neater writing?


Noca - Nov 19th, 2009 6:32 PM

I got some Flexeril from my mother, its just a muscle relaxant. I prefer Clonazepam or Diazepam as my muscle relaxers instead.




Canada17 - Nov 19th, 2009 10:47 PM

Diazepam is like a "miracle" drug for all the things it's used to treat.

I don't know what this Flexaril will be like, but I'm really not taking much, 1/4 of a 10mg pill, and the RX is for only 10 tablets...but I guess that's 40 doses.

I'll let you know how I feel after taking it.


Canada17 - Nov 22nd, 2009 3:17 PM

So this drug is Fexeril, or cyclobenzaprine. I took my first dose last night. Didn't do a thing...well I did have a crazy dream that Edward Cullen was my boyfriend and wouldn't take his clothes off to shower with me and then my face swelled up because I took this medication. Messed up, right? LOL There was nothing wrong with my face when I woke up, that was the first thing I checked.

I took approximately a quarter of a 10mg pill, so not very much at all. After a couple of days we'll up the dose to half the pill and see how I tolerate that. It is supposed to help me sleep so I am not as stiff and tired in the morning. I was very stiff and sore this morning...


anniepooh32 - Nov 23rd, 2009 2:41 PM

Hello, I am taking Flexeril 10mg 3 times a day. It is technically an antidepressant but it is used as a muscle relaxer as well and has the added benefit of helping you sleep better. The last two are the reasons I use it. It has been a great drug choice for me. It allows me to function. I had nightly leg cramps in my calves and bladder spasms several times a day (I also have IC). I also have muscle tremors in my arms and legs. The Flexeril has completely eliminated the leg cramps and bladder spasms and mostly control the muscle tremors. I truly believe that this is one of the main reasons I am able to get up in the morning and go about my daily life. As a side note: Flexeril has sedative effects so be careful taking this medicine until you know how you will react to it. Hope this helps you. Best Regards.


Canada17 - Nov 23rd, 2009 2:49 PM

So the 1/4 of a 10mg pill has done NOTHING for me. No intended side effect or adverse reaction. I spoke with my doctor and she has advised me to move up to 1/2 a pill and if that is still not doing anything than to take the whole pill.

I just want to be able to get a good night's sleep! Here's to hoping it works and doesn't give me a crazy reaction like the amitryptiline did.


Noca - Nov 23rd, 2009 6:02 PM

Annie, have you tried any Benzodiazepenes(Valium, Klonopin, etc) before? If so, how did they compare to Flexeril?


Canada17 - Nov 24th, 2009 10:06 AM

Flexeril is more comparable to amitryptiline than Benzodiazepenes.


anniepooh32 - Nov 24th, 2009 4:00 PM

The only one I have tried, sort of, is Valium. Unfortunately I inserted the tablet vaginally to stop bladder spasms and to relax my pelvic floor muscles, so I have never taken it for a systemic effect. Inserting it vaginally worked but could only be done at night due to the fact that if I stood up the pill could potentially fall out. I actually prefer to take the Flexeril because it controls the spasms all day so I am not left to suffer until I go to bed. I suppose I should also mention that I take 25mg of Amitriptyline at night also as well as 30mg of Cymbalta at night and 100mg of Gabapentine every 12 hrs. (This one is new and will probably end up at a higher dose but I have to titrate it first. I also take 200mg of extended release Ultram and 5/500 or 10/325 of Vicodin as needed for breakthrough pain depending on how bad it is. There is also a host of others as well but these were the ones I felt were pertinent to the conversation.


Canada17 - Nov 24th, 2009 4:13 PM

I tried Amitriptyline, 10mg at bed. Was WONDERFUL! Gave me a bad reaction though, doctor said no way. Turns out I'm allergic to it - disappointing considering how well it helped me sleep.

I'm moving my way up the doses of Fleveril. I took half of a 10mg pill last night because a quarter wasn't doing anything. I think I'll have to step it up again though because it didn't do much...did reduce a few of the spasms but didn't eliminate them. The doctor said to take the full pill if the half didn't help.


Noca - Nov 24th, 2009 10:48 PM

anniepooh32 is another example of polypharmacy used in chronic pain patients Canada17 as I mentioned before.


Canada17 - Nov 25th, 2009 9:24 AM

Noca, what does that have to do with this thread? I get it, there are a lot of chronic pain patients that use many prescriptions at once to treat their pain.

I hold firm on my belief that prescriptions should be given as a last resort as a lot of what we experience as FM suffers has to do with what we put in our body. Food, drink, meds. They all contribute to our overall feeling of well being.

That being said, there are also people who have complicated FM, meaning they have other disorders as well as their FM. I guess I am lucky that my FM isn't complicated but that doesn't make what I am saying is any less true for every person suffering from FM.

More doctors need to be responsible and take a preventative stance rather than a treatment stance. They need to reinforce the well known fact that there are food sensitivities/allergies from otherwise healthy foods in people with FM. Exercise, while it is difficult to do with pain, is essential to allowing us to continue our day to day tasks with less pain. And exercise doesn't have to mean lifting weights and running a marathon. As I've mentioned before, Tai Chi can be done from a chair.

Doctors don't know everything and every person is different.

Why is it that you hold so dear to the idea that the best way to treat everything is with a myriad of medications? Are you trying to make everyone else feel better, or yourself? I thought we were past this, Noca, why can't you let it go?


Canada17 - Nov 25th, 2009 9:33 AM

I don't want to argue with you, Noca. You have your opinion, I have mine. I don't need you to throw yet another example in my face in order to understand your point.

I thought I had asked for a truce on this. Or are you unwilling to agree to disagree?


Noca - Nov 25th, 2009 12:23 PM

I wasnt trying to argue Canada17, just saying an example of someone on polypharmacy, an example I didnt have before for an earlier discussion. Just saying that its not unheard of to be on a lot of meds as a chronic pain patient thats all.


Canada17 - Nov 25th, 2009 2:53 PM

I didn't say it was unheard of. I just don't think it is the best approach for someone newly diagnosed with FM as there are a lot of everyday, healthy things, that could be contributing to the pain that if eliminated would greatly reduce if not eliminate some of the pain.

Since FM is permanent, would it not be better to be proactive and use less medication as we try to figure out what our triggers are? The use of strong pain killers at the beginning will only lead to a tolerance of them and thus an increase of dose or a change to something stronger. That can be very hard on the body and given the awesome fact that our bodies are already reeling from the things that caused our FM to begin with, would it not be better to use medications as a last resort?

You defend the idea that "polypharmacy" is the best approach to treating chronic pain and yet when I start a thread discussing how my doctor suspects I am allergic to narcotics, you suggest I try Demerol. A narcotic. Because of that very simple fact, I have a hard time trusting the knowledge that you have based your conclusions on. Which makes me weary of the advice you give because you say you are a med student - shouldn't you know Demerol is a narcotic?

I don't say this to be mean or spiteful, I say it because I am concerned that people will trust your advice based on you being a med student. It worries me. There is no magic pill that will take away our pain and mixing meds is dangerous because what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander when it comes to FM.


Noca - Nov 25th, 2009 5:44 PM

My aunt is allergic to all opiates/opioids except Demerol. Even drugs.com does not say you should avoid the drug if you are allergic to opiates/opioids/narcotics. Yes Demerol is a narcotic, but not all drugs are the same just because they are in the same category/classification. Each drug differs slightly as well as having its own unique chemical composition. I'm not a chemistry student so I couldn't tell you exactly how Demerol differs from the rest of the Narcotics but it obviously does.


Noca - Nov 25th, 2009 5:47 PM

Mixing meds may be dangerous, but then again not treating pain can be too. Those chronic pain patients who fail to be treated properly may decide to commit suicide because they cannot tolerate the pain. This is no unheard of either. "Approximately 30% to 54% of people with chronic pain also have a major depressive disorder" - medscape.com


Noca - Nov 25th, 2009 5:49 PM

As for ANY medication, you must decide with your doctor if the benefits outweigh the risks. Only when the benefits outweigh the risks should you use a medication.


Canada17 - Nov 25th, 2009 9:32 PM

I guess your aunt is lucky, considering Demerol is not supposed to be prescribed to people who have ever had an allergic to it or other narcotic painkillers.

You are right and I will wholeheartedly agree that we should always discuss medications with our doctor, but even you admit to getting Flexeril from your mother. One wrong pill could have serious consequences.

There are many ways to treat pain aside from prescription medications. Not all chronic pain causes depression.


anniepooh32 - Dec 2nd, 2009 5:09 PM

Just to put my two cents in (For Noca and Canada17)...I am on many medications (25 pills a day). Simple truth. However I also have a host of other issues that require the use of many meds to control. I use what I need in order to function but no more. I am also doing various exercise activities and stretching and have to watch my diet very carefully due to other conditions. So I don't only take medications to control my various diseases but incorporate lifestyle aspects as well.

Each person is different, has their own set of issues and problems and has to do what is right for them.