User Reviews for Flexeril to treat Muscle Spasm

"I took this briefly for pelvic pain and muscle spasm. I would never wish to scare anyone with side effect horror stories, but I strongly urge anyone taking this drug to pay attention to how they feel emotionally while on it. After just a few days of taking this drug, I felt highly irritable and was in the darkest of places in my mind. I was taking Tramadol at the same time so I thought maybe it was a combination of the two. I stopped the tramadol for several days and just took the flexeril, but I still felt unmotivated, depressed, and angry. I decided it was not worth it even if it offered physical relief. My advice is always do your research before starting a new medication. Many doctors don’t discuss these side effects with patients and depending on what you’re taking, you may unwittingly be on a dangerous combination of drugs that can affect you not just physically, but emotionally as well."

"I don't understand why so many users are started on 10 mg. I have had low back spasms due to work injury aggravated by ageing (now 67 yrs). I take one 5 mg in evening as need with acetaminophen and am able to get good relief for my problem, only occasional daytime use. I do not take every day, only as needed, seldom more than two or three consecutive days. Sometimes more is not better, lowest effective dosage is the way to go. For those complaining on 10 mg, get a pill splitter & try 5 mg."

"It really does work and helps me to relax so I can rest & sleep. And I've taken it for off & on for several years! I have arthritis, pinched nerves, muscle spasms & a lot more elements. IT WORKS. But what works for one might not work for another. Best wishes to everyone!"

"I find Flexeril 'tops' for killing muscle pain associated with spasm, knots and/or injury. Compared to Valium (which I also have) the Flexeril does a better job for the actual pain & spasm. However, Flexeril does have heavy side effects which could discourage first time users: - Dry mouth and eyes. - A 'tight feeling' of the upper chest & bronchioles (very similar to what a high dose of Benadryl does). - Slightly blurry vision. - A substantial drowsiness which, for me, occurs about 4 hours after taking the dose. It becomes a struggle to stay awake. Definitely never go above the recommended dose - because of the harsh side effects."

"I have severe degenerative disc disease and Flexeril was one of many different medicines my G. P. tried on me, to avoid opioids, when he decided that he would not continue my Rx's given to me properly by an M. D. in pain management. I took only one pill not 2, which knocked me out. 1 did nothing. 2- I could not focus, drive, etc- I was only on Soma, Clonazapam & they are fine without Flexeril; I can concentrate, without sleepiness, just need pain medication and if someone will not prescribe, best of luck- to us all--we the injured & healing, even doing our PT ,yoga daily for me, as it indeed strengthens all muscles, especially involving the spine, are prejudiced against. Thanks FDA. We are the suffering; boo on the government, pharma companies, who will not provide relief that works."

"I injured my back at age 24 and have had flare ups over the years. I'm now almost 60 and back pain is almost a daily thing. Being barely able to walk, I went to my PCP to get something for it but she's a die hard no opioids or controlled substances of any kind. Instead, she gave me flexeril - 10 mg twice a day. I had never taken them before and didn't have much hope for pain relief. But, I was wrong. After taking them for a few days I felt like a different person. Now I only take as needed. I've had no side effects except for dry mouth. Not even the "loopiness" or drowsiness she had warned me about."

"Definitely relaxed my back muscles. The only odd side effect is a very, very, very strong hangover. I couldn't focus my eyes on one thing for more than a second. Caused me to sleep about 18 hours at a time."

"I get muscle tightness and spasms often after workouts as a side effect of arthritis in my back & neck (which was diagnosed for me in 2011). Flexeril was prescribed for this problem. It works great, but here is my feedback. First few times I took it, it knocked me out. Had to lay down & sleep. Took awhile of taking it in smaller doses, where this effect went away. After 3 weeks of use, I started holding fluids really bad. So I no longer use it daily, only as desperately needed. Also causes constipation, so be prepared to add Fiber to your diet to help with that. When I do take it, I'm able to work out the problem areas in my neck (which bothers me the most) with sports cream rub, while on the Flexeril. I can definitely recommend!"

"I am so glad I found this article of comments online about Flexeril. I was wondering if the pain from the back muscle spasms was causing me to be so agitated and short tempered until I read another comment about a woman whose mood became very nasty and mean tempered when she was on Flexeril. I’m usually very easy-going but have been an intense pain since Monday when I’ve bent over and pulled a muscle. I’ve had this occur several years ago and was able at that time to go to my primary doctor and get a shot for inflammation and some info on exercises. These helped tremendously and eventually I got back to normal. However this time My doctor was out of town and I couldn’t get anyone to get me in for an appointment so I called for a refill on my Flexeril and every since I’ve been taking it three days I have noticed I am so agitated and quick tempered with my pets I have in my home ? after reading all this I will probably wean myself off..."

"Helps with muscle pain and tension. Does cause drowsiness, but if you are hurting it is worth it. Take currently for Fibromyalgia when I am having a bad day. Can take small doses and function at work, but larger doses I will be asleep."

"I was prescribed 10mg Flexeril last week as couldn’t turn my head right or left. I also have flaring bursitis. Was told to use this for night time to help me sleep. It did nothing at all. I had to take another one a few hours later. Same thing the next night. Didn’t take out for 2 nights, then took one: didn’t notice anything at all. Today I noticed I’m extra cranky and irritated- it was extremely hard to focus on a task and get things done. Nothing got accomplished today and not I won’t sleep. Do not recommend."

"I take 10mg 3x a day along with ibuprofen when my lower back starts acting up. I am better in 2 - 3 days. Works great for me. My doctor used to also prescribe a narcotic pain reliever but that did nothing for the pain. Ibuprofen along with Flexeril works best."

"It is unbelievable what a person has to go through to get pain relief. Physicians don't seem to distinguish between real and fake in spite of a patient with no history of narcotic or opiod use. I was going into two weeks of an RA flair and in between rheumatologists. Barely able to walk or use my hands that were red and swollen like sausages and unable to speak without crying, I attempted my best to explain to my doc I was having an RA flair. He prescribed Lyrica. I went to an ortho surgeon asked for cortisone hand injections. Nope. Went to podiatrist asked for cortisone injections so I could walk. He gave me one, going back in 3 days for other foot. Ended up taking 3 generic 10 mg Flexeril. Went to bed, slept all nite, woke up pain free."

"Yikes! I don't like taking medication of any kind. I've had a frozen shoulder for 8 months and am ready to gnaw off my own arm from the pain and lack of mobility. My PCP prescribed this for shoulder impingement. I took half of a 10 at 8 pm and slept all night. I do have a very dry mouth and feel hung-over this morning. I'd reserve this for bedtime use only."

"This medicine sucks. I took it before bedtime as I was prescribed, and didn't really notice any effects. After two or three days like that, I began taking the medicine at about 7 pm so that I could be awake to notice if the medication worked or not. At 11 pm, I still felt nothing. I didn't feel any relief from my muscles nor was I the least bit drowsy. I told my doctor my concerns about it not working and her response was "It works longterm. You'll see the results after two weeks of taking the medicine." Well, two weeks have come and I still feel the same. I'm still sore, tense and in pain."

"My doctor prescribed 10 mg flexeril 3 times per day for a painful and crippling muscle spasm in my lower back. The dosage helped relax my back, but it also relaxed everything else in my body. I had difficulty controlling my extremities, as if they were detached from the rest of my body. Sometimes I didn't have enough control of my tongue to speak clearly. Sometimes I felt weak and uncoordinated, for example, I had to take my time going up and down stairs. I felt generally sleepy and spaced out most of the time, and felt thirstier than usual. I also needed more sleep than usual, 10 hours. Overall effective for helping my condition, but the side effects were a little frightening."

"I take Flexeril for muscle spasm related to bulged discs at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1. I get sciatica down both legs. I also have C6-C7 facet joint damage that catches and occasionally prevents me from turning my head to the left. I am highly resistant to narcotics and anesthetics, and take 10mg Flexeril during the day without any side effects. It allows me to function without letting the muscles lock up. It stops the pain cycle (pain=muscle tension=pain=muscle tension). When I take it at night, it quicly reduces the spasming. If the pain is severe, I take with narcotics for one night to force massive relaxation. This should be done with extreme caution tho - combining opiates and muscle relaxers can cause someone to stop breathing."

"Don't take this. Dont even think about it. Play around with tylenol and advil. This medicine's side effects to me: shortness of breath, fatigue stomach pains-sharp pains, unable to sleep. I am drinking as much water as I can to take it out my system but on the verge of an Emergency room visit. Have in mind this is my fist time. Sunday evening. 1 10 mg pill. That was all it took. Be careful. Extremely careful"

"I pulled/strained a muscle in my upper back last week, and the pain was so bad, I could hardly breathe. My doctor prescribed Flexeril which I took as soon as possible with a little food - around 2:00 PM. About an hour later I was out COLD - asleep for the rest of the day, that night, and until late the next morning. Good thing I took a couple of days off from work, because I felt drowsy and weird for at least 24 hours after I took it. There's no way I could have driven - much less accomplished anything at work. Having said all this, it really did kill the pain. It's as if I never injured my back. But at what cost? I think I'll take 800 mgs of ibuprofen instead if I ever have a similar injury."

"I was ok on a Monday and could hardly get out of bed due to pain on Tuesday. I was somewhat shocked. Three days later I went to Urgent Care and was prescribed Flexeril.It has been a life saver. I am shocked it has helped my arthritis in my knee. I can finally sleep."

"Have had lower back pain from an injury 5 years ago picking up an incredibly heavy cabinet full of books. Yeah I know super intelligent! Have tried Xanax, ib protein 800 and Advil and nothing takes the pain away like flexeril 10mg consistantly right before bed! Wonder drug for me! Best part of all its non addicting. Doctor said its a torn muscle on the left side of my spine, also shot me up with a cortisone shot that hurt like hell for days! I have been on it for a week and it's night and day for me, hope it keeps doing what it's doing. Good luck to everyone!"

"I have had severe lower back pain and back spasms for a few days and was given this Flexeril as well as told to take Advil and Tylenol. Must say it does work best with the Tylenol. Took my spasms away and I was able to catch a break from the pain."

"I was diagnosed with with spondylolisthesis (L3-4 & L 4-5) 30 years ago in my 20's. Pain was so bad I would not be able to stand and I would drop to the floor. I had frequent pain with 5-6 extreme episodes of my back severely "going out" for days in the next 20 years, and was eventually given Flexeril. A physical therapist taught me to stretch my hamstrings and glutes when tight, as they are connected to and pull on my lower back muscles, which in turn pulls and pinches nerves in my L-vertebrae. I can usually avoid my back "going out" by stretching + OTC pain relief, but I take 1 Flexeril at night for a day or 2 if really bad and it relaxes my muscles enough to un pinch the nerves and relieve the severe pain. Because of my condition, I still have low back pain after vacuuming, gardening, hiking long distance, etc., but my back hasn't "gone out" in 10 years. I DO wake up groggy in the morning after taking Flexeril, so if I have to go to work the next day, I may only take half a pill."

"I took this for muscle pain and it physically worked well but left me feeling incredibly depressed and hopeless to the point I had to discontinue. Not taking in combination with any other meds that could cause this, so unfortunately think this didn't vibe with my chemistry even though the muscular relief and ability to sleep through the night was nice. I was only on 5mg."

"My doctor just prescribed 10mg (cyclobenzaprine) 2X daily, due to disc protrusion in my C6-7 and muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. I have been taking it for a couple days now and it works great for the pain, however it does make me extremely drowsy! The night before last I took one at bedtime and it knocked me out cold and I slept great, but it made me very fatigued the next day. Luckily it was my day off so I spent it in bed, but my spasms came back in the early afternoon, so I took another one. Again, out cold! Slept all day and decided not to take another one last night because I was still very drowsy. I will reduce my dosage to 5mg around 6pm and see how that works. Definitely not taking during the day unless in severe pain!"