Flexeril for Muscle Spasm User Reviews (Page 3)
Reviews for Flexeril
- ind...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- October 15, 2019
"This medication is bad. I was put on it for knee pain. Caused me extreme constipation and headache. I was taking 20 mg once per day. I am not using it anymore. Since the crackdown on hydrocodone (which I used to have prescribed to me), my doctor prescribed this drug. Never again will I use this medication. Check the side effects before getting it from your pharmacy. Caused me too many stomach issues, both digestive, etc. I am 58 years old."
- Joh...
- March 4, 2015
"I've taken Flexeril off and on since late '98 when I was (mis)diagnosed with muscle spasms (ER trip was due to a kidney stone). Flex was great at relieving muscle spasms for 7 out of 10 days prescribed. I took it for all 10 days, though the low back spasms were gone after day 7-the kidney stone pain, however, remained. I've been taking it as needed (having fractured my T12 or L1 vertebra when I was 8, herniated discs, etc.-at this writing, I'm 59) for about 6 months, per my PCP. After the first bottle, I told him about the soporific/zombie effects, and he now requires me to take it only when I go to bed to sleep. Flex has a half-life of 18-23 hours. Thus, it doesn't wear off fast. A bit of Melatonin helps me get better-than-zombie sleep. :)"
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take for Flexeril to work?
- Is Flexeril addictive, will it show up on a drug test?
- How long does Flexeril stay in your system?
- How do I treat back pain without using opioids?
- Mie...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- May 16, 2015
"Ok, so I got Flexeril 10 mg prescribed from an ER NP, after going through ultrasounds, etc. for what I feared was a DVT. Things came back normal, so she gave me this. I took one the next night, and about 30 minutes later, started nodding off... but this wasn't your normal dozing off. Every time I would feel myself dozing, I'd start hearing voices. These sleepiness/auditory hallucinations were the first effects. I didn't even notice if the pains were still there because I was constantly fighting to stay awake because the auditory hallucinations started to really scare me. Probably about an hour or so later, I completely knocked out (around 11:30) and didn't wake up until 1 pm the next day. Won't take this ever again."
- Sco...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- November 14, 2020
"Been taking this medication (10 mg twice a day) along with Meloxicam for neck pain and severely compressed disc in my back (what they call Degenerative Disc Disease). Also taking extra strength Tylenol because the Flexeril and Meloxicam are barely giving me any relief from the pain, which persists constantly."
Are you taking this medicine?
Your review helps others make informed decisions.- kry...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- March 12, 2017
"I've tried Flexeril twice in my life, once at least 6 years ago, and the last time was in December. I'd been on Carisoprodol (generic Soma) long term (about 20 years with only about a 9 month break). December 2016, my pain management doctor and practice decided to completely stop writing Carisoprodol/Soma prescriptions for all patients. The excuse was that studies have determined that Carisoprodol/Soma only work to relieve musculoskeletal pain for up to 21 days and then have zero effect on pain. After I picked up my Flexeril, I found out that it is not recommended for long term use either, as a matter of fact, it's recommended to not be used for more than 14 days before it becomes ineffective. But Flexeril didn't even touch me."
- Dan...
- July 9, 2018
"I've been on Flexeril now for about 2 years. My neurologist was treating me for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome. I was okay taking 10 mg once a day. It was when he increased my dosage that I started to have very, very serious side effects. Among the normal side effects-sleepiness, grogginess, confusion-that's a given, but it was working, so I tolerated it. When I jumped to 20 mg a day, within a week or two, I started to develop much more serious side effects. I developed a rapid heart rate, and one of the most serious was I could not urinate. I was put on a catheter on Easter Sunday for about 5 weeks. Just prior to that, I was having difficulty swallowing. Along with that, I started to have hallucinations big time. I ended up with such bad nightmares that I literally fell out of my bed three nights in a row. My urologist finally put the pieces together when he found out how long I had been on Flexeril. He told me to stop immediately, and when I did, within a week or two, most of my symptoms have disappeared."
More FAQ
- psf...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- December 18, 2019
"I had severe bilateral sacral pain, had a caudal epidural with no effect. I began Flexeril 10 mg prior to the epidural, which improved my condition. After the epidural, I stopped Flexeril, and the pain came back big time. I resumed Flexeril, which kicked in two days later. I take it 2x daily and meloxicam 15 mg once daily. I am scheduled for another epidural on January 2, but will cancel if Flexeril keeps working."
- Oka...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- July 22, 2019
"I have severe back spasms in my lower and mid back sections. This medication works, however, I feel like a complete zombie when I wake up. I'm super tired for another day or two after a 15-milligram dose. Dry mouth is a huge factor for me, but staying hydrated is a great way to keep dry mouth at bay."
- LAE...
- October 21, 2016
"5 or 10 mg works for muscle spasms, but dangerous if taken during the daytime. Caused uncontrolled drowsiness, deep sleep, difficulty waking up, constipation, blurred vision, and sudden unbearable headaches, leaving me unable to function. (5 or 10 mg doses had the same effects.) Lost a new job just 2 months after starting due to not realizing it was this medication's side effects of blurred vision, migraines, and exhaustion. I was unable to keep up with the workload and didn't relate it to Flexeril because I had been on it many years ago when I was much younger. I tried to explain to my PCP, but some docs just don't listen. I have since stopped Flexeril, no more headaches!"
- Kli...
- May 31, 2018
"Flexeril is a miracle med for me. It kind of resets my body, taking the areas of pain out, unwinding my body to again go forward in this world. The hangover fog goes away for me with coffee. Appreciation to the developers of this miracle for me medicine. Those giving bad reports - I respect that, but the ones using it in conjunction with Tramadol, it is the Tramadol, in my opinion, that causes the issues."
- Anonymous
- February 6, 2011
"Flexeril: short-term memory loss and extremely vivid dreams were my side effects. I had muscle spasms for a week and began taking 10 mg only at bedtime. It made me sleep long but not well, as I had very strange vivid dreams that kept waking me. I also found myself incredibly forgetful, forgot things within an hour. I thought I was losing my mind. I stopped taking it immediately, but after a week, it's still in my system."
- Anonymous
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- October 12, 2016
"Taking Flexeril gets results for pain relief, especially when taken with tramadol, but I have started having severe pain and pressure in the very low abdominal area, like a very painful bowel movement. Starts in the middle of the night and lasts for about an hour. I only use it once or twice a week and only at bedtime, but now I am thinking this may not be the drug for me."
- too...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- June 30, 2017
"I've been prescribed Flexeril a few times when I've severely pulled a muscle. I use it as a muscle relaxant only; to lower the pain of a spasm and be able to stretch the muscle a bit to loosen it. When I was in PT, I took it after when my muscles were tight and aching. It worked great for those days I overdid it. It's definitely not a pill to take during the day unless you've become accustomed to it. I can attest to its efficacy for short-term use up to 2 weeks, but am doubtful about how well it would work long-term."
- Did...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 6, 2023
"I was prescribed Flexeril 10mg to take as needed for muscle spasms in my neck. They have been a saving grace when I can't get my spasms to calm down, however, the dry mouth that they cause the next day is UNREAL. I suffer through the dry mouth because I need the pain relief, but the next day I look like a damn dog with peanut butter stuck in its mouth. If you are prescribed this, go out and get some sugar-free candy or gum because water doesn't do anything to help."
- Anonymous
- October 11, 2012
"I tore my labrum in my left hip, the doctor gave me Robaxin at first, but it didn't seem to work. I take 2 of these and 1 Vicodin, and I feel much better. After surgery, I will hopefully be able to get rid of these and get back to normal."
- Tin...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- December 11, 2017
"So I recently slept wrong and thought I had a stiff neck that it would go away. I was wrong. Three days later, it got worse and worse that I couldn't move my head down or to the right or upward. I was prescribed 10 mg twice a day, but I just took it once a day with naproxen, an anti-inflammatory. Plus, I rubbed Vicks on the area, which my Puerto Rican mother swears works wonders, lol. Yes, it makes you super sleepy, but it was a great sleep, no complaints. And in 24 hours and 48 hours later, I can do my PT exercises without pain, and I feel great about 70% improvement. I still have to continue to stretch and massage the area. This is helping. Everyone responds differently, though."
- Anonymous
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- May 16, 2017
"Took two 10 mg tabs twice a day and found it to be effective for relieving muscle spasms in my back. When I first started taking it, I had wild, vivid dreams and would often wake up at night confused as to where I was. Sleeping with better illumination helped a little with this. Things have settled down recently."
- Ala...
- February 29, 2016
"Took two ten mg tablets, then tried to sleep. Couldn't sleep because of legs and upper back spasming the same or worse, and then fell asleep three times for thirty minutes to an hour each time, only to wake up because of spasming and then discovering I had pooed myself a little each time. It gave me horrible diarrhea. I would rather be knocked out with a few firm punches to the face than to try this stuff again. I'm fairly certain it not only didn't help, but it made everything worse."
- Sci...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- March 30, 2017
"I read through some of the reviews here and wow, what doctors are you seeing that prescribe 10 mg, 3 times a day?! Of course, you have side effects lol. That's jumping off the deep end. You always start low and ramp up. Make sure you Google medications before just taking them. Doctors can be wrong and are wrong lots of times. My doctor told me 5 mg to 10 mg a day only at night. I'm on my first day after taking 10 mg last night and feel pretty groggy, but I only slept 7 hours (more than I usually get). I took a 5 mg pill at about 10:20 pm last night and was laying down for an hour before I took another 5 mg pill at 11:20 pm. It was about 12:20 am when I last looked at the time. I did wake up with a headache that went away after an hour though."
- ang...
- February 15, 2012
"The side effect that made me stop it was severe reflux. I would wake up from a dead sleep, basically vomiting in my mouth and nearly choking on it. This happened nightly for weeks, and I just couldn't tolerate it anymore. It does help a great deal with relaxing the muscles (and for pain). I also get insomnia from this while most people get drowsy."
- Pau...
- May 16, 2018
"I can't really say whether Flexeril helped with muscle pain or not because within 45 minutes of taking it, it had knocked me out for several hours. After I woke up, I felt like I'd been drinking all day. Even the next day, I'm still very groggy 16 hours after taking a single dose. Wouldn't recommend it unless pain is unbearable."
- Pub...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- November 28, 2022
"After taking generic Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) for several weeks for muscle spasms in my shoulder, I started to experience full-blown panic attacks after taking this medication. I had never experienced a panic attack before in my life, so I didn’t really know what was happening the first few times. I don’t have the words to describe how truly terrible and debilitating the experience was. Finally, I realized that the panic attacks occurred shortly after taking this medication. So far, stopping the medication has stopped the panic attacks (thank God!). It took a few days to start feeling better after stopping the medication. Supposedly, this medication can have rare central nervous system side effects for some people. Sharing my experience with the hope that it might help someone else. Please be careful."
- Uni...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- January 30, 2017
"Ok, so I have fibromyalgia, DJD, Raynaud's syndrome, bulging and herniated disks, possible lupus (awaiting further testing). This treats mild muscle spasms and muscle pain without making you sleepy or groggy. When in severe muscular pain, I have to use Soma 350 mg instead."
- OAM...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- December 13, 2017
"I first tried this for severe lower back spasms. The doc warned me I would feel 'hung over' the first few days, which was true. Start with a low dose and ramp up if needed. The first a.m. I shrugged my shoulders and thought, 'Wow-this is what it's like to be normal!' (I had wrecked my neck in a parachute accident several years before). BONUS: I had been waking up at 1-3 a.m. every morning and was not able to go back to sleep. This med solved that problem. At the same time, I was able to get up in the middle of the night, take care of my toddler, then go back to sleep without a problem. CON: it causes dry mouth, which leads to dental problems. Sad. I take it only a few times a year now. (I took it every night for several years)."
Are you taking this medicine?
Your review helps others make informed decisions.Learn more about Muscle Spasm
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"I had right shoulder, arm, and neck pain for 2 weeks - I had taken Norco at night so I could sleep, but the pain was too much, and I had no relief. My orthopedic doc prescribed Flexeril 5 mg. I took one at dinner, but 3 hours in, still no relief - took a pain med (Oxy), fell asleep a while later - next morning I woke up and no pain - first time in two weeks! Since the pain meds had no effect, I know the Flexeril did its job. I felt a little 'hungover,' but okay - next night I took it alone, and I had no side effects the next day."