Flexeril and Depression: What Users Say

• Kan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2020

For 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."

• Aci...
• October 20, 2015

For Muscle Spasm "I went to my doctor because I knew I had pulled a back muscle. I tend to have issues anyway with the piriformis muscle, and that aggravates the sciatica. Lower back pain and glutes tend to be an issue for me. I was getting moderate painful back spasms that felt like random poking with a sharp nail. He prescribed 10 mg three times a day for 10 days. After the second day of following the instructions, I was sleeping 14 hours a day. I was a zombie, I couldn't function, and I felt depressed. Why I still rate it at an 8/10 is because it did what it was supposed to. I stopped and only take it once at night around bedtime. If you're skeptical at first about taking the med, make sure you have the next day off. Don't drive on this."

• man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2022

For Muscle Spasm "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, I 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 5 mg."

• man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2022

For Muscle Spasm "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, I 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 5 mg."

• KD7...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2023

"I didn't experience any relief from the neck strain whatsoever. However, I did end up terribly constipated and required magnesium citrate to get relief. The worst side effect, in my experience, is the depression that slowly creeps in (which makes it feel like it is you, as opposed to being caused by the medication) that reaches a suicidal level in a couple of months. I stopped taking it, and within less than a week, I was absolutely fine. I warn everyone against taking this."

• Bam...
• June 27, 2019

For Muscle Spasm "This medication is great short term or for a one-off just to release muscle tension, but make sure you don't take it with any other medications for pain like opioids, anti-depressants/anxiety, even natural medications, or hay fever meds. If you take something else, make sure it's out of your system before taking Flexeril with it or other meds with Flexeril. I never really felt drowsy or depressed with Flexeril alone, but I started on a very healthy diet and herbal medication for ovulation, and there was a huge difference. The leaflet says there is no interaction with melatonin, but that is in my ovulation meds, and I do believe it makes you more drowsy. That it's interacting with my cleaner system. Now I'll only take this as a one-off but not with other meds or herbals. My neck/shoulder pain is stress-related, which also links in with diet, so I'm going to work on that first and use Flexeril as a last resort. Could be a dangerous medicine if not taken with caution."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 19, 2021

For Sciatica "I was prescribed this on two separate occasions, one was for TMJ issues 4 years ago. I heard really great things about this medication, including complete relief from pain and the ability to have a good night's rest. I took 10 mg every night for 30 days and didn't notice a difference in pain, nor was there an improvement in my sleep. It did absolutely nothing. I could barely open my mouth enough to take a bite of food or to yawn. Fast forward 4 years, and I'm prescribed it again for tight muscles in my lower back, causing some sciatica and lower back arthritis. I've taken it about 4-5 days, and my pain has actually gotten worse. I don't feel any positive effects from the medication whatsoever, no drowsiness, no pain relief. But I will say that I do believe it is negatively affecting my mood. I am also taking Elavil and noticed improvements with my mood while taking Elavil only. When Flexeril was added, on the 5th day, I noticed my mood has drastically declined (depression/anxiety)."