Tizanidine for Muscle Spasm User Reviews (Page 5)

• MHM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2023

Tizanidine "I was prescribed Zanaflex after breaking my left ankle, which caused muscle spasms in both legs and my lower back as I started walking again. The medication provided some relief from the spasms, but I encountered an unexpected side effect: temporary hearing loss in both ears. Initially, this alarmed me, but the hearing loss resolved after a few hours due to the drug's relatively short half-life. However, I still experience hearing abnormalities about 30 minutes after taking a dose. It's worth noting that somnolence (sleepiness) is a common side effect, but it doesn't concern me. I'm curious if others who have taken Zanaflex have also experienced temporary hearing loss as a side effect. While hearing abnormalities are not currently listed as a side effect, it may be beneficial to include them if others have had similar experiences."

• Ivy...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 27, 2015

"I have been on this med for years and while it helps, the side effects are awful. I hallucinate, sleepwalk, carry on lucid conversations, eat (that's the worst one!), and by morning, I'm in pain again. There has got to be something better than this! Even Soma was better, but the lucid conversations, answering the phone, and answering the door were something that couldn't continue either. I've been off of the tizanidine for 2 weeks now and all of the side effects stopped, but I can't take the pain!"

• Geo...
• October 22, 2010

Tizanidine "I have been using Zanaflex since 2003. I suffer from chronic pain and spasms due to herniated discs in my neck and back. I have already had fusion done on my neck, and the pain and spasms never went away. That was due to the discs below the fusion herniated just after the surgery. I also have fibromyalgia. I am supposed to take 4 mg 3 times a day, but I only take it at night since it makes me sleepy most of the time, and I am already on Percocet and Savella. I need to function during the day. My doctor says I can take all 3 at bedtime if I want, but I have only taken 2 at a time. Dry mouth is a side effect, and sometimes I will have grogginess in the morning, but I found that it is mostly due to taking it so late and getting up early."

• Mar...
• August 7, 2016

"Dr. ordered 6 mg of this for back spasms because Flexeril was not doing the job. Had the most bizarre reaction to any medication I ever took. I've had allergic reactions before, but this was disturbing. Within 45 minutes of taking the 6 mg capsule, I could not open my eyes even though I tried. Then I started sweating profusely from every pore in my body. Then I became paralyzed! I tried to lift my arms and couldn't! My breathing became shallow, and I started hallucinating! I was finally able to get out of my chair and get into bed after 2 1/2 hours. This was a 'one and done' medication for me!"

• TXG...
• February 8, 2020

"I fell off a 10-foot ladder onto my left knee, resulting in a stage five tibia plateau fracture and broken tibia. Anyway, my muscles do get very tight. He prescribed 4 mg every eight hours as needed. I could feel the muscles relaxing, especially my calf, but I had hallucinations so bad I wound up in the hospital for three days. I mean, it was bad!! So bad they restrained me after I punched out five nurses. Seriously, I feel bad about that today, but it was the medication. I’ve taken Flexeril before, Soma helped someone so much, got me kind of loopy though. I’m sure not everyone experiences hallucinations, but it’s true I did. For me, it was so bad even in the hospital they called in psychiatry before I could even think of getting discharged. Praise God, by then the meds were out of my system. I can say Zanaflex never made me drowsy."

• ASH...
• March 9, 2017

"I have severe chronic fatigue syndrome. I sleep so much but barely got any real deep sleep. Add chronic pain and I no longer had a life. I'm only 31. I do not take strong addictive meds because I don't believe in them. However, I was prescribed this from my doctor: 1x 4 mg tabs at night, 1x 2 mg for naps during the day. I was sleeping 2-4 days straight before! Now I sleep less, but it's real sleep. 2 or 3 naps a week to sustain me, plus real 8 hrs at night. It's great. However, with research, I will be very careful with it and come off it slowly when I no longer need it. I don't believe in cure-all drugs. But this has given me a little piece of my life back! So far, so good."

• mou...
• March 19, 2009

Tizanidine "Zanaflex has been very helpful with my ability to finally have a good night's sleep. No side effects, relaxes me and is NOT addictive. At least for me, it is not. It does NOT 'heal' the muscle spasms. I would recommend Zanaflex for people with severe muscle spasm."

• Tak...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2017

"My pain doctor just gave me this because Flexeril 10 mg three times a day was not working for me. My muscles were just in knots constantly. I can take Ativan 2 mg, hydrocodone 10 mg, and that all at once and work just fine. But this just knocked me out. I had a really hard time staying awake. So I'm just gonna take half while at work. But this medicine works amazing for me. No bad side effects thus far other than making me super drowsy. I highly suggest this medicine if you suffer from fibromyalgia or severe muscle spasms like me."

• Lov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2017

"I have MS and the associated chronic pain. My trapezius and entire neck and back are constantly in spasm mode. I do not sleep, more of a float above sleep. My nephrologist thought this would help my torso muscle spasms, several types of headaches, and facial muscle spasms plus help me sleep. No on all of the above. No sleep. No relief. A new headache was created by this, and it is causing constipation, dizziness, facial flushing, nausea, depression, and tummy pain. I took one 4 mg tablet and will not give it another chance. I am miserable enough, I do not need to add to my issues with this drug."

• Jun...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 17, 2025

"Been using it for years, and it doesn't seem to work anymore. I never feel relaxed on it, and now it's starting to give me restless leg syndrome. It doesn't make me sleepy anymore. I think there's a limit to how long you can take this drug, and I think 5 years is the max."

• Las...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2016

"I have a bunch of issues in the cervical and lumbar spine. I'm delaying neck surgery indefinitely and am still in the injection phase of attempted treatment for lumbar. I take pain meds and had used Flexeril, but it didn't work well at all. So, the doctor replaced Flexeril with this at 4 mg 3 times a day. It helped, but not enough. Now on 8 mg 3 times a day. This dosage helps the spasms, but had to lower the AM dose back to 4 mg or I can't stay awake. The second dose I take either 4 or 8 mg, depending on pain and spasms. At bedtime, I take 8 mg, which pretty much knocks me out. At least this way, I get a couple hours of deep sleep, which is hard to come by with constant spinal pain. Side effects: sleepiness, very dry mouth, some constipation. Worth it - it helps!"

• Sca...
• December 15, 2015

"My doctor gave this to me for I had to get off my meloxicam for a month. Three days into taking this medication, I have had the worst nightmares ever, things that you couldn't even imagine to the point that I thought dead people were in my house and I'm talking to myself and my husband getting mad because I'm talking and screaming very loud in my sleep. Heart rate is very high, dropped my blood pressure just from three days. I would take some serious precautions when taking this medication. And I still don't know if it works or not, the dreams scared me so bad that I think I'm cured...."

• Eve...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 15, 2019

"I have long-standing back pain problems due to lifting. These tizanidine tablets are my lifesaver, as it is not just a painkiller. Months on painkillers gone. 5 days, 2-3 times each year (when needed, not all the time)."

• Anonymous
• December 21, 2010

Tizanidine "My doctor prescribed me this medication due to the fact I could not sleep at night. He warned me that I would have vivid dreams, but I haven't really. I really like this medication as I can sleep through the night for the first time in years. The only drawback is that it knocks me out cold, and the next morning I am really stiff from not tossing and turning all night. I can live with that."

• Moj...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 6, 2021

"I have been using tizanidine 2 mg for a year. This has helped me fight off the muscle spasms I experience, as well as the pain I receive after 2 cervical disc replacements. I use duloxetine during the day to block nerve pain and be active, and tizanidine in the evening. Best of all, I can get some sleep at night!"

• No...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 8, 2015

"I was prescribed tizanidine 4 mg mainly as a sleep aid, but I also suffer from muscle spasm. I take one pill before bedtime, and in about half an hour, I'm ready for bed. The problem? I'm wide awake in 2 hours and need to take another pill. This goes on all night. If I take two at a time, I start hallucinating, have weird dreams, and I feel my heart beating faster (tachycardia). I continue to take it because two hours of sleep is better than being awake for 36 hours. I will, though, ask my doctor to let me try soma."

• Anonymous
• August 21, 2010

Tizanidine "Zanaflex considerably reduced my back pain, headaches, muscle spasms, mandibular stress-related spasms, and overall pain associated with spasticity due to a neuromuscular condition. I take 2 mg as I am a small-framed and thin person. I take it at bedtime to offset the 2-hour tiredness effect following ingestion. It works well for me."

• Pam...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 8, 2023

"I have been using Tizanidine 4mg for many years. I have fairly severe degenerative disk disease, have a fusion at C5/6 and double fusion at L4/5 S1 and have had multiple laminectomy/discectomy and other procedures. I also have a spinal stimulator for nerve pain in my back and legs. I've tried many muscle relaxers and while Soma worked best, my doc no longer prescribes it due to dependency concerns. Tizanidine works well and quickly, although wears off fairly quickly too, but allows me to fall asleep and stay sleeping for a few hours. It does make my mouth very dry, so I keep water at my bedside, but in combination with Oxytocin and Neurontin works well for my pain and spasms. And it is very affordable. Because it makes me tired, I take Robaxin during the day if needed."

• Sno...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 21, 2015

"While the effects of the back were helpful, the toll it took on my liver was not good. I have many separate symptoms: nausea, pale stool, right upper quadrant pain, elevated LFT, feeling tired, and sweating."

• Mic...
• September 17, 2009

Tizanidine "I was given Zanaflex 6 years ago to help me sleep. The rheumatologist claimed my diagnosis of fibromyalgia required straight sleep. He forgot to do radiographs for arthritis. It works well, I would never recommend taking it during the day, though. I don't react to medications well, I did to Zanaflex. It makes me groggy, and I would never do anything that needed full attention while taking it. I take it at night only for sleep. It's a good medication, but be careful if you go on Cipro or Levaquin (antibiotics). In 2007, they found a problem with the combination, you must come off Zanaflex while taking those and a few other antibiotics. Speak to your pharmacist, but usually, insurance coverage tells them that they can't be taken together."

• Mik...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 19, 2020

"Tizanidine works pretty well for the pain from the muscle spasms around my broken vertebrae, but the side effect of the dreams... the dreams are so vivid. I have to make sure things didn’t happen the next morning, as well as some extremely vivid nightmares, so bad I wake up thinking it’s still going on. Wish this side effect wasn’t there."

• Hur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 8, 2020

"Have had what I believe to be acute tendonitis for over a week, with excruciating pain that radiates from my neck to my lower arm. Finally broke down and went to the sawbones (Dr.). Was given this drug Tizanidine/Zanaflex. Was told that it makes one drowsy. I have not slept more than 4 hours at a time this past week, and am literally exhausted, yet this and the Naprosyn have not stopped the pain or made me sleepy enough to actually get some rest. After an hour, I'm still awake, still in pain and ready to be put out of my misery."

• Kat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 6, 2022

"I have insomnia, and there doesn’t seem to be a medical reason for it. I’ve had it since I was a young child, and I suspect my C-PTSD doesn’t do it any favors. I’ve tried many sleep aids: Benadryl, Unisom, amitriptyline, trazodone, Ambien, etc., and they don’t work for me. I was given tizanidine 4 years ago for muscle spasms and pain in my jaw, there was a BEAUTIFUL and unexpected side effect: sleep! 8 hours of sleep. Tizanidine is everything to me."

• dee...
• October 1, 2018

"I started out on 2 mg, then was moved to 4 mg. After a while, it was not working as well as I needed, so my pain doctor moved the dosage to 6 mg. I take this with other medication 3 times a day. The only downfall I feel is after 6 hours it is not working as well as it could. It may be because of my injuries. I have the following: RSD, ruptured discs, bulging discs, and permanent nerve damage. Thank you for letting me post this."

• Min...
• February 8, 2019

"I have been using this medicine for 2 days now, but I can say that it is very strange. The side effects: the first day I couldn’t concentrate in class because I felt sleepy, and the second day I felt sleepy and had the feeling of wanting to cry."