Tizanidine and Dry Mouth: What Users Say (Page 2)

• eye...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 3, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "Severe insomnia due to muscle spasm. Fibromyalgia since 2001. Began tizanidine June 2004. Also, 3 bulging discs from negligent car wreck (driver ran stop sign) since Jan 2015. Somnolence, dry mouth most common. I've always noticed visual disturbances (enhanced colors and patterns of whatever I'm viewing before falling asleep after taking tizanidine). Experienced noticing 'monkeys and grapevines in ceiling while watching a Tarzan-like movie when began drug in 2004. I still can see the enhanced color and pattern of tile or carpet as I walk from bathroom to bedroom shortly before falling asleep. I'm an optometrist with a history of excellent ocular health. May 2017 retinal photos revealed 'Bear-Track'-like pigment patterns: both eyes. 12 mg hs."

• Sbe...
• December 20, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I was prescribed Zanaflex 4 mg after my ACL reconstruction. My doctor advised me to take the medication when or if I had spasms in my leg. Shortly after surgery, I had spasms, and I took Zanaflex. Within 30 mins after taking it, my spasms went away. Now I am taking it about every 4 hours, and I have not had any spasms. The medicine did make my mouth dry, but I would much rather have dry mouth than leg spasms. All in all, this drug is awesome!!"

• psk...
• August 19, 2010

For Muscle Spasm "I was prescribed this medicine for severe neck spasms, which keep me up at night. I also have chronic insomnia. My initial dose is 4 mg at bedtime, 2 mg during the day as needed. I have been taking it for 2 weeks. Last night was the last dose I'll ever take! While it does seem to relax my neck, I am up every couple of hours to urinate. Then, my throat is so dry, I have to drink more water. Because of the insomnia, it takes forever just to get back to sleep. No sooner do I manage that, then I have to get up to pee AGAIN."

• Mau...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 30, 2022

For Muscle Spasm "I've been taking tizanidine for almost 6 years now. I have been in chronic pain (nerve pain from a broken spine) since 2001 after a near-fatal car accident. I have taken oxycodone since 2004 (after 4 years of trying everything else), but I still had sharp and radiating nerve pain and muscle tightening. Tried every other muscle relaxer with no help. Read about this and asked my doctor about trying it. On day one, I had relief from the radiating pain, and that night no sharp leg pain woke me up. I take 2 mg every 3 hrs around the clock due to some metabolism issues. I have no side effects other than occasional dry mouth."

• Ker...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 11, 2023

"I have taken this for many years and didn’t help spasticity. It did help me fall asleep for two hours. Occasionally, I’d feel like I was having a seizure or would collapse. After several months off and just restarting again, I have a dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweating, and 2 times I have collapsed."

• bre...
• September 23, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I got this medicine to help with spasms, which it did. Helps me 'shut down' at the end of the day too. I do have a few hallucinations with it before I fall asleep and seem to have increased bad dreams, also dry mouth, but I do think the benefit really outweighs the side effects."

• jmt...
• May 2, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I've been taking tizanidine tablets for about five years, the dosage is low - 2 mg at night for fibromyalgia. It helps with the body aches that prevent me from sleeping through the night. I have not experienced any side effects other than dry mouth and thirst when waking up."

• Anonymous
• October 22, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I've been taking Tizanidine tablets (4 mg) every 4 hours when required for the past three months after failed laminectomy surgery. I've been taking them along with various other pain medicines (Norco, Lyrica, and Neurontin), and so it's difficult to report on the efficacy. But I do feel relief when I wake around midnight and take that Tizanidine tablet that is always by my bedside. Dry mouth and drowsiness might be a problem, but since all the other medicines cause the same sort of symptoms, it is hard to say. When it came time to refill my second prescription, I debated whether I should or not for a few days, and an increase in discomfort made me opt for the refill. I'm glad I did."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 31, 2022

For Muscle Spasm "After reading the amazing reviews, I decided to try it this morning. I slept for only 1 hour and woke up with an extremely dry mouth, a migraine at the top of my head, and severe throbbing neck pain. Dizzy once I got up, and I couldn't go back to sleep, never again."

• pac...
• April 21, 2011

"At first, 1 mg in the morning and night seemed to help. But then, after 3 weeks, I started becoming way too tired to function. The dry mouth after taking the tablet was the worst I've ever had, and I started to wake up in the middle of the night, hallucinating every few days. I also take a small dose of either Lunesta or Ambien every night. The hallucinations seemed to be more frequent on Lunesta nights, so I stopped taking that and went down on Tizanidine just at night. I've had a couple of nights where I felt pretty weird, but no hallucinations. However, I'm not sure it's really helping other than to help me sleep now. I think I'll ask about trying to increase the Tizanidine and go off the sleeping pills."

• zio...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 28, 2025

For Muscle Spasm "I've taken tizanidine for 10 years. It works very effectively, and I no longer have restless legs and leg pain at night. The only drawback is that it gives me terrible dry mouth. I also learned not to take it too early because it'll knock me out. I can't count the times I've taken it too early and gone to sleep in front of my computer and wake up about four hours later and go to bed. My dosage is two 4 mg tablets at bedtime."

• zfr...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 10, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "This drug helps with restless leg syndrome and muscle pains. I like how it works, but there are two side effects I don't like, but have learned to live with: dry mouth and dizziness."