Zanaflex and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Sta...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 18, 2019

For Muscle Spasm "I have been on this medication Zanaflex for 17 years. It has always helped. I've never developed a tolerance to it. It does put me to sleep, but with my condition, I need to rest. I have yet to find a drug that does what this drug does. I have tried Flexeril, Robaxin, and Baclofen, none of them do what Zanaflex does."

• sou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 4, 2013

For Muscle Spasm "Zanaflex has really helped me. I had major hip surgery last year and have had a very difficult time bouncing back. After the surgery, I became very weak, lost significant amounts of muscle definition and tone, which resulted in a weakened lower back and core. I now live in excruciating pain, my L5 & S1 have completely compressed with my sciatic nerve in the middle. I have extreme nerve pain and hypersensitivity down my right leg. Daily chores are very difficult, and my love for fitness now feels like a daunting chore. My doctor switched me from Soma to Zanaflex. At first, I didn't like it because it made me extremely drowsy and would knock me out. Now I am used to the side effects and can honestly say that this medication is the best muscle relaxer I have ever taken. It reduces back pain, loosens up the tightness, and complements my oxycodone very nicely. I can finally 'function' again, exercise, lift weights, and do my daily duties as a housewife & mother."

• Hai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 3, 2019

For Muscle Spasm "I just started on Zanaflex and I've never experienced such an effective muscle relaxer. I have MS and get really painful spasms and cramps. Have been on Baclofen for years (which hasn't been particularly helpful) and have also tried Flexeril and Skelaxin, which also did nothing. After taking the Zanaflex, I actually felt my muscles relaxing (imagine that!) and could feel blood moving/tingling through my system. It was wonderful. The only problem is that, as others have said, it makes you really drowsy, so I can't take the recommended 4mg dose 3 times a day. I'm taking a quarter tablet twice in the daytime and then a full tablet late in the evening when I'm winding down for bed. I will also note that I had been assuming that the occasional slurred speech I was experiencing was a sign of my worsening MS, and now I'm reading reviews showing that Baclofen sometimes does that. So, I'm eager to get off that for a bit and see if this might be a better option for me long-term."

• joy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2013

For Muscle Spasm "I have chronic pain from several herniated discs and spinal stenosis. I also have fibromyalgia. I began taking Zanaflex last month and the relief is wonderful. I no longer hurt and spasm all night, and now I can sleep instead. I take 4mg tabs, 2 at bedtime, and go immediately to bed as it makes me drowsy right away. I become dizzy if I stay up. I wake up rested with no hangover at all and feel good the next day. I take narcotics during the day for pain relief, and the addition of this to my regimen is great. I love it."

• cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 19, 2018

For Muscle Spasm "It works well to relieve pain, but at the cost of an astronomical exhaustion. This drug makes me so tired that walking to the fridge is a tremendous task. I could sleep on the floor. Probably the most effective muscle relaxer I've taken, but my quality of life - even 24 hours later - is nil."

• egg...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 22, 2015

For Muscle Spasm "I've been on these for about 8 years. They work well on low back pain, DJD, and a bulging disc in my neck. Along with other painkillers, they work well, but don't drive while on them. They do make you sleepy quickly, and they also tend to lower your blood pressure, making you dizzy when standing up. You can get a good night's sleep on them. I take one 4 mg tablet 2 times a day."

• kal...
• October 27, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I have used this medicine along with narcotic pain killers for a cervical disc protrusion. When I weaned off the pain killers, the Zanaflex really helped with the withdrawal symptoms (RLS, anxiety, sleeplessness) I was experiencing. This medicine still helps with the muscle spasms I get and it doesn't make me tired either, probably due to the high tolerance levels I have from years of abuse, however, it really saved me during the Norco withdrawals - and I have been off all narcotics for a few months now."

• Lil...
• July 19, 2014

For Muscle Spasm "After a bad car accident, I've been prescribed several medications, all of which had side effects that made them not possible to function with. Zanaflex is great, it starts working in about an hour after ingestion. It does make me sleepy, so I take it one hour before bed and have a wonderful sleep. I wake up without any grogginess the next morning. The only reason I didn't rate it a 10 is that if I took it during the day, I would be drowsy."

• Lil...
• July 19, 2014

For Muscle Spasm "After a bad car accident, I've been prescribed several medications, all of which had side effects that made them not possible to function with. Zanaflex is great, it starts working in about an hour after ingestion. It does make me sleepy, so I take it one hour before bed and have a wonderful sleep. I wake up without any grogginess the next morning. The only reason I didn't rate it a 10 is that if I took it during the day, I would be drowsy."

• Pas...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 27, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "I have been taking Tizanadine for 10 yrs. for severe muscle spasticity in neck and back due to RSD/CRPS, plus spinal stenosis, bulging discs, and previous car accident neck and spine injuries. Dose: 4 mg, 3 daily, usually 4 mg in the morning and 8 mg at night. I have found it very helpful. At first, it was very sedating, but not after a year or so. It does help me sleep. Works best with the help of pain meds and Baclofen cream. I had a serious drug interaction with SSRI antidepressants (particularly Luvox): actually passed out in my soup at a restaurant the first time I took them together. Hope this helps."

• Pas...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 27, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "I have been taking Tizanadine for 10 yrs. for severe muscle spasticity in neck and back due to RSD/CRPS, plus spinal stenosis, bulging discs, and previous car accident neck and spine injuries. Dose: 4 mg, 3 daily, usually 4 mg in the morning and 8 mg at night. I have found it very helpful. At first, it was very sedating, but not after a year or so. It does help me sleep. Works best with the help of pain meds and Baclofen cream. I had a serious drug interaction with SSRI antidepressants (particularly Luvox): actually passed out in my soup at a restaurant the first time I took them together. Hope this helps."

• Ood...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2017

For Cluster Headaches "Absolutely love this medication. I suffer from chronic migraines and daily headaches. I take 4mg of Zanaflex at breakfast, 2mg at lunch, and 4mg at bedtime. I'll take 6mg during a migraine attack and it helps tremendously with the pain, helps me sleep, and actually helps with the nausea. Zanaflex made me very drowsy at first and still does taken at doses of 4mg. Overall, incredibly helpful drug!"

• rrd...
• August 13, 2009

For Cluster Headaches "I take Zanaflex for chronic tension/cluster headaches. I was suffering daily with tension headaches and I also get migraines. This drug has been a lifesaver for me. I have tried everything. Imitrex is still good for the migraine when one will slip through and you are not able to take this during the day. This medicine will cause you to sleep. I take it just before bed. But I have actually had days without a headache, and before this medication, that was not possible. I was truly waking up and going to bed each day with a horrible headache, and as a high school teacher, that made my job a lot harder. I am still on Topamax to keep the migraines from breaking through. I am hoping when I go through menopause, all this will go away."

• mic...
• February 7, 2015

"Zanaflex is the best muscle relaxer besides Xanax. It will dry your mouth out but the good outweighs that. This will put you to sleep in 30-45 minutes. No hangovers, memory loss, and getting up in the middle of the night and eating like Ambien makes you. Can take 1/2 during the day when required for tight, knotty, hard muscles that hurt so bad from multiple bad surgeries."

• Dru...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 6, 2015

For Muscle Spasm "Take this for neck spasms after surgery. Taking it now for 2 years. Had major surgery. Do not think this is good for me, anyway. I cannot stay awake when I take it, thus I have to take it only at night, and cannot drive. Please do not drive if you take this medication as it puts me right out. Told 3 doctors this, they will not give me another med for neck spasms and cramps so I use it as I can. It helps but does make me dizzy and extremely sleepy. If you have sleep apnea, be very cautious!"

• Kae...
• May 28, 2009

For Cluster Headaches "This works great. I take it for back spasm but also for cluster headaches. I had a stroke several years ago at age 28, so I am limited in what medicines I can take due to my medical history. My doctor has me take more than I need for back spasm/pain. I was warned it would make me sleepy and usually does, but in that time my headache/pain goes away almost completely. It is wonderful, especially since it is not a controlled substance. I'd rather take this for both conditions than the 100mg Demerol every 4 hours I was on for several years. Not only don't I miss the injections, but since it does not have the side effects and addiction I can do more since I can think more clearly and function more."

• roc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 10, 2015

"I'm an active 51-year-old female with severe neck pain, especially on the right, and probably from playing too many games on Android. I have had trigger point injections, facet blocks, PT, massage, TENS, daily heat therapy, and a host of meds over the past several months. I also take Norco regularly. Soma did not help the neck pain. But this Zanaflex works very well to alleviate the neck pain quickly. I only take it if I don't have to drive (or be social) because of the dry mouth and grogginess. My brother, 29, takes it for his back pain and swears by it, too. I just wish I could get rid of the neck pain. I think it's also improved with my new exercise program: 30 minutes on the elliptical, stretches, crunches, and leg lifts, then machines."

• cpr...
• May 8, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I have been put on every muscle relaxant from Flexeril to Soma, and then my neurologist tried me on Zanaflex last week for the first time. I have to say, so far it's working pretty well. I feel a little drowsy, but hopefully that will pass as my system gets used to it. At this point with my MS, I am willing to try anything in order to feel better and not hurt all the time. I'm thinking we are on to something here. At least that's what I'm praying for."

• Chr...
• April 14, 2010

For Muscle Spasm "I have been living with chronic neck, back, and migraine pain for several years now. In the beginning, my doctors had me go to physical therapy, take ibuprofen, or aspirin. None of these things ever really helped. After trying Flexeril and numerous anti-inflammatories, my pain management doctor did an MRI and found that among the many tension knots and twisting of my spine, I had bulging discs in my neck. He gave me Zanaflex to take at night. It knocks me out within 20 minutes but helps relax my back and neck so that I can get restful sleep - been on it for 3 months now! I highly recommend it for continuous back pain and it has even helped with my migraines. Be ready for bed though - very powerful!"

• Anonymous
• March 22, 2012

For Cluster Headaches "I suffer from migraines and also have difficulty falling and staying asleep. Following, a sleep study, my doctor put me on Zanaflex to help me fall asleep faster and reduced random leg movements during the night. I took it for about a month and it really helped me sleep, although I did have a groggy feeling in the morning that was hard to shake off. However, it aggravated my migraines so that instead of getting them 2 or 3 times a year, I got a migraine every week during the month I was taking Zanaflex, so unfortunately I had to stop taking it."

• GgG...
• June 18, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "Strained my rotator cuff, MD acute care practice prescribed 4 mg. I asked both the doctor and pharmacist if it was okay to take with Allegra D. Both said yes. Luckily, I was safe at home. It was scary how sedated I was. I had set an alarm for an appointment 2 hours after taking mess. I got out of bed and could hardly make it to the restroom. Needless to say, I canceled the appointment. Next time I took the medicines separately and broke the 4 mg tablet into 1 mg. I'm no lightweight, but this was too strong for me."

• Anonymous
• August 11, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "I also have taken many muscle relaxants, including soma. When my doctor suggested this medicine to me, I made sure that it was not a narcotic and habit-forming. It is not. This has really been a blessing for me. It still makes me sleepy, but if taken with food, wow, it works!"

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

For Muscle Spasm "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."

• Geo...
• October 22, 2010

For Muscle Spasm "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."

• Mic...
• September 17, 2009

For Muscle Spasm "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."