Category: Health News
Created: 9/25/2008 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/25/2008
How Effective Are Muscle Relaxants?
Yury Bayarski is the contributing author of eMedExpert.com. More information about muscle relaxants is available on author's website.
Cyclobenzaprine and carisoprodol were compared in the treatment of patients with acute thoracolumbar pain and spasm rated moderate to severe and of no longer than seven days duration. Both drugs were effective, without significant differences between the treatment groups. Significant improvements were noted in physician rated mobility and in patients' visual analogue scores on follow up days four and eight. While 60% of patients experienced side effects in the form of drowsiness or fatigue, these differences were not significantly different between treatment groups and only eight percent of patients from each group discontinued treatment.
Cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride has the most recent and largest clinical trials demonstrating its benefit, but carisoprodol, diazepam and metaxalone also appear to be effective.
Muscle relaxants are effective in the management of low back pain. However, the side effects require that they should be used with caution.
Another study compared the effects of combined cyclobenzaprine and naproxen (Naprosyn) with naproxen alone and also found combination therapy to be superior in reducing tenderness, spasm, and range of motion in patients with low back pain and spasm.
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