Flexiril vs Zanaflex vs Soma

[Stevo1]

Flexeril taken at night makes me drowsy the next morning or if taken during the day.
Zanaflex makes you sleep good, relieves neck and back pains better than flexeril.
Soma seems to be stronger, can make you dizzy, more addictive, relieves pain the best, short acting, if taken everyday you build up a tolerance to it, best for taking occasionally.
The Flex are $4 at some pharmacies and not addictive.

My experience exactly!

[sambob]

I still have a script with some Flexeril left over from at least a year ago. I hate that shit. I have to take like 2 or 3 pills and then i get RLS and then when I finally fall asleep I don't wanna get up ever. When I messed up my back I couldn't believe they gave me those and told me to take one 3 times a day, I would've been a god damn drooling idiot, even more than I am now....

[ukbob]

Soma hands down for me,the flexeril does nothing for my spasms and makes me down right onry
never used zanaflex..may ask about it next time

well i have Zana now and will give it a try as i go round and round on my MR merry go round

so far
soma *****...the tits
Flexeril *... minimal relief
Xanax **...worked but not long
Valium ***...so so
Cylobenzaprine*..not much help
Now trying zanaflex and hoping it works,my problem is when my muscles tense up around my surgery area it pushes scar tissue on my nerves and my legs instantly go into spasms and craps,sometimes the area hurts for days....and i`m no daisy..lol and no stranger to pain,i`ve cut off fingers,broke ribs,shoulders ,hands...to many things to list,but these muscle spasms rate right up there with the worse pains............need to have soma..lol
BTW this is how these Drugs affect ME,your results may differ ...we are all lab rats

[beansontoastman]

I have permanent and painful muscle tension in my upper back and neck. I also suffer mild anxiety sometimes. Is Carisoprodol/soma recommended for my situation? I've tried valium and it eased the tension by about 20%. Ive experimented with benzo meds and nitrazepam on at night and a valium in the morning provides good relief but im not keen to use benzos long term. I use this combo once a week in an attempt to limit my use. Any advice appreciated.

[waterlogged]

@Beansontoatsman I pretty much have the same symptons as you. benzos will work for the tension part and relieve some spasms but your right about the long term use of benzos. flexiril works ok. soma works better but if ur not careful it can be some what addicting,and if u take too much u mite wake up with a new set of injuries, I know this first hand, now im on zanaflex. I only take it at bed time cause after 6 months it still makes me drowsy as hell but I think, for me, it works the best.

[jayther2]

Now that Soma is out for the most part (unless you use IOP) I guess I'm gonna go with Zanaflex. Have'nt tried it yet but sounds effective. thanks for the info guys

[north707]

soma hands down is the best option for you. It provides the most relaxing feeling for muscle spasms and general body aches. I have tried many other muscle relaxers with no help. I was in a car accident when I was 18 and I was prescribed soma by my doctor. After her office closed and relocated to upstate I have yet to find a doctor to prescribe. Yet I never ask cause you want the doctor to prescribe what he or she thinks is good for your treatment. So I have purchased them online for several years on and off. 9 years later I can confidently say that you should test them out and achieve the great results others have mentioned on here.

[Red Desert Rebel]

I just received my first RX for Zanaflex today. I've been taking Soma on a daily basis for about 4 years now and it always worked so good. Flexeril didn't seem to do anything except make me groggy for the whole day. I only used Flexeril if I ran out of Soma and didn't time my next shipment right. Anyway, I'll be back to update you on the Zanaflex experience once I've had a day or two to try it out. Hopefully it works.

[Bnjar5]

FlexiriL- its lights out --- caritop soma to my surprize works, kind of a drifting out--- them suckers are nasty tasting too ---may be because i chew all my meds, a habit since a little kid-o. Just find out what works for ya and keep your body healthy that can make the differents on the second rate soma from the IOPs.


Remember good information is good medicine!

[merrymiau]

I am pretty new to experiencing back pain/spasms, so please bear with me. I was prescribed Flexeril when I got discharged from the ER about a month ago, because the doctor said he was reluctant to put me on Soma or some other muscle relaxant as I was "too young to start up with that." The Flexeril makes me feel absolutely horrible: groggy, numbed-out, depressive.

I have spasms that occur only on the right side of my body, which is the same side in which my last CT scan found a tiny fracture in my lower back (my "L1 tranverse process," I think it was called?) that had "healed" improperly and is all misaligned now, along with a tiny piece of my lowermost ribcage that had broken off and is just kind of floating around in that general vicinity. The idea of a little shard of rib just hangin' out in my body sounds kind of scary to me, but the doctor said it was no big deal. He also mentioned that I had multiple "abrasions" (is that doctor talk for scar tissue?) all along just that one side of my body, mostly along my ribcage.

I don't take anything prescription-strength for pain except when I'm in dire straits -- i.e., when I'm healing from a surgery or a semi-serious medical procedure or pretty injured. I don't really intend to take a ride on the painkiller rollercoaster at the age of 26. But I am sometimes severely limited in what I can accomplish because of this pain occasionally seizing up on the right side of my body and traveling all the way down to my calf and right foot. It feels kind of like the muscles are contracting over and over again against my will.

In your unprofessional opinions, would Soma or Zanaflex or something akin to that class of med help relieve these spasms? I feel too shy and intimidated to talk to a doctor directly about my pain and dissatisfaction with my Flexeril script, especially after having been dismissed like that in the ER. The doctor on-call at the time told me that the injuries were "too old" to still be causing me any physical distress, which may be true as far as I know. But I do know for a fact that I've never previously experienced pain of this nature until I suffered an injury a few months or so ago, and refused to see a doctor about it until it was mostly too late to receive timely care.

Thanks, anyone, who can advise me on how to manage this stuff. Sorry if this post is a little disjointed or confusing. This is the first time I've really sought advice on here about my recent pain/injuries, and I know I'm not explaining myself very well.

[alumni]

This is a good question for your GP or Internist. No one on this discussion board is fully informed about your history, other meds, vitals, etc.
ER physicians are typically averse lately to prescribing Soma which has acquired an abuse profile that caused the DEA to finally schedule it.
There are all sorts of other muscle relaxants including Baclofen, Zanaflex, even low dose Valium. Ask your doc.
I can tell you that recent feedback I've received from pain management doctors has been very negative about the use of Soma because of all of the attention it's received regarding diversion and abuse.

[middle_aged]

@merrymiau I was prescribed Flexiril when I hurt my lower back. It worked, but also made me very groggy and sedated in the way you described, and not in a pleasant way. I can't speak for Zana, but Soma would probably work, but as @alumni mentioned you will probably not find a doctor that will prescribe it. and agree, that is a question best discussed with your GP.

In the end, despite Flex's adverse effects, if it works, keep using it. any medication is better than none at all, i say. especially when you have an injury. i didn't like how Flex made me feel either, but it was either that or be in horrible pain with nothing.

[betsky]

@sambob @Red Desert Rebel @Fireplaces @alumni @ anyone else who can offer me guidance

I am pretty new to experiencing back pain/spasms, so please bear with me. I was prescribed Flexeril when I got discharged from the ER about a month ago, because the doctor said he was reluctant to put me on Soma or some other muscle relaxant as I was "too young to start up with that." The Flexeril makes me feel absolutely horrible: groggy, numbed-out, depressive.

I have spasms that occur only on the right side of my body, which is the same side in which my last CT scan found a tiny fracture in my lower back (my "L1 tranverse process," I think it was called?) that had "healed" improperly and is all misaligned now, along with a tiny piece of my lowermost ribcage that had broken off and is just kind of floating around in that general vicinity. The idea of a little shard of rib just hangin' out in my body sounds kind of scary to me, but the doctor said it was no big deal. He also mentioned that I had multiple "abrasions" (is that doctor talk for scar tissue?) all along just that one side of my body, mostly along my ribcage.

I don't take anything prescription-strength for pain except when I'm in dire straits -- i.e., when I'm healing from a surgery or a semi-serious medical procedure or pretty injured. I don't really intend to take a ride on the painkiller rollercoaster at the age of 26. But I am sometimes severely limited in what I can accomplish because of this pain occasionally seizing up on the right side of my body and traveling all the way down to my calf and right foot. It feels kind of like the muscles are contracting over and over again against my will.

In your unprofessional opinions, would Soma or Zanaflex or something akin to that class of med help relieve these spasms? I feel too shy and intimidated to talk to a doctor directly about my pain and dissatisfaction with my Flexeril script, especially after having been dismissed like that in the ER. The doctor on-call at the time told me that the injuries were "too old" to still be causing me any physical distress, which may be true as far as I know. But I do know for a fact that I've never previously experienced pain of this nature until I suffered an injury a few months or so ago, and refused to see a doctor about it until it was mostly too late to receive timely care.

Thanks, anyone, who can advise me on how to manage this stuff. Sorry if this post is a little disjointed or confusing. This is the first time I've really sought advice on here about my recent pain/injuries, and I know I'm not explaining myself very well.

since this is a post about our opininions on these meds i will try to share some of my
experiences as others did in the past. alumni is correct in that most drs wont prescribe soma due to the schedule iv rating anymore.

a Li transverse process is the small bony prominence on the side of each vertebrea.You can view a pic of the spine on most medical websites like webmd.
as far as the "floating rib piece, this can happen at any time. ive had them in my elbow,knee and back. a majority of the time esp. if it is tiny your body will eventually
break it down and destroy it just like it does any invading foreign object.
a painful problem can occur if either of these comes near one of the spinal nerves but you would definitely know that as it would feel more painful imo.
the term abrasion can refer to any rough disruption of the skin ie..my son gets abrasions when he falls off his skateboard. was the dr refering to your skin or internally?
for me soma was the magic relaxer but i had built up a tolerance. flexeral didnt help at all and zanaflex made me too groggy to function at my job or parenting. everyone processes meds different so its kinda a crapshu=oot.talk to your gp and see if he has samples which you could try in the evening. that way if you get groggy you could just go to bed....

[merrymiau]

Thank you for the kind reply, @betsky. I had no idea that the "floating rib piece" thing was so common, but it sounded scary and I didn't know if it could be causing the pain! The abrasions the ER doc was referring to were internal, I believe -- on the bones themselves. I do take the Flexeril when the pain is unbearable and it does help it stop, but it puts me in such a horrendous mood that I really put it off until the last minute. Good to know there are other options out there should I ever figure out what the root cause of this back pain is.

@alumni and @middle_aged -- Thank you both for taking the time to reply. I know about Soma's recent scheduling mostly from all the chitchat that goes on about it on PR, so I understand the reluctance to prescribe it. I did not expect or ask for any meds of that sort anyway during this particular ER visit, especially because the reason for my visit involved a kidney stone and I never even mentioned the spasms. The CT scan of my kidneys just happened to pick up the weird fractured piece of my vertebrae and at the time it was an afterthought.

I guess I will ask my GP about the spasms but I'm well-aware "how it looks" when a younger person complains about back pain, so I hope he takes me seriously. Not even trying to get a Soma script out of the deal, just want the occasional spasms to stop happening without having to rely on that awful pill.

[betsky]

@merrymiau
when you go to your gp try to take along the results of the scans. we assume our GP has these already but often all they get is a concise summary.this will clearly substantate your internal pain causing trouble and allow the dr to either help you or refer you to a specialist who can.
also if you are worried about your age being a catalyst for nontreatment, you can let him/her know you are trying to take care of this now
so that you wont become a "drug seeker" like many of your generation.
this would clearly delineate your point of view
btw how is the kidney stone?

[merrymiau]

@betsky,

I do keep all the records of all my X-rays and CT scans and blood test results and blah blah blah -- but that's a good reminder, thank you!

My kidney stone is long gone by now -- but boy oh boy, it was holding strong and building up for a couple months there at least. Major ouch!

[middle_aged]

@merrymiau having said what i said, hey, if someone prescribes it (soma) for you, go for it, it's a great med, and much easier to tolerate than Flex. i don't know what the effectiveness is as far as muscle relaxation, if Flex relaxes better or more effectively than soma, but mentally, soma is way easier to tolerate. keep us posted, sorry for your pain and trouble.

[Attorian]

I will say this, if you go off of pure hype and publicity, Soma must be the Shiznittle Bang Bang. After being on here a few weeks, I have found that favorable remarks on this drug are rampant. I have very little experience with muscle relaxers either, but I would be willing to try some Soma just to see what all the hype is about. I am amazed that the drug company chose to use the name of Aldous Huxley's drug. In the book, BNW, the drug isn't exactly a good thing.

"..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon..." -Brave New World

[middle_aged]

In the book, BNW, the drug isn't exactly a good thing.

Yes, but fortunately, reality is different than fiction.

[merrymiau]

LOL, @Ploomerc55a -- The connection to Brave New World never even dawned on me, but now that you mention it . . . yeah, the marketing department must have had a really dense focus group when they decided to that "Soma" would be a brilliant name for their product.

@middle_aged -- Thanks for your really sweet words. Really, my pain level is quite manageable on most days and I'm lucky that these spasmy flare-ups are only occasional! I know most people here suffer far more. I highly, highly doubt I'll be walking outta my doctor's office with a Soma script in hand anyway because of the "Shiznittle Bang Bang" hype of late, but that's okay with me.