Are muscle relaxers addictive? Yes, some muscle relaxers such as Soma, and Amrix are addictive, and taking them without a prescription can result in physical and psychological dependence on them. However, Lioresal and Dantrium do not carry a high addiction potential, but abusing them with weed, or mixing them with alcohol can prove to be dangerous.
You have more chances of developing an addiction to muscle relaxants if you have a history of substance use disorders (SUD). Reach out to ChoicePoint to receive holistic care for SUD so you can eliminate your chances of abusing relaxers 844.445.2565.
Highlights
- Muscle relaxers are the prescription medication used to provide relief from muscle pain
- Taking these medications for longer periods or without a prescription can lead to the development of dependence on them
- Soma and Valium are the most addictive muscle relaxers, but most of the others also carry a bit of dependency risk
- It’s important to stop using relaxers only under medical supervision
Table of Contents
Why Are Muscle Relaxers Addictive?
Muscle relaxers are the pain-relieving medications used to treat muscle spasms and discomfort. Muscle relaxants target the central nervous system to inhibit the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain, which helps alleviate:
- Low back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Neck pain
- Jaw related issues
- Period cramps
They slow down the brain’s activity and produce a sense of sedation. On top of it, muscle relaxers act quickly, with their effects lasting about 4–6 hours, making people take more of them to feel at ease which can lead to a dependence on them. To reduce the chances of muscle relaxant abuse, they are prescribed for only short-term use.
Types Of Muscle Relaxers
There are two classes of muscle relaxers: antispastics and antispasmodics. Although both of these types reduce the pain, antispasmodics have greater potential for addiction to muscle relaxants. Here is an overview of these classes:
Characteristics | Antispastics | Antispasmodics |
---|---|---|
Mechanism of action | Works on spinal cord and skeletal muscles to improve muscle tension and stiffness |
|
Conditions treated |
|
|
Prescribed medications in the United States |
|
|
Prescription prevalence | First line of treatment for muscular issues | Less commonly prescribed due to addiction potential and side effects |
Are All Muscle Relaxants Addictive?
Soma and Valium are the most addictive muscle relaxers. Owing to their abuse potential, they are declared as Schedule IV controlled substances which means you can not obtain them without a prescription. Abusing them will result in a tolerance that eventually turns into an addiction.
Adult Nurse Practitioner At ChoicePoint
Although Valium are Soma are controlled substances the uncontrolled muscle relaxers are also addictive. I have seen and read about the cases of Flexril (cyclobenzaprine), Zanaflex (Trizidine), and Lioresal (Baclofen) abuse. It is important to ALWAYS take them according to your prescription to avoid overdosing on them
For example, research reports that:
- Flexeril was abused with weed
- Zanaflex alongside narcotics
- Liorseal among people recovering from alcohol addiction
It’s important to eliminate weed from your body and alcohol under professional help to prevent the side effects of muscle relaxer abuse.
Mixing Muscle Relaxant With Other Drugs
Muscle relaxant addiction develops much faster when they are mixed with alcohol, prescription opioids, and weed. In fact, research reveals drug overdose cases as a result of using muscle relaxers and opioids together.
Dangers Of Drinking With Muscle Relaxants
Both alcohol and muscle relaxers have sedative effects. For example, taking alcohol with Soma can decline your cognitive function resulting in:
- Respiratory failure
- Comma
- Death
Should You Drink When On Muscle Relaxers?
Dangers Of Taking Muscle Relaxers And Weed
Much like alcohol, muscle relaxants with weed is an undesirable combination. Weed affects the release of serotonin – the happy chemical in your brain. Combining Flexril with weed can increase the serotonin to dangerous levels resulting in serotonin syndrome. Some of the symptoms of serotonin syndrome include:
- High blood pressure
- Fast heart rate
- Hallucinations
- Confusion
- Tremors
Signs of Muscle Relaxant Addiction
Knowing the signs of addiction to muscle relaxers can help you take the right action for yourself or your loved ones. Call an addiction treatment center near you immediately when you observe the following signs:
- Taking prescribed medication beyond the duration of your doctor’s instructions
- Often searching for an excuse to refill your prescription
- Faking muscle pain to get prescriptions for muscle relaxants
- Mixing your prescribed medications with other substances
- Often purchasing over-the-counter muscle relaxers
Physical and Psychological Symptoms of Muscle Relaxer Addiction
Like any addiction, dependence on muscle relaxants can adversely affect your physical and mental health. You may experience some or all of these symptoms as a result of abusing body relaxers:
- Raised blood pressure
- Increase tolerance to medications
- Drowsiness
- Imbalanced coordination
- Difficulty concentrating
- Respiratory failure
- Unconsciousness
- Overdose (Od) on muscle relaxers
- Comma
- Death
However, you can avoid overdosing on muscle relaxers if you seek help on time help.
Adult Nurse Practitioner At ChoicePoint
With the increasing prescription of muscle relaxants, I have often found patients asking are muscle relaxers addictive, and I try my best to calm them. I tell them that muscle relaxers are usually a second-line treatment because of how hard they are on your body. Muscle relaxants for period cramps are only used in case of severe pain and when NSAIDs do not relieve the pain effectively. I have personally seen the cases of muscle relaxers' side effects on patients who tried abusing them
Muscle Relaxant Addiction Treatment
Luckily, it is possible to manage addiction to muscle relaxants with a detox and rehab facility. Overcoming muscle relaxant addiction requires eliminating the medicine from your body through medical detox to manage withdrawal symptoms from muscle relaxers followed by therapy.
Eliminating Muscle Relaxant Through Medical Detox
It is crucial to remove these body relaxers under medical supervision at an inpatient or outpatient rehab, instead of quitting muscle relaxants on your own. Your rehab will help you get by the following muscle relaxer withdrawal symptoms until you become stable:
- Disturbance in sleep
- Difficulty balancing
- Muscle pain
- Confusion accompanied by delirium
- Abdominal issues
- Hallucinations
In case, there is a presence of polysubstance abuse, withdrawal symptoms of cyclobenzaprine and flexeril can be severe such as:
- Seizures
- Extreme fast heart rate
With medically supervised detox, you will have the constant support of addiction professionals to monitor you so you can avoid any severe symptoms.
Therapy
Your rehab will then move you to the next stage of the addiction treatment which is therapy. Depending on the severity of your condition, your therapist can either use cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Here is an overview of how the two help mitigate symptoms of muscle relaxant addiction:
CBT: Can help understand the cause of abusing prescription medicines and their consequences on your health.
DBT: Might include your family to reinforce new behavior and skills that can lead to a healthier lifestyle.
Therapy for addiction is never a one-size-fits-all-for-all. So, it is essential to work with your counselor which type of therapy can address your specific symptoms.
ChoicePoint Offering Muscle Relaxers Abuse Treatment In New Jersey
ChociePoint specializes in providing personalized addiction treatment to help our clients on an individual basis. Our compassionate staff will help you from admission, and consultations to the aftercare in terms of finding support groups, a place to live in, and means to earn. We have DEA-certified addiction doctors who will make sure to provide you the holistic care to help you beat polysubstance abuse.
Information Section: Are Muscle Relaxers Addictive?
Here are some frequently asked questions relating to muscle relaxant abuse
Is There A Non-Addictive Muscle Relaxer?
The answer to this question boils down to the fact that muscle relaxants are consumed following the prescription or not. Taking them for two to three weeks according to the prescription might not even result in addiction for Soma (the schedule IV controlled substance).
Are Muscle Relaxers A Narcotic?
Muscle relaxers are not narcotics but prescription medicines that are often used as a second line of treatment for relieving muscle pain and twitches due to their sedative effects. They work by making the central nervous system work slowly to inhibit the pain signals from reaching the brain, causing sensations of ease.
Are Muscle Relaxers Hard On Your Body?
Muscle relaxants are generally the second line of treatment for alleviating muscle spasms, back pain, or spinal cord injuries. They come with serious side effects and the potential to cause dependency. So, healthcare professionals take extra care before prescribing. Some of the muscle relaxers’ side effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Headache
- Abdominal issues
- Dry Mouth
- Addiction potential
Do Muscle Relaxers Help With Stiffness?
Muscle stiffness is the feeling of tightness in the muscles that muscle relaxers can address. As muscle relaxers reduce the amount of pain signals being sent to the brain, they can improve muscle stiffness.
Is Snorting Muscle Relaxers Addicting?
Yes, snorting muscle relaxers is addicting and can create a faster euphoria than ingesting or injecting the muscle relaxers. Snorting allows the drug to reach the bloodstream faster, which gives a quick high, making the muscle relaxant more addictive.
Additional Resources
References
- National Center For Biotechnology Information. 2017. Muscle Relaxants
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548375/ - Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2014. Considerations for the Appropriate Use of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants for the Management Of Acute Low Back Pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103716/
- U.S Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. 2024. About Cerebral Palsy
https://www.cdc.gov/cerebral-palsy/about/index.html - National Insititute of Health. Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/multiple-sclerosis - United States Drug Enforcement.2024. Administration. Drug Scheduling
https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling - Neurology. 2022. Comparative Risk of Opioid Overdose With Concomitant Use of Prescription Opioids and Skeletal Muscle Relaxants
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35835561/ - National Center For Biotechnology Information. 2024. Carisoprodol
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553077/ - Australas Psychiatry. 2024. Serotonin syndrome and cannabis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10809727/ - Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2020. Delirium
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9012267/
Medical Disclaimer:
ChoicePoint aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use disorder and mental health issues. Our team of licensed medical professionals research, edit and review the content before publishing. However, this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice please consult your physicians or ChoicePoint's qualified staff.