Pain is managed in a variety of methods, and it can come with numerous unique symptoms all throughout the body.
Certain medications are utilized to heal or manage the associated symptoms depending on the severity and type of pain.
Each person handles pain differently, even if there are specific similarities in the human body. In many instances, people will look to muscle relaxants to help alleviate the pain they’re feeling.
It’s crucial to understand that not all muscle relaxants are the same, nor do they serve the same purpose.
By reading through this article, you’ll learn about the different types of muscle relaxants that are used to deal with essentially any pain you can think of.
Understanding How Pain Works
Regardless of where you feel pain in the body, it’s easy to discern when it’s present, but not all pains feel the same.
Some are easy to manage without the help of medication, but others can be relatively excruciating.
Pain is to be expected throughout life, but when it becomes debilitating, it’s important to seek necessary medical care.
In regard to muscle relaxers, these types of medications come with several use cases. Using muscle relaxants to manage pain isn’t uncommon by any means.
Although they may have a primary focus on various muscles in the body, they can do wonders for alleviating many general pains.
However, some muscle relaxers can be pretty strong and affect your motor functions and even cognitive abilities.
They’re drugs that shouldn’t be taken lightly, which is why it’s essential to understand the most common types and any of the risks that might be associated with them.
Even if you aren’t experiencing pain directly correlated to your muscles, some doctors may still prescribe muscle relaxants to deal with the issue.
Whether you know it or not, many general pains are associated with the muscles in the body, as it doesn’t take much to negatively impact them.
Common Types of Muscle Relaxants
The specific type of muscle relaxant you choose is important, as the makeup of their compounds may not be viable for your particular needs.
Of course, your doctor will provide plenty of insight on this, but it’s a good idea to describe the source of your pain as best as possible.
Some well-known types of muscle relaxants include the following:
- Chlorzoxazone (Lorzone®)
- Metaxalone (Metaxall®, Skelaxin®)
- Carisoprodol (Soma®)
- Orphenadrine (Norflex®)
- Diazepam (Valium®)
- Baclofen (Lioresal®)
Each of these comes with unique benefits that focus on different use cases. They’re a variety of relaxants that focus on skeletal muscle, antispastic, and antispasmodic effects.
Although it’s important to understand how they work, many doctors prescribe them for all types of general pain.
Physical pain can be a tricky health problem to get rid of. Some people deal with it in temporary bursts, while others suffer lifelong consequences where the pain comes and goes consistently.
Some muscle relaxants are only meant to be used in the short term.
As common as they may seem, becoming reliant on them isn’t always beneficial.
Managing bodily and muscle pain can include a variety of treatments, with muscle relaxants helping patients deal with everyday life.
However, it isn’t always as easy as taking the pills on a schedule and feeling immediate relief.
As with any prescription drug, muscle relaxants can pose a number of health risks that patients have to consider.
What are the Risk Factors?
Some muscle relaxants come with more side effects than others. Even if you get used to the effects of the medication, this doesn’t mean the side effects warrant long-term use.
In nearly every circumstance, each person will have a different experience regarding the presence of side effects from muscle relaxants.
Common side effects of muscle relaxants include:
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness
- General fatigue
- Nausea
- Dizziness
Although some of these symptoms may seem relatively minor, they can actually affect your quality of life in more ways than one. Muscle relaxants are known to do just that, relax the body.
This particular sensation can make it challenging to drive heavy machinery or handle everyday tasks you’re used to.
None of this should be overlooked when taking muscle relaxers, as it can lead to more health concerns than what you started with.
The side effects mentioned above are quite general, but there’s also a chance of more severe side effects for some people.
It’s also important to consider that certain health factors may make a patient ineligible for a muscle relaxant prescription.
The Bottom Line
Muscle relaxers may come with a wide variety of health considerations, but that doesn’t mean you should write them off as a solution.
In any case, if you’re dealing with any type of pain, you have several popular muscle relaxants to choose from.
There’s plenty of data to back up their efficacy, and your doctor will be able to help you manage the dosage and which prescription is right for your particular circumstance.
