zanaflex

[metronycguy]

another new med, i am trying in place of skelaxin..anyone have any comments on it?

[metronycguy]

i see people here take it with baclophen also.

[matt414]

I tried taking it in place of baclofen, I only took it for a few days. I couldn't function with it. It just made me way to drowsy

[zillazangel]

Chad (my husband, C4 for 16 years) has been taking zanaflex, 8 mg, four times a day for many years. It makes him tired, but he's learned to cope with the drowsiness more or less. He had to add bacoflen 15 mg 4x a day on top of the zanaflex about 4 months ago due to dramatically increased spasticity (of unknown origin, we are still trying to figure that out). The combo of the two knocks him out flat for about 30-60 mins after he takes it.

Ami

[metronycguy]

is zanafles a type of med that you need a blood level for it to work ? like baclofen

[zillazangel]

Originally posted by metronycguy:

is zanafles a type of med that you need a blood level for it to work ? like baclofen

Hmmmmm, I don't know the answer to that. I looked up the package label and it doesn't mention it and Chad doesn't recall having to go in for blood monitoring when he started it. He simply went up on the doses until it worked well for him.

He also didn't get monitored on baclofen either though ... hmmmmmm ..... then again, the doc that put him on it was a friggin' idiot .... hmmmmm.

[jplw]

I do believe that baclofen and zanaflex are both meds that have to build up in your system to be effective. A constant level does not mean that it is one of those meds that has to be monitored with blood tests. I am on both and do not have to worry about that. I just started taking zanaflex to boost the baclofen. It is making me drowsy, but all my meds did that for a while after starting or going up. After a few weeks I seem to get used to it for the most part. Otherwise, it seems to be helping.

jOE

[metronycguy]

thanks, yes i have found out that baclofen nd zanaflex should be taken to keep a steady bllod level

[landrover]

I tried taking zanaflex along with baclofen several years ago when my spasms were really acting up. While it worked great for the spasms, it turned me into a zombie.

[dan_nc]

I've just started taking it (2mg at bedtime) ... not sure what it's supposed to help me with ....

[Lazlo]

I find it more useful as a sleep aid than a spasm medication. I can't take it during the day at all.

[quad79]

That shit would knock me out unconscious for an hour or so-hated it!

[Le Type Français]

I took Zanaflex along with Baclofen three times daily for six years.

[dan_nc]

I took Zanaflex along with Baclofen three times daily for six years.

Did it help? What did it help with?

[Le Type Français]

Yes, it helped decrease my spasms by deadening my body. Haha! It really knocks you out at times.

I find not using spasm medications is best for spasms. They stay consistent in severity and number.

[rollin64]

they give it to me for spasms. my mom takes it for diabetic neuropathy. i can only take it at bedtime. it had me falling outta my wheelchair during the day. its an excellent sleep aid, lol.

[Wise Young]

Zanaflex is the commercial name for tizanidine. Tizanidine is a alpha-2 adrenergic agonist. Note that another alpha-adrenergic agonist clonidine was once reputedly claimed to improve neurological recovery but the data turned out not to be true. The FDA approved tizanidine for treatment of spasticity. It reportedly decreases polysnaptic spinal cord reflex activity and has been under investigation for the treatment of neuropathic pain (just like clonidine) and also was under investigation for detrusor-sphincter dysserngia (which is like bladder spasticity). It reportedly reduces spasticity without increasing weakness and is said to be "the drug of first choice, in patients with marginal strength..." but it has side-effects:

The sedative side effects of tizanidine are somewhat equivalent to that of baclofen, but less than benzodiazepines.43 Other side effects include dry mouth and hypotension, which is generally dose related.44 The side effects are minimized by slow titration of dosage. Slight elevation of liver enzymes have been noted in 5% of patients; these generally normalize with a decrease in dosage or discontinuation of medication.43 It is recommended that liver enzymes be monitored during the first 6 months of treatment and that the drug be avoided in patients with liver disease. Initial dosage is 2 to 4 mg/d and is slowly titrated upwards in 2 to 4-mg increments every 3 to 4 days to a maximum of 36 mg/d divided tid-qid.35 Peak effect is in 1 to 2 hours with 3- to 6-hour duration of action.33 A sustained release formulation of tizanidine is currently under investigation for the management of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients.

http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/sadhelp/tiz.htm

[alan]

It doesn't make me drowsy, but nothing does. Haven't noticed any pain improvement.

Sustained release would be good, as the effect after taking Zanaflex is so short.

How would you suggest I take it, Dr. Young, to loosen my abdominal and back muscles? Besides the sensations of burning, tightness, skin being scraped off, etc., I can feel slight spasms in those muscles because they put pressure on my organs (possibly a cause of my chronic queasiness), and Zanaflex doesn't help them (nor did Baclofen or anything else), though it does stop my leg spasms for a couple of hours, which makes range easier for my aide.