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Flexeril
Generic Name: Cyclobenzaprine
Brand Name: Flexeril
Indications
Flexeril is indicated as an adjunct to rest and physical therapy for relief of muscle spasm associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions.
Dosage and Administration
Flexeril tablets are available in 5 mg and 10 mg dosage strengths.
Normal Dosage:
For most patients, the recommended dose of Flexeril is 5 mg three times a day. Based on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to 10 mg three times a day. Use of Flexeril for periods longer than two or three weeks is not recommended.
Overdose: Symptoms of an overdose include drowsiness, seizures, irregular heartbeats, hallucinations, and difficulty in breathing.
Drug Description
Cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride is a white, crystalline tricyclic amine salt with the empirical formula C20H21N•HCl and a molecular weight of 311.9. It has a melting point of 217°C and a pKa of 8.47 at 25°C. It is freely soluble in water and alcohol, sparingly soluble in isopropanol, and insoluble in hydrocarbon solvents. If aqueous solutions are made alkaline, the free base separates. Cyclobenzaprine HCl is designated chemically as 3-(5H-dibenzo[a,d] cyclohepten-5-ylidene)-N, N-dimethyl-1-propanamine hydrochloride, and has the following structural formula:
Side Effects
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking this medication and seek emergency medical attention:
- an allergic reaction
- seizures, hallucinations, or confusion
- blurred vision
- increased heart rate
- depression
Precautions
- Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. This medication may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.
- Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may reduce the effectiveness of this drug.
- Do not take cyclobenzaprine if you:
- have recently (within the last 6 weeks) had a heart attack
- have irregular heartbeats
- have a heart block
- have heart conduction disturbance
- have congestive heart failure
- have hyperthyroidism that is not under control
- You may need a lower dose or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.
- This drug is in a class of the FDA pregnancy category B and this means that taking this drug pregnancy may not affect the foetus. Do not take this medicine without consulting your doctor.
Drug Interactions
- Do not take this medication if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days.
- Before taking this drug inform your doctor if you are using the following medicines:
- antihistamines such as brompheniramine (Dimetane, Bromfed, others), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton, Teldrin, others), azatadine (Optimine), clemastine (Tavist), and many others
- narcotics (pain killers) such as meperidine (Demerol), morphine (MS Contin, MSIR, others), propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet), hydrocodone (Lorcet, Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet, Percodan), fentanyl (Duragesic), and codeine (Fiorinal, Fioricet, Tylenol #3, others)
- sedatives such as phenobarbital (Solfoton, Luminal), amobarbital (Amytal), and secobarbital (Seconal)
- Do not take any of the drugs listed above without the approval of your doctor.
- The stomach medicine cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB) and pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail), fenoprofen (Nalfon), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn), and nabumetone (Relafen) may increase the pain-relieving effects of cyclobenzaprine. Use these drugs under the supervision of your doctor.
- Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with this medicine. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
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