Muscle Relaxers

[WBROCKSTAR]

Im curious if anyone here has taken/or knows somebody that has taken Zanaflex ( Tizanidine) b4 ??? A family member has been taking them for years now ( 6-9 ) per day.... Is it possible that she will experience withdrawals or does that mainly happen with opiates and benzos??? Thanks for any future info

 

[effie]

Tizanidine should not produce a physical dependence in the way that opioids or benzos do, so your family member should not have difficulty stopping taking them. However, it is possible to get short-lived rebound symptoms (like you do when stopping an antidepressant) including anxiety, increased heart rate and jitteriness. She should not stop taking them abruptly without seeing her doctor anyway, though, so they can advise her aout this. Any medication change should be supervised by a doctor who knows the individual patient and situation, as there may be reasons why she should stay on it or withdraw it gradually. She may be advised to taper her doses to prevent any rebound, I am not sure.

It is also possible to become psychologically addicted to any drug, so if she has come to depend on them she may find it difficult when her crutch is taken away. If this is the case, again I advise speaking to her doctor, and coming up with a plan to tackle it. She may find some of the forums on here useful in that situation too, especially here, "Other Drugs" and "The Dark Side". Is she planning on definitely stopping them, and for what reason? What does she take them for?

I would encourage her to speak to her doctor about this We're not a medical site, and we can't give advice about changing people's medication regimes, it would be unsafe and people could get bad advice however well-meaning we are.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any further questions

 

[mrflowers00]

i just feel extra anxious when i stop taking them

 

[thesameoldfears]

I've taken them before...I don't remember having any real w/d symptoms and I was taking a pretty large dose daily. Someone stopping them might feel a little crappy because your muscles will suddenly feel tight and stuff. But as someone mentioned above, they should really talk to their doctor when stopping a medication.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

It can cause withdrawal/rebound symptoms when someone has been taking it daily long-term, but not to the degree of opioids or benzos. For someone who has been on it for years I would recommend slowly tapering off of it. Here is some good info I found:

Zanaflex withdrawal can be a very troublesome experience, but there's a way to get off Zanaflex smoothly and safely. Zanaflex is a drug for muscle spasms, and I consulted with Dr. Frederick Arthur Ehlert, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing division at ColumbiaDoctors Eastside, NY, NY.
Dr. Ehlert explains: "The literature and common practice both dictate that Zanaflex (tizanidine) be discontinued by tapering off the drug gradually over a period of one to two weeks. While there may be some rebound effect if it has been taken on a regular basis for a considerable period of time, gradual reduction of the dose will usually prevent any significant rebound effect. There is no replacement or step-down drug, just tapering, which is often easier with the tablet form rather than capsules, but if capsule dosage is relatively high it can be halved, and then, if necessary, one's doctor can prescribe a lower dose to continue the tapering at a lower dose."

What are the common withdrawal effects of Zanaflex?

Dr. Ehlert: With the abrupt cessation of Zanaflex (tizanidine), there is a risk of rebound hypertension, which means a high blood pressure, which results from the sudden discontinuation, tachycardia (which means a rapid heart beat, usually a normal heartbeat going faster than normal), and hypertonia (which means muscle spasms).

Can a person just outright quit Zanaflex, and why not?

Dr. Ehlert: Why is that dangerous? The high blood pressure in this rebound effect can conceivably go very high and cause strokes or other organ damage. [*personal note: this sounds not very likely to me in reality - SD.]

Can you recommend some ways a person can go about weaning off Zanaflex, or things they can do (maybe with diet or supplements) that can ease the transition off the drug?

Dr. Ehlert: The recommended initial dose of the drug is 4 mg/day with gradual increases (in 2-4 mg increments over 2-4 weeks to a maintenance dose of 8 mg every 6-8 hrs. Withdrawal of the medication to eliminate side effects should replicate these increases [meaning taper off with the reverse pattern]. Source.

 

[effie]

^ That's really interesting SD! I didn't know about the risk of hypertension. It's not something that is very common in the UK (tizanidine not hypertension haha, I think we have our fair share of high BP) and I thought the worst was tachycardia and anxiety. I'll remember that.

OP, all the more reason to make sure your family member sees a doctor before altering her medication in any way.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

It's not something that is very common in the UK (tizanidine not hypertension haha, I think we have our fair share of high BP)

No you don't, deaths associated with hypertension in the UK are 1/4 what they are in the US (per 100,000 people) (so many random facts in my head, lol)

But yeah, back on topic, I agree that the person the OP mentioned should definitely discuss it with their doctor.