Posted by: Judith ®
06/29/2005, 14:27:15
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Hi Raymond,I take Lorazepam, which is a muscle relaxant. I understand that also Kathleen is using it. This medication has turned a nightmare in more or less livable functioning. I don't know about Flexeril. A quick internet search looks promising. It has the same side effects as Lorazepam (drowsiness, dry mouth), but seems to be of a different family. Please let us know how you fare with it.
Judith in Jerusalem
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Posted by: Moderator-JB ®
06/29/2005, 15:24:15
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Raymond,Flexeril or anything that relaxes you will make you feel better, but not necessarily stop the spasms. Then again, we each react differently so why not give it a try. Take care, Judy
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Posted by: judith k ®
06/29/2005, 17:28:59
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Hi,
When I've been prescribed lorazepam, it's been for relieving anxiety. It may also have muscle relaxant properties. But the stuff I've been prescribed primarily as a muscle relaxant (like when I had sciatica) worked, but always made me drowsy. The doctor said that this was because it was a strong muscle relaxant, and is generalized: ie it doesn't discriminate, and relaxes muscles all over your body, so it gives a 'ready to go to sleep' effect.
Have you looked up what your doctor wants to prescribe in the PDR and on the internet?
Good luck!
Judith K
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Posted by: Les from Canada ®
06/29/2005, 20:00:40
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I took Flexeril once for a brief time while in the hospital after surgery. I had extreme pain and tightening in my shoulder at the time (not associated with the surgery). It worked wonderfully well for that. I later took it, also briefly, for an episode of torticollis which is a type of spasm afflicting the neck muscles. Again it was given to me for the extreme pain of this condition and I only used it for a couple of days. It helped that but not as much, as I recall. In the back of my mind I have wondered if it would be useful for BEB. It is usually prescribed in the short term for some types of pain. However, it is quite a powerful drug and is not recommended for prolonged treatment. If it worked for BEB, perhaps it could be useful to "bridge" a week or two of symptoms between botox. However I would be very careful and hesitant of using it over the long term. A reference book that I have says that it should not be used for longer than two weeks. As the other posters mentioned, it does make you drowsy...more so in my experience than either lorazepam or clonazepam. It is from a different drug family. If you try it, proceed with caution.
Modified by Les from Canada at Wed, Jun 29, 2005, 20:07:59
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Posted by: Kathleen ®
06/30/2005, 09:09:50
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I have taken Flexeril, not specifically for the BEB. I had a cervical diskectomy 10 years ago and occasionally have muscle spasms in my neck related to the fusion of the vertebrae. It does wonders for those spasms, but does not really effect the eye spasms much. The Flexeril does make me very sleepy and I am unable to drive or work when I am taking it. If it had any effect on the eye spasms at all, I believe it was because I slept much more when I took the Flexeril than I normally would, and at one time, the more rested I was, the less the spasms bothered. (Interestingly enough, now that has completely switched and my spasms are much worse in the morning when I first get up.) Lorazepam is used to treat anxiety, but it also has significant seizure supression activity, which might be why some of us see relief from the spasms when taking it (it may quiet that part of our brain that is sending all that excess electrical activity to our seventh cranial nerve). Klonopin works in the same manner and is frequently used as an adjunct treatment for seizure disorders. Both are in the benzodiazepine family, which also includes the old standby Valium. All the drugs in this family have some muscle relaxant activity, as well. I don't get the same drowsiness and fatigue with the lorazepam that the Flexeril causes, so I can take it and function very well throughout the day. I would say it wouldn't hurt for you to try the Flexeril. Just be aware of the drowsiness and muscle weakness it will cause and don't plan to do much of anything, especially when you first begin taking it.
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Posted by: Raymond Fudge ®
06/30/2005, 11:01:54
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I thank those that responded. My first full day on Flexeril was yesterday and it was a much better day than normal. However I will keep in mind that it is a short term drug. I plan to be at the convention. See you there.
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Posted by: judith k ®
06/30/2005, 22:37:32
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Good!
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