How tired will muscle relaxers make me?

[Bernadine]

My neck/arm is killing me, but I need to be able to work.

[notoriousmeg]

It depends how much you take. I generally take 1/4 of one if I am struggling but need to work.

[Patsy Baloney]

Oh no! I’m guessing you haven’t taken them before/lately? I find that the first few times taking a muscle relaxer make me really tired, but then my tolerance for them seems to build up and it’s more like a ibuprofen.

Did I see you say you have a pinched nerve in your neck? Look up the McKenzie method exercises and start doing them right away. My PT had me do a set of 10 retractions every 2 hours in the morning, and then add the extensions on the end in the afternoon when you’re warmed up. That should help you start getting relief!

Watch a few videos on YouTube for proper form, and don’t push super hard at the jump.

[Deleted]

I find that it is different for everyone. I can take muscle relaxers or pain killers and be perfectly fine, but if I take Benadryl I'm basically unconscious for 4 hours. I'm sorry that you are still in pain. Have you tried applying heat? That is my go-to for nerve pain. You can also ask your doctor for something like Gabapentin. That was the only thing that helped my nerve pain.

[Bernadine]

Mar 16, 2022 7:19:30 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

Oh no! I’m guessing you haven’t taken them before/lately? I find that the first few times taking a muscle relaxer make me really tired, but then my tolerance for them seems to build up and it’s more like a ibuprofen.

Did I see you say you have a pinched nerve in your neck? Look up the McKenzie method exercises and start doing them right away. My PT had me do a set of 10 retractions every 2 hours in the morning, and then add the extensions on the end in the afternoon when you’re warmed up. That should help you start getting relief!

Watch a few videos on YouTube for proper form, and don’t push super hard at the jump.

Yes, pinched nerve. I will definitely look that up, thank you!

[Bernadine]

Mar 16, 2022 7:38:38 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

I find that it is different for everyone. I can take muscle relaxers or pain killers and be perfectly fine, but if I take Benadryl I'm basically unconscious for 4 hours. I'm sorry that you are still in pain. Have you tried applying heat? That is my go-to for nerve pain. You can also ask your doctor for something like Gabapentin. That was the only thing that helped my nerve pain.

I will try the heating pad, thanks!

[shauni27]

ooof, I don't know. Last summer I messed up my meds and was accidentally taking a muscle relaxer every morning instead of a normal morning medication. I was able to go to the gym and work, but I felt so shitty and was confused about how I felt so tired. I would take naps whenever I could (it was about a week of this...)

I personally would not take one during the day.

[sunnysally]

It also depends on which muscle relaxant. Cyclobenzaprine knocks me out but I can take half a tizanidine and function.

[Leeham Rimes]

It definitely depends on the person, I’ve never been able to take anything like that without being both exhausted and nauseated, no matter the dose or the type of med.

when x broke his collar bone we were told to take both ibuprofen & acetaminophen at the same time, every 6 hours for pain. Advil now makes a combo pill for it.

I don’t know if it would work for a muscle issue though.

[lostrn]

I took half of a Flexeril (so 5mg) at 11:30pm last night and I'm still groggy at 9am. Those things wipe me out.

[elefun]

I took tizanadine whole pill (can't remember mg) and it was like a sleeping pill for me 😬

[pumpkin]

Muscle relaxers knock me out, even the ones that are supposed to be less drowsy.

[SusanBAnthony]

Depends on which one but some hardly affect me. Other knock me out. I'd just start with a tiny bit and you can always take another 1/4 pill in 2 hours.

[litskispeciality]

I've only taken them a couple of times, but try to do it as early as I can at night. I find I need at least 12 hours, probably more, to completely get out of the fog after sleeping. Like I can't operate a car, fog. I've never tried breaking the pills up.

I hope you get relief asap.

[eb777888]

I also took them for a pinched nerve and they totally knocked me out! I loved how relaxed I felt, though.

[TR]

I have no advice as I've never taken muscle relaxers, I'm just here to include this gif:

[basilosaurus]

I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I'm unaffected by these things, including the benadryl mentioned. Hence why I'm on a pretty strong med for sleeping (not ambien as that fucks me up something awful, not sleep, but vomiting and delirium). I hope you got it figured out and are getting some relief.

[doggielover]

They never affected me. Then again I didn't get relief from them but my back was so messed up that the only thing that helped was surgery.

[Bernadine]

Mar 16, 2022 16:19:55 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I'm unaffected by these things, including the benadryl mentioned. Hence why I'm on a pretty strong med for sleeping (not ambien as that fucks me up something awful, not sleep, but vomiting and delirium). I hope you got it figured out and are getting some relief.

Thank you!

My PCP sent in cyclobenzapine, which did nothing. I went to an orthopedic urgent care yesterday, and they prescribed me a longer steroid pack and baclofen, which seems to have done the trick. I’m feeling MUCH better, and the baclofen isn’t causing much drowsiness, so I’m still able to work.

[jaylea]

My doc didn’t tell me to only take half once, and I nodded off at the conference table with the president of my company in the meeting. Luckily he knew me and knew something was up, lol.

[basilosaurus]

Mar 18, 2022 7:05:25 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Mar 16, 2022 16:19:55 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I'm unaffected by these things, including the benadryl mentioned. Hence why I'm on a pretty strong med for sleeping (not ambien as that fucks me up something awful, not sleep, but vomiting and delirium). I hope you got it figured out and are getting some relief.

Thank you!

My PCP sent in cyclobenzapine, which did nothing. I went to an orthopedic urgent care yesterday, and they prescribed me a longer steroid pack and baclofen, which seems to have done the trick. I’m feeling MUCH better, and the baclofen isn’t causing much drowsiness, so I’m still able to work.

Great! The not at all joke in the military is they'll give you 800 ibu for everything. You don't need a rx, just take 4 pills instead of 1.  I'm not telling you to do that as a medical person, but, well, that's that they tell us to do. I draw the line at tylenol because of my personal liver issues, but docs have consistently given me up to 800mg ibu for a dose My GI doc friend is horrified by this btw.

[Bernadine]

Mar 18, 2022 10:08:05 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Mar 18, 2022 7:05:25 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Thank you!

My PCP sent in cyclobenzapine, which did nothing. I went to an orthopedic urgent care yesterday, and they prescribed me a longer steroid pack and baclofen, which seems to have done the trick. I’m feeling MUCH better, and the baclofen isn’t causing much drowsiness, so I’m still able to work.

Great! The not at all joke in the military is they'll give you 800 ibu for everything. You don't need a rx, just take 4 pills instead of 1.  I'm not telling you to do that as a medical person, but, well, that's that they tell us to do. I draw the line at tylenol because of my personal liver issues, but docs have consistently given me up to 800mg ibu for a dose My GI doc friend is horrified by this btw.

Oh, I’ve definitely taken 4 ibuprofen for cramps before. I was desperate! H, who will take a single Tylenol, was horrified. Lol