Muscle relaxers, or muscle relaxants, are medications that treat muscle spasms or muscle spasticity by decreasing the body’s muscle tone.
There are two categories of muscle relaxants:
Antispasmodics — also known as centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants (SMRs) are used, along with rest and physical therapy, to relieve muscle spasms.
Antispastics — are used to treat muscle spasticity, and shouldn’t be used to treat spasms.
Muscle relaxants often get abused for their euphoric and dissociative effects. One in 20 people in the U.S. age 12 and up have reported using muscle relaxants recreationally. This can lead to addiction or overdose.
Types of muscle relaxers that are commonly abused include:
1. Metaxalone (Skelaxin)
2. Chlorzoxazone (Paraflex)
3. Diazepam (Valium)
4. Tizanidine (Zanaflex)
5. Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
6. Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
7. Baclofen (Lioresal)
8. Carisoprodol (Soma)
9. Orphenadrine (Norflex)