Methocarbamol affects the central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) to relax your skeletal muscles (the muscles you can use voluntarily). It doesn’t affect the muscles that work involuntarily, such as the ones that move food through your gastrointestinal tract. Scientists don’t completely understand exactly how methocarbamol works.
Methocarbamol is also called an antispasmodic. Antispasmodic drugs interrupt pain signaling between the muscle and the brain, which helps reduce muscle spasms and pain. This differs from antispasticity skeletal relaxants, which are prescribed for other health conditions.
Oral methocarbamol is available only as a generic drug. It comes in tablet form to be taken by mouth. However, it is also occasionally delivered through an intravenous line or as an injection into a muscle. This article will focus on the oral version of this methocarbamol.
What Is Methocarbamol Used For?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved methocarbamol to treat sudden muscle or skeletal pain in the related joints, like from an injury such as a muscle strain (also known as a “pulled muscle”).
Brand Name(s): Robaxin (discontinued)
Drug Availability: Prescription
Administration Route: Oral
Therapeutic Classification: Skeletal muscle relaxant
Available Generically: Yes
Controlled Substance: N/A
Active Ingredient: Methocarbamol
Dosage Form(s): Tablet
The FDA recommends using methocarbamol in addition to rest, physical therapy, and other interventions to relax muscles.
Methocarbamol’s broad indication means the drug can be used in many medical situations. For example, healthcare providers sometimes prescribe muscle relaxants, such as methocarbamol, for people with lower back pain that comes on suddenly, especially if they haven’t responded well to treatments like over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. Or, it might be helpful if you injured yourself and have muscle strain or sprain symptoms.
Please note that methocarbamol is NOT usually used for diseases that cause muscle spasticities (a kind of extreme muscle tightness), such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis.
How to Take Methocarbamol
Take methocarbamol exactly as your healthcare provider instructs. It generally doesn’t matter if you take it with or without food.
You will usually take methocarbamol tablets four times a day to start, followed by either three or six times a day. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much to take.
Storage
Store the medication at room temperature, away from excess heat and moisture.
Off-Label Uses
Healthcare providers can prescribe methocarbamol for additional pain problems that have not been technically FDA approved.
For example, methocarbamol might be used for:
Pain resulting from nerve problems (neuropathic pain) Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain Chronic (long-term) pain
The evidence is less clear that methocarbamol is safe and effective for these types of issues.
What Are the Side Effects of Methocarbamol?
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. A healthcare provider can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your pharmacist or a healthcare provider. You may report side effects to the FDA at fda.gov/medwatch or 800-FDA-1088.
Common Side Effects
Methocarbamol commonly causes drowsiness or decreased alertness, especially when you first start to take it. Dizziness and lightheadedness are also relatively common issues. It’s important to keep this in mind when you first start taking the drug. For example, it might not be safe for you to drive until you see how the medication affects you.
Methocarbamol might also turn your urine a different color, like brown, black, or green. This is not a sign of a health problem. Don’t be alarmed if this happens.
Severe Side Effects
Most people don’t experience side effects from methocarbamol. However, the drug carries a rare risk of serious symptoms, such as:
Severe allergic reaction, which can cause difficulty breathing Low blood pressure, which might cause fainting Seizures Jaundice (yellowing of the skin) from liver disease Disorientation and confusion
Call your healthcare provider promptly if you have potentially serious side effects or side effects that don’t get better. Call 911 for potentially life-threatening symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or decreased consciousness.
Long-Term Side Effects
Methocarbamol is only recommended to take for a short time, usually two to three weeks. This is because a person can become physiologically adapted to the drug, leading to substance use disorders. This might be especially likely if methocarbamol is taken for extended periods, not as prescribed (e.g., in higher doses or crushed as pills), or taken with drugs like alcohol.
However, once the drug is completely out of your system, it’s unlikely to cause any long-term issues.
Dosage: How Much Methocarbamol Should I Take?
Modifications
Your dosage of methocarbamol may need to be modified (changed) if you:
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your healthcare provider may send a report to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program or by phone (800-332-1088).
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
For oral dosage form (tablets): For relaxing stiff muscles: Adults—At first, three tablets of 500 milligrams (mg) or two tablets of 750 mg (total dose of 1500 mg) four times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed. Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Are 65 years or olderHave liver or kidney problems
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you are very close to your next dose, just take that dose—do not double up.
Overdose: What Happens If I Take Too Much Methocarbamol?
Overdose symptoms from methocarbamol might include:
SleepinessNauseaBlurred visionSeizures
An extreme overdose might cause coma or even death.
Overdose risks are greater if combining methocarbamol with other drugs known as “CNS depressants,” such as alcohol. Taken together in high amounts, such drugs can slow your breathing rate and lead to death.
Precautions
What Are Reasons I Shouldn’t Take Methocarbamol?
Do not use methocarbamol if you are pregnant, as the drug has a risk of causing abnormalities in the developing fetus unless your healthcare provider determines that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
If someone collapses or isn’t breathing after taking methocarbamol, call 911 immediately.
Check with your doctor before using this medicine with alcohol or other medicines that affect the central nervous system (CNS). The use of alcohol or other medicines that affect the CNS with risperidone may worsen the side effects of this medicine, such as dizziness, poor concentration, drowsiness, unusual dreams, and trouble with sleeping. Some examples of medicines that affect the CNS are antihistamines or medicine for allergies or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicines, medicine for depression, medicine for anxiety, prescription pain medicine or narcotics, medicine for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, medicine for seizures or barbiturates, muscle relaxants, or anesthetics, including some dental anesthetics.
This medicine may cause some people to become dizzy or drowsy. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not alert.
Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. This medicine may affect the results of certain medical tests. .
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines) and herbal or vitamin supplements.
It’s also not recommended to take if you are breastfeeding or have a known allergy to the drug or any of its ingredients.
Additionally, methocarbamol should be used with caution in:
People with liver or kidney problems People taking drugs for seizures, also known as anticonvulsants or antiepileptic drugs: Due to interactions with these medications, methocarbamol might not work as well if combined with them. People taking medications to treat a medical condition called myasthenia gravis due to potential interactions People with substance use disorder: Although it is not a controlled substance, methocarbamol may have some abuse potential. However, it doesn’t appear to be as addictive as benzodiazepines, like Valium (diazepam), or opioids, like Oxycontin (oxycodone). People 65 and older: Methocarbamol can cause dizziness, which may make older individuals more prone to falling.
What Other Medications Interact With Methocarbamol?
People taking methocarbamol need to avoid certain drugs while taking this medication. This is especially important for CNS depressants or drugs that slow brain activity.
CNS depressants include:
Alcohol Benzodiazepines like Valium (diazepam) Barbiturate drugs like phenobarbital Other sedative drugs like Ambien (zolpidem) Narcotic cough suppressants like codeine
Taking CNS depressants with methocarbamol can increase the likelihood of overdose or substance abuse problems.
In some cases, like for alcohol, it’s best to avoid the drug completely while using methocarbamol. In other cases, you might be able to use the drug if you work closely with your healthcare provider and take the drugs exactly as prescribed.
Other drugs may interact with methocarbamol and make it less effective or vice versa. Ask your healthcare provider for a full list of drug interactions. Be open and honest with your healthcare team about all prescription and OTC medications and supplements you take.
What Medications Are Similar?
Some muscle relaxants that are similar to methocarbamol include the following:
Soma (carisoprodol) Cyclobenzaprine Skelaxin (metaxalone) Orphenadrine Chlorzoxazone
To be clear, these are possible alternatives to methocarbamol. However, they shouldn’t be taken at the same time.
These medications share similarities to methocarbamol in terms of potential side effects and risks. If you can’t take methocarbamol because of a health condition, none of these other drugs are likely to be good possibilities. Depending on the situation, you might be better off with an entirely different type of drug, like a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, like Advil (ibuprofen).
Compared with the other alternatives, one advantage of methocarbamol is that it tends not to make people as drowsy. Although some drowsiness can still occur, the symptoms tend to be less severe. It may also pose less of a risk in terms of potential abuse or dependence.
How Can I Stay Healthy While Taking Methocarbamol?
When combined with interventions like physical therapy, methocarbamol can be a helpful aid for relieving muscle pain. However, it does have some risks and some potential for abuse, so it’s good to be aware.
You might also be better off with other interventions, like physical therapy. Work with your healthcare team to figure out the best solution for you.
SeizuresAgitationInsomniaIncreased temperatureHallucinations
Instead of stopping your medication suddenly, work with your healthcare provider to wean yourself off. This will drastically reduce the risk of such symptoms. The good news is that such withdrawal symptoms usually go away within a few days.
Once you start taking methocarbamol, pay attention to how it affects you. Be cautious and don’t drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how your body will respond to the medication
For safe use, take methocarbamol only as directed by your healthcare provider. It’s also important to avoid using it with alcohol or other drugs like benzodiazepines or opioids. You’ll also greatly reduce the chance of developing long-term issues by only using the drug for a limited time, usually a maximum of two to three weeks.
If methocarbamol isn’t helping you, talk to your healthcare provider about alternative options for pain relief.
