Abuse Of Zanaflex

I was just wondering if anyone out there has over-used zanaflex? I am ashamed to admit I did. I was just so desperate to sleep at night. One or two wasn't cutting it so I started going up to 6, 7, or 8 at I time. I would never ever recommend this for anyone. It was just my own desperation and stupidity. I have always had giant tolerances to everything. Anyway, this stuff would put me down hard, it was hard to get up and walk myself to the bathroom and the other thing was the vivid hallucinations, i have never experienced anything like it before. Everything I was seeing was so real it was scary and I would even see people and hold conversations with them. In the morning i would be completely fine. Thankfully i am in treatment for addiction now to various other substances. I just never heard a story about this from anyone else, it was just so crazy.

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I wanted to tell you that I have exsperinced the samething you have .. my body got so used to it I was taking more to and would see some wild hallucinations to ..I still take it because of muscle spasms in my legs but watch and not take more then 2 now...Mostly it was when I thought I hadn't taken any yet before bed and took more...So now I know...

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Zanaflex contains the active ingredient Tizanidine, this is a muscle relaxant.

Unfortunately, yes, these are commonly abused by many people, because of some of the effects you both have described here.

Like any other drug, abuse carries the risk of serious issues, including possible fatal ones.

Kudos to you for getting help.

Common side effects can include: nausea, drowsiness, dizziness and headache.

You can read more here:

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Zanaflex/­

Does anyone have any questions?

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My husband is currently using this as a sleep aid. His doc prescribed it after he had back surgery. He now is using it to sleep. I am concerned that his use of this drug is affecting his personality. What are the long term effects of using this drug? Especially as a sleep aid.

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I also take Xanaflex to help me sleep, but it messes my stomach up. I have a Peptic Ulcer and it aggrevates it for some reason, so I have to take Carafate and with food before I take the Xanaflex.

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I am in the military currently waiting for my MEB but i take 120 pills a month (4 per day)- 5/325 Oxycodone a month and( 60 per month)-60mg MS Contin a month, and (1 tablet)-12.5mg Ambien CR and now the doc just put me on one 4mg tablet of Zanaflex that i take at night with the ambien. Honestly i am a little scared to take this because i am currently having issues controlling not abusing my narcotics which ends up with me running out within 2 weeks of my script getting filled. I am afraid that the zanaflex will have the same effect that the lyrica had on me and completly numb me out i seriously couldnt even feel my lips on that stuff. and im worried that the muscle relaxer will have the same if not worse effect on me. I dont even know if i should take it because im afraid im not going to feel my body for a couple days..help please

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pnutprincess--I am a former "Green Beret" and presently an ortho medical officer for the Army, I deal with MEBs, SRPs, and TDRL evals on a regular basis. This amount of meds seems a bit excessive. What exactly are you being MEBed for?

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The person who said they were hallucinating with the zanaflex made me wonder if zanaflex and flexeril is in the same line of medicines. When i take the flexeril i would hallucinate.

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pnut, it's absolutely vital that you put a stop to any chance you have to abuse those drugs. Obviously, as a successful member of the US military you are more than capable of the willpower needed... but you have to drop any pride you have an let someone know that either there is/or could be a problem.

At a minimum, get a close friend who is opiate naive to dispense the 60MG pills as needed(or see if a local medical professional can provide this service). Get yourself one of those AM/Noon/Evening/PM pill boxes and do everything you can to make it obvious when slot is opened early... and IF you do start having real problems, go see a younger(preferably non-euro foreign) doctor. They will have much better programs, and even medications to try. Ask them about Tramadol and Pentazocine.

God bless you rambo chick

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I jacked up my knee really bad and have had four reconstruction's. I also have bad spasms and nerve damage. I dont meet retention standards so theyre medically discharging me.

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I've been overusing Zanaflex myself because I sleep so poorly at night. I usually start off with 3 and if I still can't sleep after a couple hours, I take 3 or 4 more. I don't get hallucinations, but I sometimes have vivid dreams. During the day I sometimes take 2 or sometimes 3 and every so often I get very light headed upon standing and I feel very dizzy and weak. I see a neurologist/pain management specialist who is treating me for headaches and migraines. He prescribed Zanaflex along with a few other meds. I'm afraid to to tell him that I'm abusing Zanaflex out of fear that he won't treat me anymore. Then I'd REALLY be in bad shape without a treating specialist.

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I've been on Zanaflex for more than one year, although I don't take more than prescribed (2 - 2mg capsules nightly). I can see how one can potentially abuse this drug since it's one of the more effective muscle relaxants available (better than flexril). Perhaps switching to another muscle relaxant might yield better results against abuse.

I'm currently on several meds due to chronic back pain. 10 mg Oxymorphone ER, 5 mg Oxymorphone IR, Zanaflex 2 mg, Celebrex 200 mg, Cymbalta 60 mg, Ambien CR 12.5 mg.

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I just got turned on to them by a friend............never knew they existed..was withdrawing from xanax and they took the sickness away....serious addiction to xanax

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I had spinal fusion on C-4 and C-5. My disc where no good anymore and has replacement with Cadaver disc. The effects after surgery is very painfull. Oxycodone 10mg and tizazidine 4 mg works good pain relievers for a very bad screwed up back.

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I have a friend that over does all her meds. claims she still doesn't sleep and lives everyday like a zombie. she actually looks out of her eyes blank. she is killing her self.i have taken her to pain clinic she fell in door going in.have taken her to Dr that prescribs her sleep aidlike a zombie.why cant they see this ?her pharmicist of 5 years after she fell flat on her face called her two Drs that were writing her ambian and lunesta and xanax and valium all going through Medicare didn't release her just told her to stop both and get just one each. she still gets zaniflex pain Dr and flexril from neurologist. duh??my Dr stopped writing my narcotics for something they knew wasn't my fault.offered to continue writing my maintance meds.has been my ONLY Dr 9years.what is happening. i am just upset and got off subject. i need to find website to answer my question just don't see how her Drs see her actions don't seem to care. guess my Dr covers his. behind better. nurse practioner writing my pain meds till i can get pain management says my Dr wasn't ethical cold turkeying my meds and my friends are overdoseing her.guess needed to get off chest.

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More sleep and wild halucenations.

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I would also be careful about the Tramadol. I used to have to take Tramadol 50mg and enjoy the euphoria so much I got addicted. Make sure to take it after eating or it can cause nauseua. And please remember to take it in small doses. (One to two pills)

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I take two Tizanidine 2mg, 2x daily. I accidentally doubled up on a dose and had a horrible experience. I could barely stand and when I did I got so dizzy that I nearly passed out. I called my doctor and he told me to stay in bed and to obviously be more careful so that it didn't happen again. It hasn't and it is still helping my calf spasms immensely. I think it's very dangerous to take more than prescribed--for goodness sake, don't do it intentionally. Get some cannabis if you must or better yet, a really good hobby!

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Zanaflex is what they used to give me every time I was admitted to the hospital for a long-term stay to help with my withdrawal symptoms. I would get 2 2mg Zanaflex and a couple Clonodine and it was supposed to make my opioid withdrawal tolerable while I was there, since the amount of pain medication they were willing to give me was not enough to keep me from getting sick. At the time I thought both medications were completely useless because I would continue to get sicker and sicker even after being given them. Now that I've kicked my habit it seems to me both of these medications are actually quite strong, and exceeding a recommended dose of either will put me right out of it. So like anything else, how strong it is is relative to whether you actually need it or not

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Darling, you're addicted. Your doc should lose his/ her license

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I have chronic neck pain. In physical therapy three times per week. Therapy includes dry needling. Ran out of conservative prescription to take one 2 mg Zanaflex pill at bedtime before eligible for refill. Going to change from seeing a neurologist to a neurosurgeon in 2 weeks. I have a propensity to abuse prescription drugs so I am between a rock and a hard place. It's all so depressing.

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I've been having strange nighttime hallucinations (like home movies - of all kinds of people playing in yards - on the walls) over the past 5 months or so. At first I thought it was interesting but once I figured out I had no choice it is frightening. I take Morphine ER's and Tizanidine. I looked into side effects and found both cause them. I too fear the night. I was doing great on Opana (best thing I ever took) and Soma but they took Opana off the market and for some unknown reason my doctor hates Soma. Too bad I can't have what works for me. It's back to try this and that and deal with the pain in between. It's pretty tiresome. To the kind military person - thank you for your service - once I get this figured out I'll be okay. Not all If these meds are necessarily bad If you take low doses and they help. If I don't get it figured out with conventional medicine then maybe I'll try CBD (Cannabis) oill next.

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Omg Diane!!! I had the same reactions to Tizanadine. I began taking it 5 months ago for back pain and had sudden seizurelike reactions and very vivid evil visions or hallucinations. Mind you i had excellent blood pressure prior to using tizanadine but found I developed hight blood pressure or rebound hypertension and just got back from a emergency room and hospital stay of 2 days. I was using Tizanadine for my pain but mainly took 4 4mg tabs at night for insomnia. I learned the hard way at 57 yrs old that this is a very dangerous drug. While asleep i was lowering my bp too low therefore playing russian roulette with my heart. I am so glad I saw your article because I was feeling very
stupid but now feel validated. People stay away from this med!!!! God bless you Diane.

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Thanks for your share! It helped me to know about how many you can take at 1 time. The doctor told me that I could take 8 a day. I take 2 in the morning & 2 at night. I usually forget to take the other 4 during the day. . But lately, I've been adding some of them to my nighttime medicine regimen. It seems to be helping me to fall asleep and stay asleep. Hope this helps someone

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I have had vitually the same exact experiences with the zanaflex I could not sleep without it. I was up for almost 72 hours straigh when i went to alcohol treatment and had to stop it for 6 weeks. I still cant sleep well withouti

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It's not unusual for individuals experiencing extreme sleep deprivation to overdose in an effort to get sleep. Let your doctor know that you're at risk for overdosing & perhaps he/she can help with a safer medication, or a supply too small to stop your heart. Oh, it's important to realize that Zanaflex(tizanidine) is a muscle relaxer & the heart is a muscle. Too much of this drug will stop the patient's heart.

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Taking an extra 4mg, of a strong generic, causes me to experience visual & auditory hallucinations, plus paranoid delusions. I can take 8mg with no problem, & with some generics I can take 12mg & still experience no effect at all. I see my doctor frequently & am a lifelong sufferer of chronic insomnia, therefore I take tizanidine at bedtime.

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Can it kill you? I know someone who downed about90 pills i just need to know can it kill you

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I would not take Tramadol. It makes my son have seizures along with many...I'm talking about a lot of other people also. It made me shake and vomiting violently for hours. It made my mom really sick also. It is also addictive. Just a little warning.

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I would not take Tramadol. It makes my son have seizures along with many...I'm talking about a lot of other people also. It made me shake and vomiting violently for hours. It made my mom really sick also. Just a little warning.

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Ive been waiting 6 months and on increasing amounts of oxy when i got severe musclevspasms so started tizanidine at low dose. After only 2 weeks i started falling then had serious hallucinations which after a terrifying period of believing that i was being chased by underground dwellers a took a hard fall. Difficult on my 67 uear old body. Landed on my face. Huge bruises all over body. Police came and took me to the hospital where they stapled my forehead. Then a 3 hor trip to a mental institution for a 72 hour hold. Nightmare! What pissess me off is that that was my thied visit to the emergency room in 2 days. Came in with complaints of hallucinating and falling. They saod it was the tizanidine and to stop taking it but it was already too late. Even drove to my doctors that same day with my complaints. Just sent me home whete i live alone and btw right across the street from the hospital whete i was trying to run to to be safe! I get there and they ship me off for 3 days in one of those hell holes. It was and continues to be a nightmare. My brain is as bruised as my eye. Have spent the past two years off all psych drugs after 30 wasted years on and this happens. I was just seeing daylight in my healing and now i am back into despair and feeling hopeless and so traumatized. Does biting it for faster telease during bad spasms increase the risk of hallucinating or is it just my propensity to be super sensitive to all chemicals after 30 years of them. Daughter is pissed and say s i brought it on myself for biting it. Would love to be able to tell her not true. I know that biting a pill is inappropriate intake but i didnt over use them. Thanks. Any response would be appreciated. Dont know if its ok to put .my email here but im going to because id really appreciate an answer. Maybe she wont be so pissed.

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