| Dear
Reader, Welcome
to this week’s quick health capsule:
Muscle
Relaxant
Skeletal muscle relaxants are used to relax certain muscles
in your body and relieve the stiffness, pain, and discomfort
caused by strains, sprains, or other injury to your muscles.
However, these medicines do not take the place of rest, exercise
or physical therapy, or other treatment that your doctor may
recommend for your medical problem. Methocarbamol also has
been used to relieve some of the muscle problems caused by
tetanus. Skeletal muscle relaxants act in the central nervous
system (CNS) to produce their muscle relaxant effects. Their
actions in the CNS may also produce some of their side effects.
Range
of Motion
Muscle relaxants are often prescribed in the treatment of
acute low back pain in an attempt to improve the initial limitations
in range of motion from muscle spasm and to interrupt the
pain-spasm-pain cycle. Limiting muscle spasm and improving
range of motion will prepare the patient for therapeutic exercise.
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Precautions
and Side Effects
Do not
drink alcoholic beverages, and check with your doctor before
taking any of these medicines, while you are using this medicine.
Skeletal muscle relaxants may cause blurred vision or clumsiness
or unsteadiness in some people. They may also cause some people
to feel drowsy, dizzy, lightheaded, Dry mouth, Urinary retention,
faint, or less alert than they are normally. 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 dizzy or are not alert, well-coordinated, and able to
see well.
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