OTC Muscle Relaxants for Back Pain

Also referred as skeletal muscle relaxants, these are drugs that decrease the muscle tone and also affect the skeletal muscle function. Muscle spasms is a condition that often occurs during a back pain and to treat or alleviate the pain, muscle relaxants are used. Although most of these medications or muscle relaxants are to be used by prescription, there are over-the-counter muscle relaxants hat can be obtained without a prescription. It is imperative to take medication to treat backaches, especially, low back pain conditions which could either be acute or chronic. Chronic and acute low back pain, if not treated, can lead to much serious conditions such as insomnia, depression, etc. Therefore to relieve such pains, one can keep some of these over-the-counter muscle relaxers for backache at home, to take when the pain strikes.

ypes of Muscle Relaxants for Back Pain

Prescription Muscle Relaxants
Given below is the list of some muscle relaxants which can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription.

Cyclobenzaprine
Considered to be one of the most researched muscle relaxant which is effective in treating many musculoskeletal conditions. Please note that be it prescription or OTC muscle relaxants for back pain, all muscle relaxers have side effects and cyclobenzaprine is no exception. Some of the negative effects of cyclobenzaprine includes drowsiness, dry mouth and sedation.

Carisoprodol
The common brand names associated with carisoprodol include Vanadom and Soma. This prescription medicine is recognized as 'centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant'. Some of the side effects of this medication include

Metaxalone
Metaxalone is known by the brand name Skelaxin and is effective in treating muscle pain, spasms and muscle sprains. It is a moderately strong prescription medicine and interestingly metaxalone has relatively less side effects as compared to other muscle relaxants in this category.

Over-the-Counter Muscle Relaxants
To alleviate low back pain, two types of otc muscle relaxants are recommended namely acetaminophen and NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs). Given below are some of the over-the-counter muscle relaxants for back pain which are equally effective in other musculoskeletal conditions.

Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which is used to treat analgesics and it also helps in relieving symptoms of arthritis, fever and gynecological medical conditions such as menstrual cramps. Some of the side effects of ibuprofen includes nausea, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness and headache.

Naproxen
This over-the-counter medication is again an NSAID which mostly helps in relieving muscle pain, inflammation and fever. Some of the side effects of this medication includes dizziness, heartburn, headache, nausea and diarrhea.

Acetaminophen
Commonly known as paracetamol it is used as an over-the-counter antipyretic which is nothing but a fever reducer and as an analgesic or pain reliever. Paracetamol has comparatively less side effects and therefore it is suitable to most of the people. However, in cases of paracetamol overdose or prolonged use of it there might be side effects such as shortness of breath, skin rash and abdominal pain and intake of it for a long time may lead to liver damage.

If you are in search of best muscle relaxants for back pain then it is advisable to go for prescription medication instead of over-the-counter ones. Most of the muscle relaxants can only be obtained through prescription, especially in the United States.