What Is Cyclobenzaprine ER Used For?
Cyclobenzaprine ER (
Amrix®) is a prescription medication used to treat muscle spasms. It is a long-acting muscle relaxant that is taken just once a day. Currently, it is the first and only muscle relaxant approved for once-daily use.
Muscle spasms are involuntary
contractions of muscles. Muscle spasms can cause stiffness, pain, and tenderness. Muscle spasms are a frequent
cause of back pain, and sometimes muscles spasms in the neck can cause
headaches. Typically, muscle spasms are caused by overuse, injury, or similar problems (like sleeping in a strange position).
Cyclobenzaprine ER usually works quite well for these types of muscle spasms. However, some people have muscle spasms due to problems in the brain or spinal cord, such as with cerebral palsy or spinal cord injury. Cyclobenzaprine ER is not very effective for these types of muscle spasms.
Cyclobenzaprine ER is approved for short-term use, generally for only two to three weeks at a time. This should be adequate time to allow any muscle injury or damage to heal. If you feel that the problem has not sufficiently improved after two or three weeks, check with your healthcare provider. You may have an ongoing problem that needs to be treated differently.
Cyclobenzaprine ER is not approved for use in elderly individuals (those older than 65 years of age), as studies suggest that elderly people cannot clear cyclobenzaprine ER from the body as well as younger people.
