The half-life of a substance is the xanax substitute otc amount of time it takes for your body to metabolize half of the medication and remove it from your body. Alcohol may worsen the side effects of cyclobenzaprine such as drowsiness and dizziness. The following information includes examples of drugs that can interact with cyclobenzaprine.
Interactions that increase your risk of side effects
Muscle relaxers stay in your system longer than 24 hours. If you must have an alcoholic beverage, it is best to wait 24 hours or longer after taking your last dose of the intermediate familial subtype muscle relaxer to avoid any potentially harmful effects. Muscle relaxants are not recommended for use by pregnant women, older adults, or people who have a history of depression or drug or alcohol abuse. For mild allergic reaction symptoms, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away.
Related/similar drugs
Alcohol withdrawal is a condition that occurs when a person who’s been drinking heavily or for a prolonged period stops drinking alcohol. Alcohol and cyclobenzaprine can be addictive if they are misused or abused and increase the risk of addiction. There were 15,597,385 prescriptions written for cyclobenzaprine in 2019, representing 44 percent of the share of muscle relaxant prescriptions, according to Clinicalc.
- Cyclobenzaprine may increase your risk of certain effects on the heart, such as raising your heart rate or causing an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia).
- Ask your doctor before making any changes in how or when you take your medications.
- Table 1 may not be a complete list; always check with your pharmacist for possible drug-alcohol interactions.
- If you do decide to drink, remember that alcohol and cyclobenzaprine have a similar effect on your central nervous system.
MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, and tranylcypromine. A more recent review noted that baclofen is not recommended as a first-line treatment for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It’s believed that baclofen works by mimicking the effects of alcohol on a specific type of receptor in the brain.
While it is possible to become addicted to cyclobenzaprine, addiction is more likely when the drug is abused with alcohol. Addiction, also called a substance use disorder, is defined as a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain. When cyclobenzaprine and alcohol are abused together, it is called polydrug use.
Health Products
For now, it’s best to stick with currently recommended first-line treatments, such as benzodiazepines, when dealing with alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Using baclofen to manage symptoms, especially without doctor supervision, can have dangerous consequences. Additionally, both alcohol and muscle relaxers are potentially addictive substances.
There were 2,444,451 more prescriptions for the medicine in 2018. Since it does last a while in your system, I would recommend waiting about 24 hours after your whippets balloons last dose of cyclobenzaprine before you have a drink. At the very least, you should wait around 8 hours after taking a dose as that is the timeframe where the drug has the most effect. Cyclobenzaprine actually lasts quite a long time in your system. Cyclobenzaprine oral tablet may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This is more likely to happen in the few hours after you take it.
Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. Cyclobenzaprine is usually taken taken for up to 2 or 3 weeks. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets.
You should refer to the prescribing information for cyclobenzaprine for a complete list of interactions. Table 1 may not be a complete list; always check with your pharmacist for possible drug-alcohol interactions. Be sure to inform them of your prescription medications, as well as over-the-counter (OTC), vitamin and herbal or dietary products that you use. Carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine are frequently misused for non-medical reasons.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that dependence can happen with chronic use of any drug, even when they are taken as prescribed. Dependence does not necessarily mean you are addicted to cyclobenzaprine and/or alcohol. However, the more these two substances are abused, the more likely you will become addicted to them. An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of the medications; however, sometimes it does. Speak to your doctor about how drug interactions should be managed.
