What is the use of Methocarbamol (Muscle Relaxant)?

From the Guidelines

Methocarbamol is recommended for short-term use in treating acute low back pain, with a typical adult dosage of 1500 mg four times daily for the first 2-3 days, then reduced to 1000 mg four times daily as symptoms improve, due to its moderate superiority to placebo for short-term pain relief 1.

Key Points

• Methocarbamol is a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant and sedative that does not act directly on skeletal muscle, with its precise mechanism of action being unclear 1.
• Common side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, and headache, making it important to avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how the medication affects you.
• Methocarbamol should be used cautiously in patients with liver or kidney disease, and alcohol should be avoided while taking this medication as it can increase sedative effects.
• The medication is not recommended for long-term use and should be taken as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes appropriate rest and rehabilitation exercises for optimal recovery from muscle injuries.

Considerations

• A higher-quality Cochrane review found skeletal muscle relaxants, including methocarbamol, to be moderately superior to placebo for short-term pain relief in acute low back pain 1.
• There is insufficient evidence to conclude that any specific muscle relaxant is superior to others for benefits or harms, but methocarbamol has been found to be efficacious for acute low back pain in some trials 1.
• Methocarbamol elimination is significantly impaired in patients with certain medical conditions, highlighting the need for cautious use in these populations 1.

From the FDA Drug Label

Methocarbamol is indicated as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. The mode of action of methocarbamol has not been clearly identified, but may be related to its sedative properties. Methocarbamol does not directly relax tense skeletal muscles in man.

The primary use of Methocarbamol is for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions.

• It is used as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures.
• The mode of action of methocarbamol is not clearly identified but may be related to its sedative properties.
• Methocarbamol does not have a direct relaxing effect on tense skeletal muscles in humans 2.
• The mechanism of action of methocarbamol in humans has not been established, but may be due to general central nervous system (CNS) depression 2.

From the Research

Methocarbamol Overview

• Methocarbamol is a skeletal muscle relaxant used to treat musculoskeletal conditions.
• According to the study 3, there is very limited or inconsistent data regarding the effectiveness of methocarbamol compared to placebo in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

Efficacy and Safety

• The study 3 found that cyclobenzaprine, carisoprodol, orphenadrine, and tizanidine are effective compared to placebo in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
• However, there is insufficient evidence to determine the relative efficacy or safety of methocarbamol compared to other skeletal muscle relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine, carisoprodol, orphenadrine, tizanidine, metaxalone, and chlorzoxazone 3.

Adverse Effects

• The study 3 noted that dantrolene, and to a lesser degree chlorzoxazone, have been associated with rare serious hepatotoxicity.
• However, there is limited information available on the adverse effects of methocarbamol in the study 3.