Dr. Nye--Re: Elavil vs. Flexeril

[David Nye]

Ted Roberts <tro...@IX.NETCOM.COM> writes:
>My PCP recently took me off the flexeril because he said I
>shouldn't be on it for such a long period of time with no explanation
>why. He rx'd elavil for me which I really don't want to take because
>of the weight gain issue. Could you shed light why my PCP might not
>have wanted me to continue taking the flexeril?

When Flexeril is prescribed for FMS, it is as a long term medication, a way
of using it well supported by the scientific literature. The entry on
Flexeril in the PDR however says that it is only approved for short term
use, but this is as a muscle relaxant, its only approved use. Many
medications are used for indications other than the approved one. A
medication's value for other indications may have been proven in controlled
blinded trials, but it costs a drug company a lot of money to get a drug
approved by the FDA for a new use so they frequently don't bother.

David A. Nye MD (ny...@uwec.edu) * Midelfort Clinic, Eau Claire, WI
Men ought to know that from nothing else but the brain come joy,
despondency and lamentation,...wisdom and knowledge -- Hippocrates

[Karen Kording]

Dr. Nye,
What is the "usual" dose of Flexeril? I know that dosages can differ from
one person to the next, but is there a "norm?" I was prescribed 10 mg. to
be taken at 8 pm. 10 mg. doesn't even phase me. I take Librium for anxiety
and have managed to get my dosage down to 5 mg. x 2/day then I take 20 mg.
at bedtime. If I lay awake for an hour I take another 5 mg. That is a
total dosage of 35 mg./day. I would prefer to not take as much Librium if I
knew that additional Flexeril would help me sleep.
Karen K