is there another muscle relaxer that controls spasms?
 

I tried flexeril and zanaflex which did nothing to loosen the spasm and dropped my already too low blood pressure to actually put my on the floor.

I tried baclofen which is supposed to be great for neurological muscle spasms and it did NOTHING, but make me irritable. I didn't give it more than a week though and never increased the dose.

The only thing I've tried that actually works , but I hate the way it makes me feels - kind of hot and like a pile of crap. I don't know how anyone would actually choose to take it for fun. Is there anything else that helps with nerve damage triggered spasms? Does anyone else even have this with their polyneuropathy?

Morton Epsom lotion works for me in minutes. I've had dental work yesterday and my neck was very stiff today and painful.
I guess I tense up too much in the chair?

I put some on my neck and I am good to go now, but when I woke up I was pretty impaired with pain.

I use it on my legs at night and inner arms some nights to lower my blood pressure. When I have toe spasms at night the Epsom lotion works within 15 minutes when I apply it along my shins.
I really can't live without it anymore. It is my #1 go to relief for many things.

I am on Baclofen, 10 mg, 3 times a day and I do find it very helpful. I get muscle spasms in my legs but the worst were in my rib cage, similar to what people with MS call "hugs", that would cut off my breath and make it painful to move. Baclofen has almost eliminated these entirely for me. I have never noticed any side effects from the drug, but I seldom experience side effects other than blurry vision from Gabapentin and Valium. I do have Valium for pudendal neuralgia when the spasms won't quit and I want to scream.
What dosage of Baclofen were you on when you quit?

I use this every night either on my feet or neck and it does nothing for the spasms. I also take many forms of magnesium and take epsom baths. I know for some people mag/ deff or improper absorption can cause certain muscle issues and even heart palpitations. My spasms stem from my spinal chord nerves and they cause misfiring which winds of causing some kind of ripple effect through my spine and the surrounding muscles. It is vicious. I WISH the magnesium helped me. It only helps me for the soreness that results from the spasm, but won't touch the clenching. They are so deep now that I am having it in my esophagus. It's tight and weak at the same time and I am having a hard time swallowing my tea.:mad:

Bananas / Potassium help ???
 

Does anyone know if eating bananas makes a difference with pn spasms?

I've had chemo induced neuropathy for two years now (which I didn't think was progressive) and just in the last couple of months, I am starting to get a lot of spasms.

Back on the high school track team we used to eat bananas (increase potassium) and make sure we were drinking lots of water to handle spasms.

Does anyone know if this helps with pn spasms? Is the mechanism similar or completely different?

Does anyone know if chemo induced pn gets progressively worse? I thought it was a hit-and-run sort of thing, where you simply stay at the level you were left with if your nerves didn't heal with the chemo damage.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Natalie

This site has 3 interesting things you can try:

http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-r...r-injured-neck

(one of them is epsom salts... which you already know).

But I like that acupressure point intervention...I am going to try this with my magnets!
I am finding this trigger point very sensitive and painful for me to press on.... very interesting!

I did the acupressure thing... and it is working for me. I am surprised!

At first it was so painful to massage that hand spot...but now neither hand hurts at all. My "dentist neck" has been tough all day today. When my neck hurts I get pain down my arms too.
Aching and a bruised feeling.

I am going to try my magnets on these two spots tonight... as a preventative thing. I use my magnets at night often. I have 3 in a row in a long pad I sewed up (knitting needle cover)... I have two of these. I can slip one of each into my carpal tunnel gloves to hold them in place.

I'm not sure about bananas but eating pumpkin seeds help me tremendously with cramping. I haven't had any leg cramps at night since eating a handful or so of pumpkin seeds daily. I buy them right at Wal*mart--a pretty good size bag for under $3.00. they are high in magnesium.

I've had positive results with Baclofen as well.

I have a thought about your current flare.

The sinus/ upper respiratory issues and
August connection---

Does your car smell musty? There is
An air filter in most newer cars behind
the glove box. Your manual shows how to
open this and replace. my Toyota van
had all sorts of awful plant gunk in it
And even some bird seeds! The dealer
Said this filter gets moldy fast.

Check this out.. As it might be triggering
your sinus issues. Severe sinus pain can
refer to the neck and may explain why
muscle relaxers don't work for you. And
also why your family is showing some
symptoms.

That's a good point mrsD, everyone should know if their car has a cabin filter, and change it periodically if they do.

In 2010, I bought an older car for my high school aged son to learn on. When I got the car home and checked it over, I pulled out the cabin filter which still had the original factory date code from 1999 on it.

You can imagine the crud that was built up on that filter after 11 years and 120,000 miles :eek:

Crazy! I just tried the point on my left hand because the right side of my neck and traps are in spasm. That point really really hurts.
The right hand point has no pain. I'm going to try it all day.
Later I will get my daughter to do it. She does the points all over my feet because we have a chart, but we never did any other body points. Thanks

Soma muscle relaxer
 

I have muscle spasms but cannot directly relate it to PN.

I take this very successfully for muscle spasm....I take it only rarely,
a few times a month. It makes me sleepy so I take it only at night or I know I can lay down.

http://www.drugs.com/soma.html

The acupressure points in the hands so far are working for me, also.
I find about a 12 hr lasting affect. I'll keep doing it too, as I get spells of throbbing in the back of my head which interfere with sleep for me. I slept really well last night. ;)

If this continues for you, I'd suggest you use Mucinex to liquify the sinuses, so they don't build up and cause pressure for you.
This really works for me. The sphenoid sinus in the middle of the head does not refer to the cheeks, like the maxillary ones do.
I think that one is more likely to cause neck pain.

I also find that Olive Leaf extract really helps me when I have sinus pressure. This antibacterial herb tends to help upper respiratory infections etc.

Hi Healthgirl,

Lots of great suggestions here! :)


If all else fails, there are other muscle relaxants available.

Diandra has mentioned Soma. Soma is the one I use. I use it rarely, as a last resort. I also often use only 1/2 tab as I find it often works at that dose for me and gives fewer side-effects.

I am allergic to a few muscle relaxants.

Zanaflex takes some time, with a gradual increase. Zanaflex has too many interactions with some of my other meds.

You have mentioned valium. Valium is often used for muscle spasms. If you use a different muscle relaxer, please talk with your doctor/pharmacist re: mixing any muscle relaxant with valium.

There are other medications available should other approaches fail.
Sometimes, there is comfort in knowing there are options, even if we don't use them.

mrsD seems to know your history and is very thorough in her "detective work.":D

I hope you find relief soon.

Warmly,
DejaVu