My neuro told me that Zanaflex is a short-acting (sorry, don't remember the technical term) and that in order for it to do the best good I needed to take it regularly. I looked it up in my "pill book" and it said you could take 8 mg. every 6-8 hrs. as needed, up to 3 doses a day and to not exceed 36 mg. a day . My neurologist told me that for the sake of safety it was best to not go over 24 mg. a day. Now, I take 8 mg. at night about 20-45 mins. before I plan on going to bed. This is along with a high dose of Elavil. There is NO WAY I could take 8 mg. of Zanaflex during the day and expect to be able to function in any way other than laying out in the middle of the floor....I've been on this for 4 yrs. with no problems. I take 2 mg. in the morning when I get up and am able to function perfectly well. I don't take it in the afternoons though, unless I'm really in alot of pain. Also, it's best to have regular bloodwork (I go every 3 mo.) because it can cause liver injury. It can also cause low blood pressure.

hmmm, nightmares and hallucinations, weird...!