Flexeril vs. Norflex for tight muscles

[Ally1561]

Hi everyone
My NL (who knows nothing about chiari :)  )  suggested that I take a muscle relaxer for my tight shoulder & neck muscles and see if that helps anything.  I told her I thought I had some at home from  being prescribed them randomly over the years so she didn't give me a prescription that day.  I have some 10mg Flexeril at home and some 100mg Norflex ER.    
Anyone take either of these?  Which would be better for my tight neck/shoulder muscles?

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Have u had surgery for ur Chiari yet? Is this post op pain meds?

I am glad u found something that works well for u, but in that we are all different what works well for one may not for someone else....

I hope u stick around and share more of ur Chiari journey with us : )

[suebashchiari]

I swear by Flexeril! I have dealt with Chiari symptoms for over 20 years now and now if I take a Flexeril right when the headache starts to come on, I fall asleep and wake up as if I never had the headache.  It is a miracle drug for Chiari headaches!!

[lynnbrook177]

Just be sure to check the expiry date on the pills you already have!

[Rylanesmom]

Flexeril did nothing for me preop.  I took norco and fioricet.  Post op Dr Oro gave me Valium which is also a muscle relaxer....good luck.  

[DechenDolkar]

I have tried several muscle relaxers over the years for my shoulder pain and flexeril is the only one that works for me. It helps with the pain and also helps me to sleep. I am really sensitive to medication so I usually only take half of a 10 mg tablet at bedtime. Sometimes when I am in a a lot of pain during the day I'll take a quarter. It helps without making me too tired. Hope this helps some.

[tink_0427]

I also have both of them...
Upon being released from te hospital  postaurgery I was given Norflex and told to use that instea of the flexeril (that I have been taking every night for probably over a year).
Flexeril is a more immediate thing, the Norflex is ER which is extended release so it supposed to last longer...for me, it didn't work...I stuck with flexeril!
Hope this helps!

[linnielou232]

Selma is the greatest and calling the pharmaccy is a good idea.  You can also get on line to see what the difference is.  I used Flexill myself for a while and it didn't help much, so now they have me on Zanaflex which seems to help better.  I would call the pharmacy though and see what they think.  Hope you get some muscle relief.  For me this time of year I use my ice pack to ease the pain.  I also wouldn't let anyone get near your next or head.  I used to go to massage, but quit going after being dx'd.  If they don't know anything about Chairi it could cause a flare up.  Best of luck.
Linda :)

[selmaS]

I really do not know the diff btwn the 2, since u do not want to call  the Drs office, can u go to ur local Pharmacy and ask there the Pharmacist will know these meds better then ne Dr....

Oh that is good...I had a massage a few yrs back and the tech did know and I was so happy to find someone I could trust, but the place she worked at closed.....

[Ally1561]

The Flexeril is 10mg at bed time.   The Norflex is 100mg 2x/day.
Those are really big differences in mg's...  Does this mean the Norflex is stronger or are they on some kind of different scale?  10mg compared to 100mg is a huge difference!  Lol

And I know what you mean about the massage... I have yet to come across anyone that knows anything about chiari, so I don't have my hopes up at all about finding a massage therapist that does.  I am a freak about people touching my neck or head, so I can guarantee i would only let them do from the tops of my shoulders where they meet my neck on down!  

[selmaS]

  Well since u have the dosage instructions, then I would start with the lower dosage one to see how it works....

Professional massage may feel good, but if they do not know about chiari u may not want them doing too much around ur neck...

[Ally1561]

Both bottles state the dosage on them that you can take.  The Flexeril I believe was given to me after I had some dental work done to help loosen my jaw/neck muscles because I ended up with Trismus.  And the Norflex was given to me by my old PCP awhile ago because I mentioned during a visit my neck and shoulders were chronically tight.
I suppose I could call my NL and see which one she recommends.... I just Hate calling there!! Lol  Each time you call, they make you feel like you are the world's biggest inconvenience & usually the nurse screws up the message and gets the wrong info from the NL anyway!

The NL suggested I could do some PT to help with my muscles, but I did PT for my  low back once and wasn't a fan of it, as I dont really like people touching my neck or back.  I have been using my heating pad pretty religiously since I got into a car accident a month ago, which feels great!
I am thinking about trying professional massage therapy for my shoulders... massages at home feel amazing... thinking that a professional one might feel even better!

[selmaS]

  When it comes to dosage u should ask the Dr...granted they do not know about Chiari but should have an idea what dosage of either of those meds u should take...

Do u do ne exercises to help loosen the muscles? Use heating pads? U can do this in addition to trying some meds,.....just a thought.