01 Apr 2022
Introduction
We all suffer from a wide range of medical issues. There are very few who are blessed with a life that does not upend on medicines. More often than not, we end up combining more than one medicine to tackle our various health issues.
Chances are that if you are a patient of epilepsy and also have pain, you may be prescribed Gabapentin and Flexeril together. This naturally raises the question in your mind, what will happen of you take Gabapentin and Flexeril together?
Gabapentin
Gabapentin is identified as adjunctive therapy in epilepsy and neuropathic syndrome. Gabapentin is commonly used to relieve nerve pain. It is called an Anticonvulsant Drug.
Gabapentin is not available over the counter you need doctor's prescription for these medications. Always get your gabapentin online from a well known and trusted pharmacy check they are selling FDA approved medicine.
When a drug prevents or stops seizures, it is called Anticonvulsant Drug. Gabapentin has brand name Neurotin, Gralise (Goa, K.L. and Sorkin, E.M., 1993).
Flexeril
Muscle relaxers are a great relief to the person undergoing muscle pains. Although it is a short-term treatment, it provides a helping hand in pain situations. Flexeril is a muscle relaxer. It is not an OTC medication, you can also get flexeril online from certified online pharmacy with prescription.
The generic name of Flexeril is Cyclobenzaprine which comes under the Skeletal Muscle Relaxer drug class. Flexeril is widely used due to its sedation technique to relax muscles. The sedation helps the patient to fall asleep (RELAXANT, S.M., 1981).
What If Gabapentin And Flexeril Are Taken Together?
As discussed earlier, Gabapentin is used to treat epilepsy, seizure disorder, and Flexeril is a muscle relaxer. Both these drugs work on the brain. As a result, if both the drugs are taken together, it can lead to:
- Heavy drowsiness,
- Fatigue
- CNS depression
- Difficulty in focusing
- Dizziness
Besides, the above there are no life threatening effects that will take place. It is just that, if you have consumed Gabapentin and Flexeril together, please avoid alert activities that need a high level of mental sharpness such as driving, operating machinery, handling hazardous items etc.
At this stage, you may wonder that while it is natural for Gabapentin to work on your brain, how a muscle relaxer like Flexeril works on your mind. Let us dive into how each of this medication works to give you a clear picture (Godersky, M.E., Vercammen, L.K., Ventura, A.S., Walley, A.Y. and Saitz, R., 2017).
How Gabapentin Works?
Gabapentin can cross the blood barrier level of the brain. The blood barrier is the barrier between the brain's blood capillaries and cells that form a protective brain tissue. The blood barrier protects the brain from unwanted chemicals and substances.
Gabapentin works by changing the electrical activity and influencing the neurotransmitter known as GABA, which helps send information between the nerves and brain cells. Thus, it declines the problems of epilepsy/seizures.
How Flexeril Works?
As we previously said, Flexeril is known for its sedative effect to relax muscle spasms. According to the working mechanism of Flexeril, it does not directly work on muscles.
In contrast, it works on Central Nervous System (CNS) to pause the pain receptor's signals from reaching the brain, and in the upcoming time, the patient feels relief from pain. In other words, it sedates the process of pain.
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Conclusion
Medicines are meant to heal the patient, so take medication according to your conditions. Each medication has its specified area of treatment. Gabapentin is used for seizures, and Flexeril is a muscle relaxer. Both medicines differ. To conclude you can safely take the two medicines together.
The one point to keep in mind is that when you take both the medicines together, you will definitely feel sluggish. So monitor yourself and avoid activities that need alertness.
