How Long Does Zanaflex Stay In Your System?

Tizanidine, sold under the brand name Zanaflex, is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury. The medication belongs to a class of drugs called Central Alpha-2-Adrenergic Agonist. It can be used along with other medicines or alone too.

The drug was approved by FDA in 1996 in the United States for medical use. Zanaflex is available as a generic medication. With more than 8 million prescriptions, it was the 86th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States in 2018.

You can buy Zanaflex online from the certified online pharmacy taking a doctor’s prescription before consuming any medications 

Zanaflex is a central alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist & it reduces the spasticity by increasing the presynaptic inhibition of motor neurons. The effects of the medication are most remarkable on the polysynaptic pathways. The complete impact of these actions is thought to alleviate the simplification of spinal motor neurons. While oral administration of the drug, it is completely absorbed (Kaddar, N., Vigneault, P., Pilote, S., Patoine, D., Simard, C. and Drolet, B., 2012). Zanaflex works by slowing down the nerve’s functions. This leads to a decline in muscle spasticity. As a result, you will feel sedated.

Half-life Of Zanaflex

The half-life of a drug, as the term suggests, is actually the period taken by a drug to go down to 50% of its dosage in your body. For example: If you have consumed 2mg of Zanaflex, the amount of time taken for 1mg of Zanaflex to be eliminated from your body is called its half-life.

The active ingredient in Zanaflex is Tizanidine and is used in treating antispastic in multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. The half-life of Zanaflex is approximately 2.5 hours, but its metabolites have a half-life of about 20 hours to 40 hours. Hence, a single dose of the medication will take approximately 80-90 hours to get out of the system completely.

After taking either a tablet or capsule of Zanaflex, the peak plasma concentrations occur an hour after ingestion. The half-life of the drug is about two hours to two and a half. Almost 95% of the dose is metabolized. With a half-life varying between 20 to 40 hours, the metabolites of Zanaflex are not known to be active.

The half-life of Zanaflex is not influenced by food, but it does affect the peak plasma concentration. In the fasting state, the peak plasma concentrations. In a fasting state, the peak plasma concentration is one hour after ingestion & a half-life of about two hours.  However, Zanaflex, when administered with food, the plasma concentration rises by 30% to one hour and 25 minutes (Granfors, M.T., Backman, J.T., Neuvonen, M. and Neuvonen, P.J., 2004).

How Long Does Tizanidine 4mg Stay In Your System? 

The ideal dose of Tizanidine is 2mg, however, in exceptional cases, Tizanidine 4mg may be prescribed depending on your medical profile. According to an FDA study, when 4 milligrams of Tizanidine was consumed with food, the plasma concentration took almost 30% more time to get absorbed as compared to 2mg of Tizanidine.

In other words, in place of 1 hour, it took up to 1hour 25 minutes to get absorbed. Similarly, the half-life of Tizanidine 4mg will also shoot up. After all, any drug, when consumed more, will stay for a longer duration in your system (October 4, 2013).

Factors That Affect How Long Zanaflex Stay In Your System

Though the half-life of Zanaflex is approximately 2 to 2.5 hours, it varies from person to person; how long will it stay in your system depending on several factors and variables? The healthcare physician must explain the mechanism of Zanaflex, how long it will remain in your system, urine, blood, or Saliva, and the factors that play a vital role in the drug's presence in the body.

The factors include:

• Age
• Metabolism rate
• Body mass and weight
• Food intake
• Co-administered drug
• Kidney and liver health
• Frequency of administration 

How Long Is Zanaflex Detectable In Urine? 

It has a short half-life; approximately 95% of the dose gets metabolized, out of which 60% is recovered in urine. Therefore a single dose of 4mg can be detected in urine from 5 to 13 days.

How Long Is Zanaflex Detectable In Blood?

 A blood test is requested when an individual is suspected to be under the influence of drugs. When taken from blood, Zanaflex is found to be maximum on day 1 & falls below the detectable limit by day 5 after ingestion.

How Long Is Zanaflex Detectable In Hair?

 Zanaflex can be detected in hair & is the most promising alternative test as it is perfect for examining long-term use of the drug. A hair follicle test can help detect the drug for up to 90 days.

How Long Does Zanaflex Stay In Saliva?

 A saliva drug test can detect the presence of drugs within a few hours after ingestion. Oral secretions may be able to show if you've been using for up to 24-48 hours, depending on how long it's been used.

How To Remove Zanaflex From The System Safely?

Knowing the mechanism of Zanaflex and what Zanaflex is can help us understand the working and efficiency of the medicine and how long it will remain in your system. For the individual who worries about the Zanaflex testing, there are many things they can do to help in order to get the medication eliminated from the system at a faster rate.

Precautions are required, and these should be considered only under the guidance of your healthcare physician. Following are the methods-

• Calcium D Glucarate
• Activated Charcoal
• Hydration
• Acidification

It is always advised to talk or consult your healthcare physician regarding every concern about dependence on this drug. Seek immediate medical help if you are experiencing dry mouth, hypertension, dizziness, or other symptoms after administering the drug. Your healthcare physician might consider replacing it with any other medication (Suárez-Lledó, A., Padullés, A., Lozano, T., Cobo-Sacristán, S., Colls, M. and Jódar, R., 2018).

Conclusion

Zanaflex (Tizanidine) is a muscle relaxer. It is recommended for muscle spasms and muscle pain. The half-life of Zanaflex is about 2 hours and can take up to 80-90 hours to excrete from the system completely.

Take only recommended doses for your treatment. Consuming more than the required dose can increase the presence of Zanaflex unnecessarily in your system.