Muscle Relaxers and Alcohol: Why They Don’t Mix

You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge. Muscle relaxers may also be used in conjunction with techniques like physical therapy, due to their side effects and risks. Alcohol has a similar effect, so mixing the two can intensify these effects.

You may experience increased drowsiness, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people try to self-medicate with muscle relaxers, which can have dangerous consequences. This is especially true when it comes to mental health conditions like anxiety or insomnia. Muscle relaxers may be prescribed for a variety of conditions, including back pain and injury. However, before taking a muscle relaxant, it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider about the risks and side effects. In addition to alcohol, there are other drugs that can interact with muscle relaxers as well.

This could take several hours depending on the specific medication and individual metabolism. If you or someone you love is misusing alcohol or prescription drugs, it’s important to get help before they suffer the consequences of a harmful interaction. Muscle relaxers are effective for pain relief caused by certain conditions, but taking them with alcohol could lead to dangerous side effects. Table 1 may not be a complete list; always check with your pharmacist for possible drug-alcohol interactions.

It’s important to note that these long-term effects may not be immediately apparent but can develop over time with continued use. Therefore it’s essential to avoid mixing alcohol and muscle relaxers whenever possible or under medical supervision if necessary. The best way to prevent the dangers of mixing alcohol and muscle relaxers is to avoid drinking alcohol altogether.

What are the Long-term Effects of Muscle Relaxers?

These can include damage to the liver and kidneys, as well as problems with cognitive function and memory. Mountain Sky Recovery is a respected drug and alcohol treatment center located in Southern, CA. Our compassionate team of experts is dedicated to helping individuals overcome addiction and achieve lasting sobriety through personalized, evidence-based care. If you combine muscle relaxants with alcohol, feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and drowsiness will increase. People may continue mixing the substances after accidentally or intentionally discovering the enhanced effect it causes.

Seeking Treatment? We Can Help!

At Mountain Sky Recovery, we offer specialized programs designed to help individuals overcome abuse of skeletal muscle relaxants while addressing co-occurring mental health disorders. Our approach is holistic, focusing not only on the physical aspects of addiction but also on the emotional and psychological factors. One type of medication you should never mix with alcohol is muscle relaxers.

Heightened Risk of Overdose

• Inpatient treatment is a  higher level of care than outpatient treatment.
• On the other hand, some individuals might begin drinking alcohol to counteract the side effects of muscle relaxers.
• In this blog, we cover what happens when you combine alcohol and muscle relaxers and why you should never mix these two substances together.

Worldwide, up to 3.3 million people die every year as a result of alcohol abuse. Alcohol-related deaths account for at least 5.3% (some estimate as high as 6.0%) of the world’s deaths. Men are three times as likely as women to die as a consequence of alcohol abuse. They are classified based on their chemical structure and mechanism of action, with each class offering different therapeutic benefits. While some muscle relaxers act directly on skeletal muscles, others exert their effect through the central nervous system.

Understanding the dangers of mixing muscle relaxers and alcohol is imperative for everyone, especially those currently under medication. This combination can lead to severe health risks, including enhanced CNS depression, accidents, respiratory issues, and exacerbated mental health conditions. Recognizing the reasons behind this risky behavior, such as seeking pleasure or self-medicating, is important in addressing and preventing it. Additionally, implementing preventive strategies, like strict adherence to prescription guidelines and consulting healthcare providers, plays a vital role in ensuring safety. For those struggling with dependency or adverse effects, consider seeking help from drug and alcohol treatment centers in Pennsylvania to get the necessary support and guidance.

Importantly, alcohol is a powerful nervous system depressant, which means that it slows down activity in the brain and central nervous system. This can alter perception, behavior, and movement in potentially dangerous ways. While alcohol’s effects may be desirable in some situations, they can be dangerous in others.

Understanding Addiction: How Relapse Begins Before You Drink or Drug

• Additionally, regular use of muscle relaxers has been linked to an increased risk of addiction.
• If you’re thinking about mixing these substances, it’s important to understand the risks involved.
• Like most medications, muscle relaxers pose interaction risks, and bringing alcohol into the mix can be dangerous—even lethal.
• Be vigilant for symptoms like extreme drowsiness, respiratory difficulties, severe disorientation, or unusually slow heartbeat.

Taking muscle relaxers shares similar properties, which can result in compounded effects when the two substances are used together. To prevent recurrence, always take medication as prescribed, avoiding alcohol during the course. Inform healthcare providers of all substances you’re taking, including over-the-counter drugs.

In severe cases, breathing can become so slow that it could stop entirely. This, quite obviously, is a life-threatening scenario, and a potent reminder of why mixing muscle relaxers and alcohol can be such a perilous choice. Even when used separately, alcohol and muscle relaxers come with their separate sets of side effects.

Treatment Options for Alcohol and Prescribed Medication Abuse

Yes, it’s important to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before combining alcohol with any medication, including muscle relaxers. They can provide personalized advice based on your medical history and the specific medication you’re taking. Many people abuse substances to feel “high.” This can be especially true for people who abuse alcohol and muscle relaxers.

Professional athletes tend to be at higher risk for mixing muscle relaxers and alcohol because of the nature of their jobs. They are often under a lot of physical and mental stress, which can lead them to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that slows down the body’s functions. Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxer that is used to treat skeletal muscle conditions such as pain or injury. Mixing cyclobenzaprine with alcohol can potentiate these effects and lead to impaired coordination, blackouts, and difficulty breathing.

Why Do People Mix Alcohol and Muscle Relaxers?

Join 40,000+ People Who Receive Our Newsletter Get valuable resources on addiction, recovery, wellness, and our treatments delivered directly to your inbox. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Alcohol should be avoided if you are under treatment with a centrally-acting muscle relaxant. A 2017 review couldn’t draw concrete conclusions about the effectiveness of baclofen in treating alcohol withdrawal.

On their own, this drug produces many side effects that affect a person’s ability to function. When alcohol is added to the mix, these side effects become even more pronounced, mixing alcohol with muscle relaxers potentially leading to serious health problems. Some may self-medicate to alleviate pain or anxiety, thinking it enhances the effects of the medication. Skeletal muscle relaxants (see Table 1) work primarily in the spinal cord and brain, also called the central nervous system, to block pain sensations between the nerves and the brain. They relieve painful muscle spasms and spasticity due to conditions like acute back pain or multiple sclerosis.