Muscle Relaxer Misuse: Is Tizanidine a Narcotic, Is Flexeril Addictive, and Overdose Risks

Which muscle relaxers are controlled substances

Only one common muscle relaxer is federally controlled. The rest are prescription drugs without a DEA schedule, but “not controlled” does not mean harmless, as the table shows. Half-lives are from each drug’s FDA label.

Is tizanidine a narcotic?

No. The tizanidine label states it is not a controlled substance, and it is not an opioid. It works like clonidine, on alpha-2 receptors, which is why it can drop blood pressure and cause heavy drowsiness. It should not be combined with fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin, which can push blood levels high enough to cause dangerously low blood pressure, and the label calls for liver tests because it can injure the liver.

How long does tizanidine stay in your system?

Tizanidine itself has a half-life of about 2.5 hours, so most of it is gone within about half a day. Its metabolites, which the label says are not known to be active, have half-lives of 20 to 40 hours.

Is tizanidine addictive, and what happens if you stop?

The label says abuse potential was not studied in people. The clearer risk is stopping suddenly: rebound high blood pressure, fast heart rate and stiff muscles. The label calls for decreasing the dose slowly, especially after 20 to 28 mg a day for nine weeks or more, or when it is taken with opioids.

Is Flexeril addictive, and why was it discontinued?

Flexeril is the old brand name for cyclobenzaprine. The brand tablets are listed as discontinued in the FDA’s Drugs@FDA database, with a Federal Register determination that they were not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness reasons. Generic cyclobenzaprine is still sold and widely prescribed.

It is not a controlled substance, and its label says that stopping after long use rarely causes nausea, headache and malaise, and that these are not signs of addiction. The real dangers are chemical. Cyclobenzaprine is a close relative of tricyclic antidepressants, can cause serotonin syndrome with SSRIs, SNRIs, tramadol, bupropion and MAO inhibitors, and the label says deaths, though rare, can follow overdose, with other drugs or alcohol often involved.

Carisoprodol (Soma): the one that is controlled

The DEA placed carisoprodol in Schedule IV, effective January 11, 2012. Its label describes abuse, misuse and diversion; abuse can lead to overdose, slowed breathing, low blood pressure, seizures and death. Stopping suddenly after long use has caused insomnia, vomiting, cramps, headache, tremor, muscle twitching, unsteadiness, hallucinations and psychosis. The body converts carisoprodol to meprobamate, a controlled sedative that can cause dependence on its own.

Baclofen: do not stop it suddenly

Baclofen is not controlled, but its label warns that hallucinations and seizures have occurred on abrupt withdrawal and that, except for serious side effects, the dose should be reduced slowly when the drug is stopped. Running out of baclofen is a reason to call the prescriber the same day, not to wait.

Can you overdose on muscle relaxers?

Yes. Carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine labels both describe deaths from overdose, and every drug in this group adds to the sedation of alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines and sleep medicines. The combinations are where most of the danger is: a muscle relaxer with an opioid or a benzodiazepine can slow breathing more than either alone. If a muscle relaxer is being taken for its effect, mixed with other drugs, or hard to stop, that is a reason for an assessment; our signs you need detox guide helps sort it out, and the list of licensed detox programs in New Jersey shows where to go.

In New Jersey

Fully insured New Jersey plans and the State Health Benefits and School Employees’ plans cannot require prior authorization for the first 180 days per plan year of in-network treatment your own physician, psychologist or psychiatrist finds medically necessary. Self-funded employer plans, Medicare and Medicaid are not covered by that rule. NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) members and people without insurance can call the IME Addictions Access Center at 1-844-276-2777, which screens callers and refers them to treatment. ReachNJ, at 1-844-732-2465, is the state’s treatment referral line. Both answer 24/7. Same-day admission is sometimes possible; it is not guaranteed. For what a specific plan covers, see the insurance guides.

Periscope Behavioral Health, which publishes this site, is opening a medical detox in Hammonton, Atlantic County, expected Summer 2027. Until then, the admissions line of our publisher, Periscope Behavioral Health, at (888) 313-3583, can talk through options in New Jersey and Florida, including facilities Periscope operates. What a plan covers depends on the plan and the facility’s network status.