Potential Risks Of Using Muscle Relaxants

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 494
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A couple of years ago muscle relaxant medications have made a big stir in the press because of several deaths associated with cases of such drugs being abused. This, of course lead to several profile federal agencies to take a closer look at such drugs.

One of the first reported cases dates back to 1996-1996 when a hospital staff was convicted in killing six senior patients in the hospital, by introducing exceeded doses of muscle relaxant medications Pavulon and succinylcholine chloride. These drugs have depressed the respiratory systems of the patients, which has lead to fatal suffocation.

In a series of other accidents that lead to five deaths during a short period of time, a large pharmaceutical company has voluntary discounted Rapalon - a popular muscle relaxant medication at that time. Rapalon was specifically used to relax the airways when doctors had to insert breathing tubes during complicated surgeries. However, because of the abnormal breathing and depression of respiratory functions the drug was taken off the market completely.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already had relevant data ...
... on the potential hazards of Rapalon. Symptoms as bronchospasms - the depression and abnormal breathing functions - are commonly reported when overdosing with muscle relaxant medications, however with Raplon it was a common side-effect observed in 3.2% of all people who used it.

Rapalon was the twelfth medication taken off the shelves after being approved by the FDA since 1997. Of course, this has caused quite a stir in the press and many people question the rapid approval procedures the FDA carries out for certain drugs. The Administration is caught between two fires in this situation. On one hand the Congress forces them to speed up the approval process, while the general public is concerned by the safety of the drugs that pass through such rapid approval.

Muscle relaxants

Muscle relaxants are a specific group of drugs comprised of numerous medications that are designed to address two different types of medical conditions: muscle pain and muscle spasticity. Although, there is a large number of muscle relaxant medications approved by the FDA the vast majority of them is used only for treating muscle pain and spasms, while only a few drugs are specifically aimed at spasticity issues.

Spasticity is sometimes hard to define, but in general it is characterized by abnormal response to the muscle reflex triggering signals, with phases of over-excitement and excessive activity of the muscles due to different neurological conditions. The most common of such conditions include cerebral palsy, post-stroke recovery, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, and spinal cord injury.

As with muscular pain, there's a wide range of conditions causing such a problem. Still, there are drugs like Skelaxin that can be regarded as one of the most safe muscle relaxant medications if compared to other medications. However, due to the potential risks drugs like Skelaxin can pose to one's health or life, it is strongly advised to use these medications only with a doctor's prescription and not exceeding the dosage indicated in the prescription label. Otherwise, you risk experiencing severe side effects that can have tragic consequences.