# Muscle relaxants?



## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

I need your suggestions for relaxing painful, stiff muscles, please!







It's both sides of my jaw from TMJ probs, back & shoulders from light gardening (oh, and period pain in back, belly & legs). I know that amitryptaline (sp?) is used successfully by a lot of people with Fibro and other things (my Mum with pain & stiffness from SLE swears by it), but what about things that can be used as and when you need it - home remedies, meds etc? What do you use?I'm thinking some Tiger Balm would be good about now!


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## Ian (Apr 18, 1999)

Susan,The occasional tranquilliser can often help with this sort of thing - I know GPs are reluctant to prescribe, even on an 'as needed' basis, but Valium and the like do help in the short term.Longer term, my view is that the general level of tension in the body needs to be reduced, via yoga, meditation etc - but not a short term fix.Ian


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Susan, I love tiger balm. I use it all the time. I get hubby to massage it on my shoulders and neck. I find the milder one easier on my skin, (doesn't burn like the red tiger balm). There is also another linament similar to tiger balm that I get from the Chinese grocery stores called White Flower oil. My dad loves this stuff. You can use it for muscle, head aches. When things get real bad I head for the prescription drugs. My choice is flexeril. Although it does make me feel dopey, I take one and head for the bed. I usually feel better the next day.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

I don't have any suggestions, but I'm enjoying reading all of YOUR suggestions to relieve pain!


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Thanks for your input Ian and weener. Ian, I took some Valium on Saturday to cope with an emergency dental appointment (I thought the pain was from teeth, not the TMJ), and the TMJ certainly improved dramatically, which was a pleasant suprise. Unfortunately I think the muscle tension and pain in the shoulders and neck caused the TMJ probs to start up again yesterday. I'll keep Valium in mind incase it gets really bad again in the future. Thanks for that suggestion. I think you're spot on about the long term reduction of muscle tension - regular Yoga has helped me enormously with chronic pain and stiffness in my shoulders, back and neck. Just these acute flare-ups I need to deal with better (I know prevention's better than cure, but sometimes I just want to get out there and do some pruning!!). Weener, I got some Tiger Balm yesterday afternoon. Not sure if it is helping yet, but it smells nice







There were a lot of different ointments and liniments for muscular aches at the chemists - so confusing! I might ask my GP about Flexeril or something similar, thanks for that.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Susan, be careful with tiger balm, a friend of mine used it on her neck for pain and her skin broke out in dermatitis and was very painful. Don't use it if you are sensitive to it.


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Hi Nikki, thanks for the warning. I've been using Tiger Balm Red with no skin sensitivity problems.







Rather surprised me, actually!


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## selenae25 (Apr 4, 2004)

Susan I saw that you do yoga, how did you get started? I have been wanted to do some kind of excersise but am afraid to do cardio. I notice that when I wake up in the moring and go down my stairs my achilles tendons and ankles hurt and feel stiff. It seems like streching could help? I think there is a thread here on yoga, I reckon I should go read it lol.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Susan,Are you feeling any better? Has the Tiger Balm (or muscle relaxants) helped?Hope your muscles are easing up in the pain department for you!


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

*Selena*, my apologies. I meant to reply to your question about Yoga the day you posted it. I first got into Yoga before the ME/CFS relapsed after talking about it with a friend who did Iyengar Yoga (more dynamic). I went to one Hatha Yoga class in the city and loved it, but realised classes weren't necessarily for me because being in the city they were so overcrowded - you'd end up with your face in someone else's feet, and the mats were too short so I couldn't exercise safely (I'm quite a tall lady),and not least because I could not do a lot of the postures because I cannot kneel (very painful). Also, I think it was too intense for me - I was in a sort of a stupor for days afterwards. I didn't do any more Yoga until the ME/CFS relapsed a few months later. So anyway, I bought a book by Stella Weller called Yoga Therapy. I just picked some basic 'warm-up' Yoga exercises and started with those, then added ones I thought would be of specific help to me. It's really helped with pain and stiffness in my shoulders, back and knees. I can't walk very far, usually no further than 100 metres, so I just love being able to do a form of exercise. It's great because you can do as little or as much as you're able, but whatever you do, it's beneficial. Although the muscles can hurt a bit as you stretch, it's the normal, good kind of hurt, and I've never made myself worse with the ME/CFS from my Yoga. It's the kind of thing that when you first try it, you think you'll never be able to do properly, never be supple enough etc. But as you do it regularly, you find your body moving in ways it couldn't before, and sometime later, you're an old pro! I do find if I don't do any for a few days, I'm not very supple and it aches a bit. But it's not an ache that indicates I've done too much with the ME/CFS. The book covers all the main physical and breathing exercises, and also recommends specific ones for specific conditions or symptoms. It also has some general information about vitamins and minerals. *MrsM*, thanks for asking. The muscles eased of their own accord - time really is a great healer. I'm not sure whether the Tiger Balm helped or not, but it was nice to use.


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

An update - I saw a doctor today and asked for a muscle relaxant. She gave me Baclofen 10mg to take as needed. It'll be great if it eases acute muscle pain.


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