Having a lot of stress in your life can actually cause physical pain in your body. Muscle tension is a specific type of pain that may lead to muscle spasms or even muscle spasticity.
Do you suffer from muscle tension, but are unsure of what you should do next? Are you tired of living in pain with no end in sight?
If you’re looking for the best medicine for muscle tension, keep reading to find out more about why you have muscle tension in the first place and what you can do about it.
Causes of Muscle Tension
Certain things that you do in your regular life may actually be causing your muscle tension. Understanding why you have tension in the first place is important so that you can prevent it from getting worse.
Some activities that would normally cause sore or tense muscles include:
- Playing a sport
- Doing heavy housework or chores
- Doing something out of the ordinary, such as standing for long periods
- Using heavier workout equipment
- Increasing your activity level
If you notice that your muscles hurt about a day or so after an activity, it’s actually because there are tiny injuries to your muscle’s connective tissues and fibers. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness.
It’s at its worst within 2 days or so and should get better over time. Eventually, your muscles will get used to the activity if you do it again and the soreness should fade.
You may experience muscle tension when you’re consistently overusing muscles or are facing a lot of stress. When your muscle is contracting and not releasing, some type of treatment is necessary.
Tense muscle medication, such as those we will discuss below, may be able to help your muscles relax so you can get back to your daily life.
1. Antispasmodics
Antispasmodics, also called centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants (SMRs), are used by people that are experiencing muscle spasms. They work by giving your brain a sedative effect and helping prevent the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.
These medications can be used for up to a few weeks, but longer use is not known to be safe.
Some of the common side effects of SMRs may include:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Lower blood pressure when standing
- Darker urine
- Nervous or anxious feeling
It’s important to discuss the pros and cons of taking an antispasmodic with your doctor before considering them as the best option. They are not always the best treatment for tense muscles, but they may be in some specific situations.
Do you have a prescription ready to go from your physician? You can visit this website to get some more information and even place an order today.
2. Antispastics
These medications are used for people dealing with muscle spasticity. They are not used for muscle spasms.
Muscle spasticity is when someone is unable to move a muscle because it is so stiff or heavy. Muscle spasm is when a muscle suddenly is tight and contracting, but it can still be moved.
Some of the common types of antispastics used for spasticity in muscles are baclofen, dantrolene, and diazepam.
Baclofen
This medication is used to relieve muscle spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.
The drug seems to work by blocking signals from the nerve in the spinal cord that causes a muscle to stiffen. Some of the side effects that may be experienced with this medication are weakness, fatigue, or dizziness.
Dantrolene
With this medication, muscle spasticity caused by a stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, or cerebral palsy can be treated.
It directly impacts the skeletal muscle and calms it so that the muscle can relax. The side effects associated with dantrolene include lightheadedness, tiredness, and dizziness.
Diazepam
This is a sedative medication is used to relieve spasticity caused by inflammation or trauma. It increases a neurotransmitter’s activity to decrease the amount of spasticity that is occurring.
Some of the side effects that are associated with this medication for tense muscles are weakness, drowsiness, and fatigue.
Read More: How Massage Helps Improve Your Body Building and Muscles
3. Opioids
While opioids should never be the first tense muscle medication considered, they can be an option if the pain is truly severe and nothing else is helping you. They are one of the stronger prescriptions that you could get, but they are not right for everyone.
It’s important to remember that there is always a concern with opioids when it comes to addiction. While they are safe to take for a short time when prescribed by your physician, they should be a last resort due to the many risk factors.
Some of the common opioids include oxycodone or an acetaminophen and hydrocodone combination.
These work by interacting with the nerve cell receptors and brain receptors to reduce your muscle pain. Essentially, they block feelings of pain by binding with your brain receptors. If used carefully, they can be extremely effective for people that have severe muscle tension.
Some of the side effects to consider before using opioids include:
- Possibility of developing an addiction
- Impaired judgment
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Constipation
- Slowed breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- A feeling of itchy skin
While taking these medications, you cannot drive or drink alcohol. Never take opioids without talking to your doctor first.
4. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Many people would consider nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to be the first thing to try before prescription medications when you’re dealing with muscle pain or tension.
These medications work by blocking the body from creating substances that might cause inflammation or pain in your body. They are available for you to purchase over the counter in generic or brand-name options.
If you need a stronger version of an NSAID, you can speak with your doctor about a prescription for one.
NSAIDs include ibuprofen or naproxen and may come as tablets, chewable tablets, capsules, or suspensions.
5. Acetaminophen
Another option for people that would rather take an over the counter medication first is acetaminophen, such as Tylenol. It has fewer side effects than many of the other drugs and can be an easy way to release muscle tension.
Be sure to not take more than 3,000 mg (3 grams) in 24 hours because it may damage your liver if you overdose on acetaminophen.
In addition to this, you should always speak with your doctor before taking acetaminophen if you have liver disease or another illness that may cause liver problems.
Choosing the Best Medicine for Muscle Tension
If you’re interested in the best medicine for muscle tension, it’s always a good idea to speak with your physician first.
That way, you can find out if you need something prescribed and be sure that your muscle tension isn’t due to something more serious. Are you looking for more great health tips like these? If so, be sure to check out more of the helpful lists and articles on our website.
