Muscles relaxers works as depressants on our nervous system to reduce the sensation of pain in our body. But since they are artificial to what our body should bear doctors don’t recommend them until there are no other options. Illegal acquisition of such drugs happen quite often, but do muscle relaxers show up on a drug test? Let’s find out!
Here you’ll find answers to two recurring questions about muscle relaxers:
- How long will muscle relaxers remain in your body
- Do muscle relaxers show up on a 12 panel drug test
Additionally, you’ll also learn about muscle relaxer addiction and how to overcome it.
Table of Contents
What are muscle relaxers
If you are worried about if muscle relaxers show up on a drug test, you first need to know how they work.
Muscle relaxants or relaxers are common prescription medications used to cure muscle-related conditions. They are capable of blocking pain sensations or nerve impulses sent to your brain.
Antispastics or antispasmodics are the two classes of muscle relaxers. While they provide short-term relief, they cannot replace physical therapy or rest.
To ensure you are taking the right dosage, you must reach out to your doctor. Different patients require diverse doses based on the intensity of their pain.
As far as side effects are concerned, the most common ones include headaches, dizziness, dry mouth, and drowsiness.
Wondering how muscle relaxers work? There are different kinds of muscle relaxers and they all work in different ways. Hence, you should discuss with your doctor to learn about the benefits and risks of specific medications.
Refrain from giving muscle relaxers to children.
Do muscle relaxers show up on a drug test?
The answer to this depends on the nature of the drug test. As muscle relaxers are not illicit substances, regular drug tests don’t focus on detecting them. Only specific drug tests detect their presence in your body.
If you have taken an all-natural muscle relaxant, you don’t need to worry. Only pharmaceutical products give positive results on drug tests.
Do muscle relaxers show up on a 10 or 12 panel drug test?
Millions of people take popular muscle relaxers such as Cyclobenzaprine. These kinds of prescription drugs alleviate tenderness, mobility issues, and intense pain.
Due to their popularity, patients want to know do muscle relaxers show up on a 10 panel drug test. We have answers for both 12 panel or 10 panel drug test to detect your muscle relaxer.
Muscle relaxers and prescription drugs don’t reflect in a 12-panel drug test. These are standard screenings that mainly target marijuana, opioids, and other high addictive drugs. Although muscle relaxers may go undetected on regular drug tests, specific tests can easily identify them.
For example, Flexeril is a muscle relaxer that can stay in your body for more than a week. A urine test conducted anytime between 4 and 14 days after taking the medicine will detect it. It can be found in blood samples or saliva for up to 10 days.
Interesting fact
While most prescription drugs require a maximum of 2 weeks to clear out from your blood or saliva, they reside the longest in hair follicles. Studies have revealed that drugs can remain in your hair follicles for as long as 90 days.
But what do muscle relaxers show up as on a drug test?
When a drug test confirms you have been taking muscle relaxers, the outcome will be a false positive.
How long muscle relaxers will show up on drug test results?
The duration of a prescription drug’s presence in your body depends not just on the properties of the drug. The duration of its stay in the urine, blood, or saliva may vary from one person to another.
Some factors that play a role in this are age, body mass, genetics, sex, overall health conditions, and metabolic rate. The frequency of its administration, other co-administered drugs, and the dosage you take are three other factors determining if a drug test can trace muscle relaxers.
Senior citizens and people suffering from liver ailments need more time to eliminate muscle relaxers from their systems.
Tips to flush out muscle relaxers from your body
Now let’s discuss how to get rid of muscle relaxers from your body and pass a drug test. The first thing that you must remember is that the half-life of one drug varies from another. How fast the drug leaves your system also depends on various other factors.
While some muscle relaxers completely leave your system within 48 hours, others may remain for as long as a month. That doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do about it. Try these home remedies as they may work:
Have plenty of water
Worried that the muscle relaxer you’ve taken will show up on a urine test? To reduce the half-life of muscle relaxants, keeping your body hydrated is mandatory. So, have around 4 liters of water in a day. This will make it easy for you to pass out the medicine with urine.
But refrain from drinking excess water as it will cause more damage than good.
Exercise
Did you know that working out at the gym is another trick that might work?
According to physicians, a heavy workout session is another great option. So, you can utilize it if you have recently taken a muscle relaxant.
You must be careful when exercising if you have taken muscle relaxants for chronic pain. Working out might put pressure on your sore muscles and worsen the situation.
Stay away from edibles that slow down the metabolic rate
Doctors also suggest patients avoid certain foods when they are struggling to eliminate various drugs quickly. If you want the drugs to leave your system at an accelerated pace, stay away from foods that will slow down your metabolic rate.
Instead, eat ingredients that will speed up the metabolism.
Drink fruit juices
Several people have admitted that drinking fruit juice has benefited them immensely. When it comes to eliminating muscle relaxants from your body, cranberry juice is the most effective one. However, drink it in moderation to keep stomach problems at bay. Moreover, you cannot replace water with juices.
Say yes to professional treatment
If you must get rid of muscle relaxers from your body at the earliest, you may consider professional detoxification.
Professional addiction recovery always takes place in a reputed drug rehab. This kind of treatment is an perfect to deal with withdrawal symptoms resulting from dependence on muscle relaxers.
Is it possible to become dependent on muscle relaxers?
Did you know that some people (especially teenagers) rely on muscle relaxers to feel calm?
They enjoy the pleasant feelings that muscle relaxers can provide. While not all muscle relaxers are addictive in nature, addiction potential is present in most.
The is the reason why doctors prescribe them for a few days to avoid complications arising from prolonged use.
Over time, people end up becoming so dependent on the medication that it becomes tough for them to withdraw. When an individual reaches this stage, doctors call it muscle relaxer addiction and it can be dangerous.
Keep in mind that taking muscle relaxers regularly for the sake of pleasure is not a good idea. There are multiple legal and health reasons why physicians ask people to stay away from this type of addiction.
While you are in love with the pleasurable effects a muscle relaxer produces, your health will suffer.
Symptoms of muscle relaxer abuse
These are the major symptoms of muscle relaxer addiction:
- Taking more dosage than what the healthcare provider has prescribed
- Requiring more of the medicine than the standard dosage to alleviate pain
- Combining muscle relaxers with harmful drugs or liquor
- Continuing the muscle relaxer even when the pain has subsided
- Ignoring the adverse effects (if any) and taking the drug anyway
- Neglecting work, family, and daily activities due to overuse of the drug
- Taking muscle relaxers solely for pleasure/non-medical reasons
Side effects of abusing muscle relaxers
While muscle relaxers are generally non-addictive, many people abuse these drugs with alcohol.
As the drug soothes the central nervous system, addicts find the effects desirable. There is no denying that you will like the sedated or mildly euphoric feeling. But over time, you may end up becoming addicted without realizing it.
If taken in high doses muscle relaxers will produce a range of anticholinergic effects. They are also capable of altering the activities of your brain’s neurotransmitters.
Being aware of these negative implications will help you look after yourself and advise your near and dear ones.
What happens if you take muscle relaxers with addictive substances?
A muscle relaxant and weed can be a dangerous combination as the muscle relaxer will amplify weed’s effects. For the same reason, mixing a muscle relaxer and alcohol is a risky idea.
Alcohol, being a strong depressant, makes your body relax immediately after its consumption. You feel a certain level of drowsiness and relaxation when you are inebriated.
If you take a muscle relaxer to double the fun, it’ll be challenging for you to manage yourself. The effects of both will be more intense and you may get into some trouble or do silly things.
Consult a healthcare professional to deal with addiction
Do you have an uncontrollable urge to take your daily dose of muscle relaxer?
Do you feel depressed or anxious when you haven’t taken it for hours? These are clear signs that you have developed an addiction to muscle relaxers.
In such a situation, trying to withdraw without the help of a doctor won’t work.
You must reach out to a reputed healthcare center that specializes in treating various kinds of addiction.
A detoxification procedure performed by experienced medical professionals will do you much good. Moreover, the longer you wait, the more damage you will take place. So, prioritize your health and don’t shy away from seeking medical assistance.
Contact your healthcare provider immediately under the following circumstances:
- If you notice bothersome side effects
- When the symptoms don’t improve
- If you have started becoming dependent on the pain medicine
- If you have withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit on your own.
Final thoughts
Muscle relaxers are extremely effective in treating spasms and spasticity. A muscle relaxant will provide you with quick relief from intense muscle pain. But, do muscle relaxers show up on a drug test? You already know the answer to this question.
As far as addiction to muscle relaxers is concerned, do not neglect it. Instead of letting the medication cause damage to your body, opt for a recovery program. With proper care and constant support, it becomes easy to get out of an addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Do muscle relaxers have drugs?
A muscle relaxer comprises two drug classes, namely, antispasmodics and antispastics. The two classes of drugs have differences in terms of uses and side effects.
2. Is a muscle relaxer pill a narcotic?
The popular muscle relaxants prescribed by doctors aren’t narcotic. They are CNS depressants used to ease muscle spasms, pain, and tension. Many people assume they are narcotics for the side effects like dizziness and drowsiness.
3. What medications will fail a drug test?
Several common medications might trigger a false positive result on a drug test. Some of those medicines include brompheniramine, chlorpromazine, dextromethorphan, bupropion, clomipramine, diphenhydramine, naproxen, quetiapine, ibuprofen, quinolones, ranitidine, doxylamine, sertraline, and promethazine.