20 Astonishing Reasons Why Your Muscle Relaxers Might Not Be Your Friend

5. Muscle Weakness

Muscle weakness is a common side effect of muscle relaxers. In most cases, this is not a cause for concern. Different muscle relaxers may cause various levels of potential weakness. As they ease muscle spasms or muscle spasticity, they may make it difficult for the muscle to contract fully. This leads the muscle to be unable to support the same weight it usually can, otherwise known as muscle weakness. Mild muscle weakness is an expected part of muscle relaxers. However, if the muscle weakness is serious enough to impair a patient's mobility or day-to-day activities, they should talk to their doctor. Patients should also talk to their doctor if they feel like the weakness is accompanied by other muscle symptoms like pain and fatigue. Some muscle weakness is expected, especially when treating muscle spasticity. The drugs must reduce the muscle's ability to contract in order to reduce spasticity.

6. Dry Mouth

Dry mouth means that the salivary glands in an individual’s mouth do not produce sufficient amounts of saliva to keep their mouth sufficiently lubricated. Thus, affected individuals feel as if their mouth is dry. Dry mouth can be temporary, though patients may see significant complications if it does not disappear quickly. This is because saliva protects the teeth from tooth decay by reducing the growth of bacteria and neutralizing the acids they produce. Saliva also makes it easier to chew and swallow food. One of the most common triggers for dry mouth is medications, including muscle relaxers. If this happens, doctors have a couple of options. One of them is to adjust the dose of the patient’s muscle relaxant. They may also change the patient to a different medication or prescribe medication to induce saliva production.