Sunday, October 22, 2023

Chlorzoxazone (Salt)

Chlorzoxazone is used to relax certain muscles in your body and relieve the discomfort caused by acute (short-term), painful muscle or bone conditions. However, this medicine does not take the place of rest, exercise, physical therapy, or other treatments that your doctor may recommend for your medical condition.

Chlorzoxazone is a skeletal muscle relaxant. It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relax muscles.

Ref: mayoclinic

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Chlorzoxazone (INN) is a centrally acting muscle relaxant used to treat muscle spasm and the resulting pain or discomfort. It can also be administered for acute pain in general and for tension headache (muscle contraction headache). It acts on the spinal cord by depressing reflexes. It is sold under the brand names Lorzone, Paraflex and Muscol and in combination form as Parafon Forte, a combination of chlorzoxazone and acetaminophen (paracetamol). Possible side effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, malaise, nausea, vomiting, and liver dysfunction. Used with acetaminophen it has added risk of hepatotoxicity.

It is available as a generic medication.

Like metaxalone, its mechanism of action is still in question. It is believed that metaxalone works by altering serotonin levels and acting as a mild MAO inhibitor.

The mechanism of action of chlorzoxazone is thought to act on Gaba-A & B receptors and voltage-gated calcium channels to a degree.

General central nervous system depression is the only currently accepted aspect to its medical benefits.

Elucidation of the exact mechanism of action is ongoing but there is limited study due to the existence of more effective, safe muscle relaxants (ex. diazepam, cyclobenzaprine, tizanidine), greatly limiting the potential benefit of identifying novel compounds which share chlorzoxazone's mechanism of action. 
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