What Is Robaxin Used For?
Robaxin® (
methocarbamol) is a prescription muscle relaxant used to treat muscle spasms. It is approved to be used along with rest, physical therapy, and other treatments to relieve pain from acute (short-term) painful muscle spasms. The injectable form of Robaxin is also used to treat tetanus (lockjaw) in combination with other standard treatments.
A muscle spasm is an uncontrollable
contraction of a muscle. Muscle spasms can cause pain, tenderness, and stiffness, and they are a frequent
cause of back pain. Most often, muscle spasms are caused by injury, overuse, or similar problems (like sleeping in a strange position). Robaxin usually works quite well for these types of muscle spasms.
It is not clear exactly how Robaxin helps to relieve muscle spasms. However, it is known to work mostly in the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord), not directly on the muscles.
Can Children and Teens Use Robaxin?
Robaxin tablets are licensed for individuals age 16 and older. The injectable form is not approved for pediatric use, which usually means in children and adolescents under the age of 18, except to treat tetanus. Talk with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of using Robaxin in children.
On occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend this medicine for something other than the conditions discussed in this article. At this time, there are no universally accepted
off-label Robaxin uses.
