Methocarbamol
This shelf carries one methocarbamol product: Robaxin 500 mg tablets, the brand-name muscle relaxant used alongside rest and physical therapy to ease pain from strains, sprains and other acute muscle injuries.
Key points
- A centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant used to manage acute musculoskeletal pain and involuntary spasms.
- Works as an anti-spasmodic for muscle spasms, distinct from anti-spastic agents like baclofen that target upper motor neuron disorders.
- Listed in the Beers Criteria as a medication older adults should avoid, because it carries a higher injury risk than alternatives for the same condition.
How does Methocarbamol work?
The exact way methocarbamol eases muscle pain is not fully understood. What is known: it acts on the central nervous system rather than on the muscle itself. It does not change how a muscle contracts, nor does it block signals at the nerve-to-muscle junction. The practical effect is relief from acute musculoskeletal pain and muscle spasms, taken alongside rest and physical therapy as part of the Pain & Anti-inflammatories range.