Are there any OTC muscle relaxants? If so, what are the names of these products?
The active ingredient in OTC muscle relaxants is called ethanol. It is found in many OTC preparations, such as “Miller”, “Jim Beam”, “Chardonnay” and others. It frequently interacts with lots of other medications, is not recommended for people under 21, and if it came on the market today, would probably be banned by the FDA due to it’s high level of side-effects (chemical dependency, mood altering effects, and frequent liver inflammation). It’s not a particularly good muscle relaxer, but neither are the prescription ones, save those used in anesthesia, which relax the muscles so much that one often stops breathing.
As far as using ethanol for muscle relaxation, I personally would not recommend it for most patients. YMMV, consult your own physician.
Qadgop, MD
Wait a minute. When I used to work as a busboy, I had to take prescription muscle-relaxers one time when I was suffering from muscle spasms/pain in my lower back. I took them so that I would miss no work time, as bussing tables required heavy lifting of crates stacked full of dishes & glasses.
Anyway – that relaxer worked great! I was able to work pain-free, and the injury faded away. I don’t have the name of the muscle relaxer I took at the tip of my tongue, unfortunately. But I just don’t know what you mean by “…not a particularly good muscle relaxer, but neither are the prescription ones.”
I realize that you are an MD, but that statement flies in the face of my personal experience with muscle relaxers. Do you mean they are not recommended to take, or that they do not work?
A nice massage relaxes my muscles. Especially when my wife does it. She’s a potter and rock climber, so her hands are nice and strong. 
bordelond I mean what I said, they are not particularly good muscle relaxers. In the short run they are somewhat to fairly effective, but with time and regular use, they don’t work nearly as reliably. I prescribe them for acute relief of muscle spasm and tightness, but caution patients to use them short-term only. They are not helpful in situations where the muscles are chronically spastic. And your experience notwithstanding, the FDA has declared most prescription muscle relaxers as “possibly effective” for relief of muscle spasm. That’s not a real ringing endorsement; It appears to work a little better than Placebo.
AFAIK, ethanol is the only substance known to relax muscles which is available OTC. It used to be employed to treat premature labor.
To be fair, I should add that diazepam (Valium) is more than just “possibly effective” in relaxing muscles. When I have a patient with serious muscle spasm that needs to be broken, that’s what I will often prescribe. It has its own side-effect problems, tho.
Your explanation makes sense. I only took them for two days.
Might that mean that out of 100 subjects taking a given muscle relaxer, only 35 got “definite relief”, while others got partial, or no relief? Or something like that?
So if my body "works like the bodies of those 35 who responded to the medicine, that I’d get relief? Sometimes, I get the impression that prescribing medicine is akin to the black arts.
White magic, man. I am a servant of the secret fire, the flame imperishable. But it’s more art than science.
Qadgop…may I add to your Valium suggestion? Ativan (lorazepam) seems to be the going ticket when it comes to using benzodiazepines for muscle relaxants. It tends to have a much shorter half-life, and is recommended for the decreased renal clearance in older patients. As a nurse, I see that more in the LTC setting. I also have some personal experience with it. I had two isolated episodes of Spasmodic Torticullis last year, and was prescribed a few from the ER, after receiving 2mg IM so that I could raise my head up. Thank God that hasn’t happened since. I was given a script for Skelaxin when I went to my regular MD a couple of days later, but never had to use that fortunately, so I can’t really comment on it’s efficacy. Anyway, just personal experience. My apologies to the OP for getting off the subject, but since our buddy Valium was mentioned…
festiva76
i received an injection of valium mixed with something else (can’t remember what) before an upper endoscopy procedure. that shit knocked me out in a heartbeat. so the solution to a serious muscle spasm is to be knocked unconscious?
my doc has prescribed skelaxin and robaxin (not at the same time, don’t worry) for occasional use. should i be limiting my use of these, as they should only be used short-term?
Robaxin is available OTC if you live in Canada. It does work, but its effects are mild. If you have a really bad problem, seeing the doctor is the best thing you can do.