Drug class
Muscle Relaxants: medications in this class
Medications that relieve muscle spasms and pain.
Overview
Most muscle relaxants act in the brain and spinal cord to reduce the reflex spasm that follows an injury, rather than on the muscle itself. Cyclobenzaprine and methocarbamol are prescribed for a couple of weeks alongside movement and physiotherapy for acute back or neck pain; there is little evidence for them beyond that. Tizanidine and baclofen treat spasticity from multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury and are taken long term.
Drowsiness and dizziness are universal, and they should not be combined with alcohol or other sedatives. Cyclobenzaprine is related to the tricyclic antidepressants and interacts with some antidepressants; tizanidine lowers blood pressure and interacts with ciprofloxacin and fluvoxamine; baclofen must not be stopped suddenly.
Carisoprodol is a controlled substance with abuse potential and is used less now.
How the drugs in this class differ when you pay cash
Cyclobenzaprine tablets, methocarbamol, tizanidine tablets and baclofen tablets are commodity generics; the cash price for a short course is mostly the dispensing fee. Extended-release cyclobenzaprine capsules, tizanidine capsules and the baclofen oral solutions cost pharmacies far more, and a prescription written for one of those can be several times the price of the plain tablet.
For a two-week course, the cheapest route is a plain tablet at an independent or flat-price pharmacy; for long-term spasticity treatment, a ninety-day fill.
Methocarbamol is often the cheapest of the class and is sometimes chosen for that reason alone, and it causes somewhat less drowsiness than cyclobenzaprine for many people. Tizanidine tablets and capsules absorb differently with food, so the prescriber will specify one; the pharmacy cannot swap them without checking.
When paying cash beats a copay, and when it does not
Cash is usually at or below a copay for the plain tablets. The extended-release capsules and oral solutions are where insurance can matter.
Conditions treated
- Muscle Spasms
- Back Pain
- Multiple Sclerosis
Medications
Which of these is right for a given person is a decision for the prescriber. The guides explain what each drug is, how it is supplied, and why its cash price varies between pharmacies. No page on this site shows a price; prices come from pharmacies responding to your actual prescription.
Questions worth asking
- How long should I take this?
- Is this the plain tablet or an extended-release form?
- Can I drive, and is it safe with my other medicines?
- Is it safe to stop suddenly?
- Would an anti-inflammatory or physiotherapy do more than a relaxant for my injury?
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for a Muscle Relaxants prescription
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your a Muscle Relaxants prescription prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Sources
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- MedlinePlus drug information (National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Orange Book (approved generics and therapeutic equivalence)
Written by the Script Unlock editorial team from the sources above. Not yet reviewed by an independent pharmacist. Last checked 2026-10-03.
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.