Tag: Skeletal muscle relaxants

A 2018 European study of over 22,000 patients found that using neuromuscular blockers (a type of muscle relaxant) during anesthesia was linked to a 4.4% higher risk of respiratory complications [1.4.1, 1.4.4]. This raises a critical question: do muscle relaxers relax the lungs?

In the United States, over 30 million prescriptions for muscle relaxants were filled during ambulatory care visits in 2016. Understanding **what is the mechanism of action of muscle relaxants** is key to their safe and effective use for conditions ranging from back pain to spasticity.

In March 2022, manufacturer Sandoz, Inc. issued a nationwide recall of 13 lots of orphenadrine citrate 100 mg extended-release tablets because of a potentially cancer-causing nitrosamine impurity. However, the story of why was orphenadrine discontinued is more complex, involving long-standing safety concerns and poor risk-benefit ratios that ultimately led to its removal from many markets.