Medications that are grouped under nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are chiefly administered to manage various kind of pain. Caregivers usually prescribe NSAIDs to allay pains caused either by an inflammation or conditions like lower back ache, migraines, etc. These meds are known for their quicker action and also pose lesser risks of undesired outcomes. Meloxicam is a salient member in this genre. But, is meloxicam a muscle relaxer? It is useful to have additional inputs about this.
Your body makes a chemical known as prostaglandin to manage painful sensations. This chemical essentially acts on your nerve endings and make your pains “visible” to your cerebral system. Prostaglandins are however closely linked to conditions like swelling or an inflammation.
Moreover, prostaglandins are also responsible for maintenance of temperature of the body. Thus, keeping prostaglandins under manage conditions such as fever. In essence, NSAIDs can reduce the quantum of prostaglandins to provide relief from a painful sensation.
This is the reason NSAIDs are increasingly used to treat pains such as migraines, cramping of muscles during menstrual cycles, swelling and pains caused due to incidence of arthritis and / or other such autoimmune conditions. A glad news here is – many NSAIDs are sold as generic meds and hence can be procured at a relatively lower cost.
In this light, what is meloxicam?
This drug is one of the extensively used NSAIDs. It is increasingly administered for the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and such inflammatory disorders. Meloxicam is sold as pills which are orally administered. Its liquid / suspended version is also widely used.
Standard dosing of meloxicam is – in most cases – pegged at 7.5 mg. Your treating doctor will advise you to take it once within 24-hours. Soon after each dose, you are likely to experience a marked decrease in pain and allied discomforts. In some cases, pains may not come down despite taking regular doses of this drug. In such cases, dosage strength is increased to 15 mg – again, taken once – everyday.
Meloxicam
Is meloxicam a muscle relaxer?
Meloxicam is an NSAID. However, there is an incorrect belief that it is a muscle relaxant. It is used mainly for the treatment of inflammatory conditions of different types – namely, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. Though it is efficient in treating muscular conditions, it is not a relaxant.
On the other hand, muscle relaxants work on your nervous system and restrict communications between your brain and muscles. This action is a key thing in reducing spasms and other muscular conditions. Meloxicam does not work like muscle relaxants. Instead, it blocks or restricts chemicals like prostaglandins – a key messenger of painful signals; this activity helps numb pains of varying degrees.
Misconceptions about meloxicam arises due to its ability to control pains. The key difference here is drugs like meloxicam focus on reducing internal swelling; while drugs falling under relaxants treat muscular spasticity as well as spasms.
How to use meloxicam in a safe manner?
An overdose of NSAIDs like meloxicam can soon make these meds turn powerless. With each spell of excessive dose, the med slowly loses its efficacy. Also, it is unsafe to change an NSAID after starting your medication plan. People who changed from meloxicam to fellow-NSAIDs like ibuprofen or aspirin can cause some acute side effects. These include intestinal problems like plan in your gastric tract, passing of stools with traces of blood in them, etc.
It is not safe to take NSAIDs like meloxicam either as an OTC med or through self-medication mode. You are advised to talk to your treating physician before taking these drugs. If it is your aim to know more on meloxicam is it a muscle relaxant, you need to talk to a qualified clinical practitioner.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.
Education: Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan. Experience: Over 8 years of experience writing for health and wellness websites, including WebMD and Healthline, specializing in women’s health and nutrition.
