Muscle relaxant brand and generic names
Common muscle relaxant pairs
| Brand name | Generic name | Class or type | Route / form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexeril | cyclobenzaprine | Muscle relaxants | Oral tablet; brand discontinued; generic available |
| Robaxin | methocarbamol | Muscle relaxants | Oral tablet |
| Soma | carisoprodol | Muscle relaxants | Oral tablet; brand discontinued; generic available (Schedule IV) |
| Skelaxin | metaxalone | Muscle relaxants | Oral tablet; brand discontinued; generic available |
| Zanaflex | tizanidine | Muscle relaxants | Oral capsule |
| Lioresal | baclofen | Muscle relaxants | Oral tablet |
Flexeril, Skelaxin, and Soma are discontinued US brands; generic cyclobenzaprine, metaxalone, and carisoprodol remain available (carisoprodol is Schedule IV). Baclofen is also used for spasticity.
Understanding muscle relaxants
Cyclobenzaprine is structurally related to tricyclic antidepressants but used as a muscle relaxant. Tizanidine is an alpha-2 agonist; baclofen is a GABA-B agonist.
Carisoprodol is metabolized to meprobamate—know the generic carisoprodol for name drills.
Naming patterns and memory tips
No single suffix covers this list. Use brand-first or generic-first drills consistently.
Commonly confused muscle relaxant names
Cyclobenzaprine and cyclosporine
Flexeril–cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant; Restasis–cyclosporine is an immunomodulator.
Tizanidine and tiagabine
Zanaflex–tizanidine is a muscle relaxant; tiagabine is an anticonvulsant.