When Can You Drink Alcohol After Taking Flexeril?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses when it is safe to drink alcohol after taking the muscle relaxant Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine).
How long after taking cyclobenzaprine can someone consume alcohol?
Aug 23, 2022- Cyclobenzaprine stays in your system for a long time with a half-life of 8-37 hours, so you should wait at least 24 hours after your last dose before drinking alcohol. Alcohol and cyclobenzaprine both slow down your central nervous system, so combining them can intensify alcohol's effects and impair your ability to drive or operate machinery. If you do drink while cyclobenzaprine is still in your system, you'll feel alcohol's effects more strongly and after fewer drinks than usual.
Answer
Thanks for your question!
Cyclobenzaprine actually lasts quite a long time in your system. The reported half-life of the drug, the amount of time that it takes for your body to metabolize half of the medication and remove it from your body, ranges between 8-37 hours in most adults.
Now, the half-life is It’s dependent on several factors such as your genetics, age, and liver function. The elderly and folks with impaired liver function tend to metabolize it slower. If we assume that you metabolize cyclobenzaprine quickly, even 24 hours after a single 10mg dose, at least 1.25mg of cyclobenzaprine would still be in your system.
Per the labeling information:
“Cyclobenzaprine, especially when used with alcohol or other CNS depressants, may impair mental and/or physical abilities required for performance of hazardous tasks, such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle.”
Since it does last a while in your system, I would recommend waiting about 24 hours after your last dose of cyclobenzaprine before you have a drink. At the very least, you should wait around 8 hours after taking a dose as that is the timeframe where the drug has the most effect.
Now, drinking while on cyclobenzaprine is discouraged, but not contraindicated. If you do decide to drink, remember that alcohol and cyclobenzaprine have a similar effect on your central nervous system. Since you might still have cyclobenzaprine in your system, you will feel the effects of the alcohol after a fewer number of drinks and more intensely than drinking with no cyclobenzaprine in your system.
Final Words
I hope I was able to help. Feel free to write us back in the future.
References & sources
- Cyclobenzaprine Prescribing Information — AccessFDA
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Half-life
- The amount of time it takes for your body to break down and remove half of a medication from your system.
- Metabolize
- The process by which your body breaks down a drug into substances it can eliminate.
- Impaired liver function
- When the liver is not working properly and cannot process medications as efficiently as it should.
- CNS depressants
- Substances that slow down brain and nervous system activity, reducing alertness and coordination.
- Contraindicated
- When a treatment or medication should not be used because it could cause harm.
- Central nervous system
- The brain and spinal cord, which control your body's functions, thoughts, and movements.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
More answers from Brian →