Methocarbamol Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide
Key takeaways:
Methocarbamol is a muscle relaxer that treats short-term muscle pain. It’s meant to be used along with physical therapy, rest, and other pain relief strategies. It’s usually taken between three to four times a day.
Your prescriber may start you at a higher methocarbamol dosage for the first 2 to 3 days of treatment. Then, they may reduce your dose moving forward.
Methocarbamol isn’t meant to be used long term. Ask your prescriber how long they expect you to need to take it.
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Table of contents
Methocarbamol is an oral medication that’s used for short-term muscle pain. It's part of a group of medications called muscle relaxers. It’s meant to be used along with physical therapy techniques, rest, and other pain relief strategies.
If you need medication for muscle pain, methocarbamol may be a good option since it’s less likely to cause drowsiness than some other muscle relaxers, such as cyclobenzaprine (Amrix). But knowing how to take it is important. Here, we’ll cover what you need to know about methocarbamol dosages.
Good to know: Methocarbamol tablets are only available as a generic. But methocarbamol also comes in an intravenous (IV) form, both as a generic and as brand-name Robaxin. In this article, we’ll discuss methocarbamol tablets only.
What’s the typical methocarbamol dosage for adults?
The typical methocarbamol dosage depends on whether you’re taking 500 mg or 750 mg tablets. Your initial methocarbamol dosage may be higher than your maintenance dose. A higher starting dosage helps methocarbamol work quickly to relieve muscle pain.
Typical doses are listed below:
500 mg tablets: Three tablets taken four times a day for 2 to 3 days. Your prescriber may then reduce your dosage to two tablets four times a day.
750 mg tablets: Two tablets taken four times a day for 2 to 3 days. Then, your prescriber may decrease your dosage to one tablet every 4 hours or two tablets three times a day.
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Of note, methocarbamol tablets aren’t approved for use in children under 16 years of age.
What types of pain is methocarbamol used for?
Methocarbamol is approved to treat muscle-related pain and stiffness, such as neck or back pain (especially when combined with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [NSAID]). But the research on how well muscle relaxers work, especially for lower back pain, is mixed. Still, one study showed that taking methocarbamol short term was as effective as taking opioids for back pain, but caused fewer side effects.
How long can you take methocarbamol?
Methocarbamol is typically meant for short-term relief from muscle pain. Taking methocarbamol long term can increase your risk of side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches. So if you’re prescribed methocarbamol, ask your prescriber how long they expect you to take it.
What happens if you miss a dose of methocarbamol?
If you miss a dose of methocarbamol, take it as soon as you realize you missed it. But if you are close to your next scheduled dose, just skip the missed dose.
Since methocarbamol is often taken three to four times a day, you’ll want to be careful that you don’t take too much at one time. Never double up on methocarbamol doses, which can increase your risk of side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, and blurry vision.
What should you do if you take too much methocarbamol?
Taking more methocarbamol than what’s prescribed can be dangerous. It can lead to nausea and excessive sleepiness. More seriously, it can cause seizures or coma.
A methocarbamol overdose is rare. It’s more likely when methocarbamol is combined with other medications that can cause excessive drowsiness, like alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines. Methocarbamol, these medications, and alcohol all affect the brain and can lead to exaggerated side effects when used together. So let your prescriber know what medications you take before starting methocarbamol. They can let you know if any interactions are possible.
If you think you’ve taken more than your prescribed amount of methocarbamol and you’re experiencing severe symptoms, contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away or call 911.
How to save on methocarbamol
Methocarbamol tablets are available as a lower-cost generic. Sixty tablets of methocarbamol 500 mg at certain pharmacies may be as low as $8.40 with a free GoodRx discount.
Comparing muscle relaxers: Learn about the similarities and differences between common muscle relaxers.
Risks of methocarbamol: Drowsiness and dizziness are the most common side effects of methocarbamol. Find out more about the other possible risks and how to manage them.
Methocarbamol interactions: Read about methocarbamol’s potential interactions with alcohol, opioids, and other medications.
The bottom line
Methocarbamol is a muscle relaxer that’s approved to treat muscle pain. It’s meant to be combined with physical therapy and rest. It’s usually taken three to four times a day. You may start methocarbamol dosage at a higher dose to help it work quickly. Then, your prescriber may recommend lowering your dosage moving forward.
Methocarbamol is meant to be taken for a limited period of time and shouldn’t be used long term. If you’ve been prescribed methocarbamol, ask your prescriber how long you should take it. Avoid combining it with opioids, benzodiazepines, or alcohol. This can lead to serious side effects, including severe drowsiness, slowed breathing, and overdose.
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References
Friedman, B. W., et al. (2017). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of naproxen with or without orphenadrine or methocarbamol for acute low back pain. Annals of Emergency Medicine.
McKesson doing business as SKY packaging. (2024). Methocarbamol- methocarbamol tablets tablet, coated [package insert].
MedlinePlus. (2017). Methocarbamol.
Oldfield, B. J., et al. (2024). Long-term use of muscle relaxant medications for chronic pain: A systematic review.
Samsamshariat, S., et al. (2021). Efficacy of the combination of indomethacin and methocarbamol versus indomethacin alone in patients with acute low back pain: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice.
Sibrack, J., et al. (2024). Methocarbamol. StatPearls.
Ueberall, A., et al. (2022). Comet - effectiveness and tolerability of methocarbamol versus oral opioid-analgesics as add-on measure in patients with non-specific low back pain refractory to recommended 1st line treatments. A retrospective analysis of depersonalized propensity score matched open-label real-world 4-week data from the German Pain e-Registry. Current Medical Research and Opinion.
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