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Relationship of the Antispasticity Effect of Tizanidine to Plasma Concentration in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
- Source :
- Archives of Neurology. 54:731-736
- Publication Year :
- 1997
- Publisher :
- American Medical Association (AMA), 1997.
-
Abstract
- Background: Spasticity is a serious problem in multiple sclerosis (MS) and many patients do not achieve a satisfactory response to currently available oral antispasticity drugs. Tizanidine hydrochloride, an α2-noradrenergic agonist, has been shown to have an antispasticity effect in single center trials of patients with MS. Objective: To compare plasma concentrations of tizanidine with objective measures of muscle tone in patients with MS with moderate to severe spasticity. Setting: Ten centers, all tertiary referral centers for the specialized treatment of patients with MS, in the United States and Canada. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response study of tizanidine hydrochloride (8 or 16 mg). Patients: One hundred forty-two patients with spastic MS who were not taking any interfering medication, such as an antispasticity drug or other α-noradrenergic agonist, entered the trial. Results: Tizanidine treatment reduced muscle tone significantly, as shown by improved Ashworth scores and increased knee swing amplitude recorded by the pendulum test, both of which correlated significantly with plasma concentration. Placebo had no significant effect on muscle tone. Dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, and fatigue were reported most often in the group treated with tizanidine at peak plasma concentration. Conclusions: Tizanidine reduces spasticity in MS, and both therapeutic effects and side effects are related to the plasma drug levels.
- Subjects :
- Male
Canada
Multiple Sclerosis
medicine.drug_class
Placebo
Cardiovascular System
Severity of Illness Index
Clonidine
Muscle tone
Double-Blind Method
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
medicine
Spastic
Humans
Spasticity
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Muscle Relaxants, Central
business.industry
Therapeutic effect
Muscle relaxant
United States
Treatment Outcome
medicine.anatomical_structure
Tizanidine
Anesthesia
Female
Neurology (clinical)
Tizanidine Hydrochloride
medicine.symptom
business
Adrenergic alpha-Agonists
Muscle Contraction
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00039942
- Volume :
- 54
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Archives of Neurology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....78796c72ffb7b9ca6f51b420438dc1e0