Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: METAXALONE versus SOMA.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: METAXALONE versus SOMA.
METAXALONE vs SOMA
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Metaxalone is a centrally acting muscle relaxant whose exact mechanism is unknown. It is thought to produce skeletal muscle relaxation by depressing the central nervous system (CNS), possibly through general CNS depression or by blocking polysynaptic reflexes in the spinal cord.
Centrally acting muscle relaxant; acts at brainstem reticular formation and spinal cord levels to inhibit polysynaptic reflexes, possibly via GABAergic and monoaminergic pathways.
800 mg orally 3 to 4 times daily
250 mg to 350 mg orally three times daily and at bedtime.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life is approximately 0.5 to 1.5 hours, reflecting rapid clearance and supporting short-lived clinical effects.
Clinical Note
moderateSomatostatin + Cyclosporine
"The serum concentration of Cyclosporine can be decreased when it is combined with Somatostatin."
Clinical Note
moderateMetaxalone + Venlafaxine
"The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Metaxalone is combined with Venlafaxine."
Clinical Note
moderateMetaxalone + Nefazodone
"The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Metaxalone is combined with Nefazodone."
Clinical Note
moderateMetaxalone + Stiripentol
1-2 hours; prolonged to 3-4 hours in hepatic impairment; parent drug rapidly cleared via CYP2C19 metabolism to meprobamate (active, t1/2 6-16 hours).
Primarily renal; approximately 90% of a dose is excreted in urine as glucuronide conjugates and unchanged drug, with less than 1% eliminated in feces via biliary excretion.
Renal: ~60-70% as metabolites (including meprobamate and glucuronide conjugates); fecal: minimal; biliary: negligible.
Category A/B
Category C
Skeletal Muscle Relaxant
Skeletal Muscle Relaxant
"The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Metaxalone is combined with Stiripentol."