Opioids for back spasms?

Valium worked for me.

Topical creams don't begin to touch the muscle spasm in my back!
although I think a masseuse would help, I get relief with valium.

When I have a spasm there's no time to make an appointment for a masseuse, especially late at night when I usually get mine. But I definitely want to look into a professional masseuse in between spasms. I totally agree on the Oxycodone.

ZeeGee, I love your definitions. They make sense! And are so true! Therefore I am dependent on a benzodiazepine medication called Lorazepam. I take it daily for sleep issues and occasionally during the day if I have bad anxiety. Doctors DO NOT like to prescribe benzodiazepines because some people abuse them! They should NOT punish us people who take them responsibly! I had to try many different meds for sleep issues and anxiety, with no success, before my doctor would prescribe me Lorazepam. And this medication takes care of both of my issues....sleep issues and anxiety issues. It makes me and my life "normal". If that's the right word??

I've taken opioids (percocet) for 25 years. I was NSAID into the hospital because the doctors did not want to prescribe the opioid. They said I would be taking handfuls by the time I got to 60. I was 40 at the time. Didn't happen. I take pieces of pills and just enough to knock out the pain. I went from a 1/4 of a 10/325 to a 1/2 over 25 years. From once a day to 3 times a day as my degeneration and pain increased. If I don't have pain I don't take it! It's not the boogieman its made out to be. There are 1200 different kinds of pain relievers and you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get to the prince. I have a pharmacy from Vicodin to morphine under my sink reminding me of the pain relievers which don't work.
I would say YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE OPIOIDS for pain relief for muscle spasms!!! Definitely, not. There are so many things that will work for you and opioids is not one of them!
You definitely need to try exercises to calm or to wear out the spastic muscles. You need to make sure you are not deficient in vitamin K, B, or magnesium. Using supplements fixed my muscle spasms in my legs. You need to find out the REASON for your spasms -- you didn't say. That dictates the solution. Acupuncture will work.
Then there are things like trigger point injections. Trigger point injections with steroids. Epidurals. And BOTOX! YES, BOTOX does a phenomenal job and insurance pays for it! Get your doctor to write a request to the insurance company. When I first started with Botox for my spastic neck muscles it was unusual. But my insurance approved. And it worked! When I asked for it for my tight lumbar area my pain management doctor wouldn't write for it. He made me do all of the things he didn't have to write to get prior approval for. I made him write for it when they didn't work. The insurance company approved it immediately! He was shocked. It works great on all my problem back, neck, shoulder muscles. There is a downside that it can weaken your muscles so if you love it, after the paralysis wears off you need to retrain your muscles and not repeat the same bad habits that got you there in the first place. You didn't say WHY your muscles are spastic -- so none of us here can give you good advice without more information.
I used Tzizanidine for effect muscle relaxant. My shoulder neck is in a permanent state of whiplash at 67 and I still work as an artist. So I am always tense.
Also - the most wonderful thing -- I should have done YEARS ago was deep myofascial tissue release. Its like a horrible painful massage and you have to pay for it but it gets the knots out. The first couple times I did it I was drunk as a skunk getting off the table and fatigued for two days! There was so much toxins being held deep in my body it had to get released. Its amazing. Should have done it years ago. I kissed a few frogs there too, because there are different techniques. So if you go that route check around.
Hormone imbalance could be a contributor. You need to get a nerve conduction test to isolate the origin of the problem. Is it coming from your spine - a compressed disc pinching the nerves to your muscles? You didn't say.
There's a bunch of other muscle relaxers like Robaxin and many more, like opioids, they don't work on everyone equally. So your doctor has to prescribe different ones to find what works on you.
I answer your question with a big "no." I take opioids and it does nothing for my muscle tightness or spasm as a pain reliever or a preventative. Muscle spasms are there to TELL YOU SOMETHING. So you have to pay attention and listen. There is a reason you have this problem. So the root cause needs to be determined. If you have a doctor who hasn't mentioned or suggested these things above you'd better find a different doctor because you got some lame doctoring there - unless there is something you forgot to share.
Oh -- PS. I forgot the whole class of topicals: 3% diclofenec, Capsasium, Lidocaine and lidocaine patches, arnica, CBD rubs, Aspracream (one of my faves!!!!) and BIOFREEZE is awesome! Good luck.

People above mention valium. If the muscle spasms are caused by tense muscles due to anxiety or work and one is not relaxing than valium works. (gives me nightmares after 3 nights in a row.)
Also the masseuse thing - that is superficial. A MYOFASCIAL DEEP TISSUE RELEASE - there is a section here about it. I think they call it MFR (Myo Fascial Release). They will work you over but good! None of those woosy massagers usually do it or do it deep enough. It is PAINFUL. But it works. I go on a regular schedule. Aging is a bitch! And the topicals are part of my arsenal. make sure you get prescription strength, not over-the-counter versions.

There are many prescription drugs that are muscle relaxants and I am very surprised none of your doctors offered you one of those instead of oxycodone. Valium is a muscle relaxant but also very sedating and potentially addictive as well. Helen brought up very valid concerns about balance and taking drugs that can result in falls. At 82, a fall could be disastrous. One thing that can cause persistent severe back spasms is irritation of the nerve root coming off the spinal cord. This can be from a herniated or bulging disc, or degenerative arthritis with stenosis or bony spurs pressing on the nerves. This requires an MRI to visualize the nerves, vertebrae and spinal cord. It can be treated with epidural steroid injection sometimes and that can relieve the spasm. One of the best tolerated muscle relaxers especially for the elderly is Robaxin ( methocarbamol). It’s effective but also the least sedating. The generic form is fine. It can be combined with an anti inflammatory medication like ibuprofen or naproxen if spinal arthritis is present. A simple back xray is helpful as a first step. 10 mg Valium is a whopping dose for someone your age. I would recommend talking to your doctor about these other options and looking for the cause of the spasms. Helens suggestion of massage and gentle stretching and yoga is good as well. Be assertive about getting what you need that is safe and won’t knock you out.

Thanks Dr. The thread was lost.

The discussion was about how to treat back spasms. To restate, I think topical analgesic gels or creams, stretching, massage, and muscle relaxers are all sold approaches.

Personally, I wouldn't take an opiate and certainly not a benzo for spasms. The only exception would be the use of an opiate like oxycodone or hydrocodone to address a muscle tear where the pain is intense and chronic. And then, caution should be exercised in the use of these drugs - and hopefully they would be supervised by a Dr and under an Rx anyway, where the risk of dependency/addiction would be very low.

Yeah the topical creams are really only effective for mild strains, or tired muscles. Spasms? No they won't really work.

I have really tight rhomboid muscles, upper back right next to the scapula. This is where my stress accumulates. It can bother me at night as either a dull ache, or move up and I can really feel it in my neck. I've tried a lot of stuff - new pillow, topical analgesics, Tylenol, NSAIDs - I get some relief, not much. But after a really good, deep tissue massage by a great masseuse, I did get some relief.

There is a branch of medicine called Functional Medicine - this is sometimes called sports medicine - and there are MDs specializing in this. I found one to help with mysterious and sporadic cramps in my hamstrings. Turned out it was lumbar degeneration - and a host of other ailments - exacerbated by very tight low back muscles. So it was like flashes of sciatic pain, never lasting for longer than a few seconds. So I've added low back stretches and have gotten a little relief.

If valium is helping you then go with it. Just please be careful with these benzo drugs as they are very addictive.

@cindisue

Normal is always changing with me .. just going with the flow .. doing best I can in life.

ZeeGee