Has anybody ever heard of anything like this?

I don't know what to tell you. I've heard those muscle relaxers can be scary. A friend's husband experienced temporary amnesia and a severe migraine after taking a muscle relaxer, and he'd never had that before.
I read a comment somewhere recently about how if you go to a car dealership, you do some research and ask a lot of questions, and try (at least) to avoid making a deal that isn't in your best interest. But when we go to the doctor, we often take what we are offered with no questions asked. We place a lot of trust in the doctor and in the system. I used to be more trusting of prescription medications.
The opioid epidemic left me feeling a lot more skeptical. Drug companies convinced doctors that their product was safe, and patients trusted their doctors. Many now regret that. My view has changed. Now I tend to think if I have a prescription for it, that doesn't make it safe.
And I'll rock all the boats I need to, to remain my own physician and not hand that power to anyone else, however many degrees they may hold.

@sturner62 You should see a physiatrist. They are specialists in the spine. I love my guy. When I first started reading your post the first thing I thought was a compressed nerve or slipped disk in your back!!! What was the name of the muscle relaxer? That is scary!! I have a lot of reactions to meds.
@lacy2 I have come home from the pharmacy with meds in a stapled bag that are still in that stapled bag in a drawer because this feeling just comes over me that I "shouldn't take those pills"!!! And I always check out the manufacturer (pharmaceutical company) as they have different fillers and I'm allergic to a lot of fillers. And drug interaction checker. I don't trust big Pharma!

Cyclobenzaprine

Cyclobenzaprine.,

Physiatrist did not know there was such a thing good to know

Wow terrible situation so amazing how something like that can happen I have a feeling that the genie is out of a bottle and it’s not gonna go back in .every day I say I can’t believe this happened. Probably happens more often than anyone would think.

@sturner62 Thats scary to me 😳. That's the one I take when the nodes in my neck start to spasm!! I only take very occasionally but still. I bet your reaction was to a filler....they put some freaky stuff in our pills these days. But to have it last for so long is crazy. I bet it jump started an autoimmune issue in your system that attacked it 😵‍💫. Yes Physiatrists specialty is only the spine from neck down. Mine had me bring in all my disks and he reads them before he comes in. I hope you are able to find one and reach out to them for help 😊

I would go see a neurosurgeon and get an MRI - sounds like your discs are bulging or out of place. I had this years ago and it was down the leg and they did micro discectomy - took out 20% of the disc - was up walking the next day no pain! X-ray does not show enough of what they need to see. Always see neurosurgeon for your back due to amount of nerves in spine!
Best of luck…Sheila

Hi @sturner62 I BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING.

So sorry to hear what you're going through. Unfortunately, many doctors that can't figure out what's wrong then turn the tables on the patient stating it's a mental issue. I believe everyone that describes bizarre side effects because I've had so many that are not listed on the package. I'm not sure I believe the drug manufacturers are being honest about side effects though.

When I was 21, a neurologist yelled at me for wasting his time when I claimed pins and needles then sudden numbness all over that didn't go away. He thought it sounded like BS and said I was taking him away from real patients. He sent me for EMG/NCS tests just to prove there was nothing wrong with me. The tests came back abnormal confirming what I was telling him. He never apologized, but was now interested in my case and doing more tests. I walked away. It was a rare hereditary neuropathy that wouldn't be diagnosed until my son had it, needed nerve transposition surgery, and was genetically tested at 21. A lot more than numbness happens with this.

THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU:
I want to give you hope that your issues may all eventually go away. I've had terrible and bizarre reactions listed in the drug literature to so many meds that weren't. Some were because of my neuropathy, my nerves are easily injured, and I'm also missing some liver enzymes needed to properly metabolize many meds so meds sit in my system too long and become toxic to me. Some doctors will say the half life is only x hours so the med can't still be causing the issue. Yes, it can because the med did some damage that now the damage needs time to heal.

Took Multaq for afib and it immediately gave me all the symptoms of a heart attack for 3 days non-stop, scary. I stopped the med on day 3, but continued to have muscle weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath with any activity for the next 3 months. It was horrible. Good news is it did go away eventually.

Eye dilation for routine eye exam -- was feeling bad from it by the time I left the office. Ruined the next 6 months of my life with massive fatigue, balance issues, shortness of breath. I couldn't walk 10 feet without wanted to sit and cry from the fatigue. Too tired to sit or stand up. I tried antibiotics, prednisone -- didn't help. They tested my lungs after 4 months and they were still only at 60% capacity, but couldn't explain it since my lungs were clear. I felt like I was dying. Good news is it did go away gradually in months 5-6.

Novacaine injection at dentist -- face stayed number for 9 months. Must have hit one of my easily damaged nerves with the needle. At least it eventually went away.

Strong antibiotics for diverticulitis -- caused me to permanently lose my sense of taste and smell 6 years ago. My neurologist told me those senses won't ever come back. Such a loss. I've now read those antibiotics can cause nerve damage and I'm prone to it.

I was given some topical cream to put on my toe to soften a callous. One little bit caused my heart to start beating erratically (as some other meds and cleaning chemicals also do). I'm afraid to take anything.

Lots of meds and supplements cause massive pins and needles throughout my body within minutes and have lasted anywhere from hours to two weeks after just one dose. It has always gone away though. It makes it hard to treat my medical conditions.

Your muscle relaxant (Flexeril brand name) I took for whiplash 30 years ago ironically caused the most severe calf cramps I had ever experienced. I couldn't even drive because the cramps would just hit randomly all day long. I also had other issues with it so never again.

I could go on and on. Some of us are just very sensitive to meds (or possibly fillers) for various reasons. I avoid meds as much as possible and like others have said, doctors are very frustrated by that. I'm frustrated too. I tell them if you had lived in my body for 64 years and experienced so many devastating reactions, you'd be afraid to take them too. The doctors are not the ones that have to deal with the consequences of side-effects.

I'm praying that your issues go away along with your back injury.

I also was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, bulging disks & a narrowed spinal cord. I’ve had a couple of incidents where I’ve needed to reach for something, once under the bed. So I crouched down and reach forward. Then I couldn’t get up, excruciating pain from the mid spine down. I couldn’t move. The first time I simply passed out. I had to call for someone to come lift me up to standing position.
Frankly, I don’t know what happened. Pinched nerves don’t usually make you lose complete control over your body.
I use a TENS unit for times that I have for swelling & aggravated nerves.
I would love to not have to try medication. As you’ve said, the side effects can be worse than the problem.
I wish you luck.