Taking Robaxin During Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

Is Robaxin safe to take while pregnant? Like so many other medications, both prescription and OTC, Robaxin may be okay to take when pregnant, but the risks can’t be completely ruled out. Robaxin is a brand-name drug, and the generic name is methocarbamol. Methocarbamol is prescribed to treat pain and stiff muscles related to sprains or injury. It’s classified as a centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant. Robaxin is well-suited to helping relieve pain and discomfort from short-term conditions related to the muscles or bones. It’s not a treatment for the underlying injury, however. Robaxin does affect the central nervous system of the user. When someone is prescribed Robaxin, they’re warned not to mix it with other substances or medications that affect the CNS. The use of another CNS depressant with Robaxin can heighten symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness and concentration problems.

Robaxin’s active ingredient, methocarbamol, is a category C pregnancy drug. The FDA has several categories into which medications are classified. These categories are based on how much research is currently available regarding safety during pregnancy. The research may include animal studies as well as observational studies done on human pregnant women. There aren’t often many well-controlled human studies that assess the safety of drugs during pregnancy, because these are considered dangerous and in many cases, unethical. This is why so many drugs including Robaxin fall into category C. Category C indicates a drug may have risks associated with its use during pregnancy. However, for some patients, the benefits of the drug as a treatment may outweigh the risks. A category A drug is one that’s considered the safest during pregnancy. Category B drugs are likely safe as well, although research may be more limited. Category D drugs are considered unsafe unless there’s a compelling reason the benefits of the medicine outweigh possible risks to the fetus. A category X drug is one that shouldn’t be used during pregnancy.