Are Oral Antispasticity Drugs Effective in Nonprogressive Neurologic Diseases

Abstract

Spasticity -- frequently seen as a result of nonprogressive neurologic diseases such as stroke, spinal cord disease, and head injury -- can limit patients' ability to care for themselves and freely move about in their environment. The most common approach to reducing the excessive muscle tone combines rehabilitation services with oral medications such as baclofen, tizanidine, dantrolene, benzodiazepines, gabapentin, clonidine, and cannabinoids. Investigators conducted an industry-sponsored systematic review to assess the effectiveness of these medications in treating spasticity. The authors found 12 double-blind, randomized, controlled …