Cyclobenzaprine for fibromyalgia

My muscles feel like they are being clenched all the time, especially the muscles in my upper arms, buttocks, thighs and calves. This is a feeling that rarely ever goes away except when I am in warm water at a temperature of 33 to 35 degrees or I am having a massage. 

There are around 650 muscles in the human body! This is a lot of muscles. We may be able to name a few of them such as quadriceps and biceps. But unless we are a medical styudent there are muscles that we have not even heard the names of. 

My muscles sometimes go into spasms like cramps and this is especially bad and immobolizing when the larger muscles are involved. One day I stood up but could not move for about 15 minutes due to pain in my buttocks. This has happened 3 times now. It was quite frightening the first time but now I understand what is happening, at least.

 My muscles are in pain, even as I sit here on a comfortable lounge writing this. My wrists and forearms ache from typing and my legs are just in constant pain. I also get restless leg syndrome quite often where my legs are so irritated I cannot get to sleep. The best way I can describe it is that they feel electrified.

I am explaining all this because I have just heard about a medication used in Fibromyalgia for relaxing the muscles called Cyclobenzaprine. It's brand name is Flexeril and I don't understand why it has never been recommended to me by a doctor as it seems to cover these muscle symptoms. As a matter of fact I have never been prescribed any of the muscle relaxants:

• Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
• Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Carisoprodol (Soma)

So on first investigation Cyclobenzaprine gets a good rap:

Cyclobenzaprine has also shown effectiveness in the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms, with a report of 4.8 patients needing treatment for each (1) patient reporting pain reduction (but no change in fatigue or tender points). Conclusion: Cyclobenzaprine-treated patients were 3 times as likely to report overall improvement and to report moderate reductions in individual symptoms, particularly sleep. Treatment of fibromyalgia with cyclobenzaprine: A meta-analysis

On further investigation many people suffer side effects from Cyclobenzaprine which can range from headache and a tired feeling to dizziness, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, blurred vision, dry mouth or throat, altered sense of taste, nausea, upset stomach and constipation. In elderly patients it can cause confusion, delirium, and cognitive impairment according to the Duke Clinical Research Institute. (PDF)

I would love to hear from you if you have taken any of these muscle relaxants to help your muscle pain or for any other reasons.