Tizan 2: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects
Also known as: Tizan, Tizan 2 mg, Tizan 2 tablet, Tizanidine 2 mg
Tizan 2 is a prescription tablet containing 2 mg of tizanidine, a muscle relaxant used to relieve painful muscle spasm and muscle stiffness (spasticity). It commonly causes drowsiness, dizziness and a dry mouth, and it can lower blood pressure and affect the liver. It is taken only on a doctor's prescription and must not be stopped suddenly.
- Active ingredient
- Tizanidine 2 mg
- Type of medicine
- Centrally acting muscle relaxants
- Used for
- Muscle spasm
- Starts working in
- Muscle relaxation usually begins within hours of a dose; ask your doctor what to expect
- Effect lasts
- The effect wears off within hours, so it is usually taken several times a day as prescribed
- With or without food
- Take it the same way each time, always with food or always without; follow the label or your doctor's advice
- Alcohol
- Avoid alcohol; it adds to sleepiness and raises the amount of tizanidine in the body
- Pregnancy
- Safety is not established; use only if a doctor judges the benefit outweighs the risk; tell your doctor if you are or may be pregnant
- Habit-forming
- Not known to be habit-forming, but it should not be stopped suddenly
- Made by
- VERIFY on pack
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
On this page
What is Tizan 2 used for?
Tizan 2 is a prescription medicine. It is used, on a doctor's advice, to relieve painful muscle spasm and muscle stiffness.
- Relieving painful muscle spasm, for example linked to spinal problems or after muscle or bone surgery
- Easing muscle stiffness (spasticity) from conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal injury
How does Tizan 2 work?
Tizanidine acts on the brain and spinal cord. It calms the nerve signals that keep muscles tense, so the muscles relax and spasm and stiffness ease. It does not act directly on the muscle itself.
What happens in your body after you take it
You swallow the tablet
The tablet is swallowed with water, and tizanidine is absorbed from the gut into the blood.
It travels in the blood
Tizanidine is carried around the body and reaches the brain and spinal cord.
It calms nerve signals to the muscles
In the spinal cord and brain, tizanidine reduces the nerve signals that keep muscles tense.
Muscles relax
With less nerve drive, the muscles loosen and spasm and stiffness ease. It can also cause sleepiness and lower blood pressure.
The body clears it
Tizanidine is broken down in the liver and removed from the body within hours, so doses are repeated as prescribed. Stopping suddenly after regular use can cause a rebound rise in blood pressure.
How to take Tizan 2
Follow the label or your doctor's advice. The dose is usually built up slowly, and your doctor decides how many tablets and how often.
- Take Tizan 2 exactly as your doctor has prescribed or as printed on the pack.
- Take it the same way each time, always with food or always without. Follow the label or your doctor's advice.
- The dose is usually increased slowly. Do not change it yourself.
- If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless the next dose is nearly due. Do not take two doses together.
- Do not stop suddenly; your doctor will lower the dose gradually.
- Do not drive or use machinery until you know how it affects you, and avoid alcohol.
Side effects of Tizan 2
Most people take tizanidine without serious problems. Some side effects are common and mild, but a few need medical help.
Uncommon or mild
- Drowsiness or sleepiness
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Tiredness or weakness
- Nausea or constipation
- Low blood pressure
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, severe tiredness or pain in the upper right of the stomach (possible liver problems)
- Fainting or very low blood pressure
- Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
- A very slow heartbeat
- Swelling of the face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing (severe allergic reaction). Call 112
Who should be careful
Some people need to check with a doctor before taking tizanidine, or need extra care while taking it.
When the label says not to use it
- Allergy to tizanidine or any ingredient
- Severe liver disease
- Taking fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin
- Drowsiness and dizziness: do not drive or use machinery until you know how it affects you
- Low blood pressure: get up slowly from lying or sitting
- Liver: blood tests of liver function may be needed; tell your doctor about liver disease
- Kidney problems: smaller doses may be needed
- Stopping suddenly: it can cause a rebound rise in blood pressure and heart rate, so the dose is lowered slowly under a doctor's guidance
- Heart problems or heartbeat rhythm problems
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: safety is not established; ask your doctor
- Alcohol and other sedating medicines add to the sleepiness
Medicines and things that interact with Tizan 2
Tizanidine can change how other medicines work, and some medicines raise its level in the blood. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take.
- Fluvoxamine and ciprofloxacin: must not be taken with tizanidine
- Other medicines that slow its breakdown, such as cimetidine, famotidine, amiodarone and some other antibiotics: avoid unless a doctor advises
- Blood pressure medicines: blood pressure may fall too low
- Sleeping tablets, anxiety medicines, opioid painkillers and some antidepressants: extra sleepiness
- Oral contraceptives: they can raise tizanidine levels
- Alcohol: adds to sleepiness and raises the amount of tizanidine in the body
- Smoking: can lower its level
If someone takes too much
An overdose can cause extreme drowsiness, confusion, a slow heartbeat, very low blood pressure, shallow breathing and loss of consciousness. Call 112 or go to the nearest hospital at once and take the medicine pack with you.
Storage
Store below 30 C in a dry place, protected from light and moisture, in the original strip, and out of the reach of children. Do not use after the expiry date. Check the pack for the exact storage instructions.
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India as a prescription medicine; Tizan 2 contains tizanidine only; tizanidine is listed in Schedule H of the Drugs Rules 1945 (entry 502). Single-ingredient tizanidine is not on the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The combination nimesulide + tizanidine is on that banned list, so check the ingredient list on the pack.
Other brands with the same medicine
Tizanidine 2 mg tablets are sold under other brand names and as generic medicines. They contain the same medicine; check the label for the strength. Do not swap between tablets and capsules or sustained-release forms without asking your doctor.
Other strengths and forms
Tizanidine is sold in other strengths and in other forms, and it is sometimes combined with other medicines in some countries. The strength and contents are printed on the pack, so check the label of the one you have.
Common questions
Is Tizan 2 a prescription medicine?
Yes. Tizanidine is a prescription-only medicine in India. Take it only if a doctor has prescribed it, and do not start, stop or change it without the doctor's advice.
What is Tizan 2 used for?
It is used to ease painful muscle spasm and muscle stiffness, including stiffness (spasticity) from conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal injury. It does not treat the underlying cause. A doctor decides whether it suits you.
Does Tizan 2 make you sleepy?
Yes. Drowsiness and dizziness are very common. Avoid driving or using machinery until you know how it affects you, and avoid alcohol. Tell your doctor if the sleepiness troubles you rather than changing the dose yourself.
Can I stop Tizan 2 suddenly?
No. Stopping suddenly after regular use can cause a rebound rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Do not stop on your own. Your doctor will lower the dose gradually if needed.
Can I take Tizan 2 with ciprofloxacin?
No. Ciprofloxacin and fluvoxamine raise tizanidine levels a great deal and can cause very low blood pressure and heavy drowsiness. Tell every doctor and pharmacist that you take tizanidine before any new medicine is prescribed.
What is the difference between Tizan 2 and Tizanidine 2 mg?
Tizan is a brand name and tizanidine is the medicine inside it. Generic tizanidine 2 mg tablets contain the same active ingredient. Check the strength on the pack and ask your doctor before switching products.
Sources
- Tizanidine 2 mg tablets (Tizagelan): Summary of Product Characteristics. electronic medicines compendium (emc), UK
- Tizanidine. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine
- ATC/DDD Index: M03BX02 Tizanidine. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
- The Drugs Rules, 1945 (consolidated, September 2024 edition), Schedule H: prescription drugs. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)