Prescription medicine
Chlorzoxazone First approved as Parafon Forte Dsc
Chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte Dsc) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1958. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 19 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.210 per chlorzoxazone 500 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the chlorzoxazone FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 5, 2023, Aurobindo Pharma Limited); the NDA 11529 record on Drugs@FDA; every chlorzoxazone label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of September 5, 2023; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageChlorzoxazone is indicated as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions.
Forms and strengths
- 250 mg
- 375 mg
- 500 mg
- 750 mg
Tablet.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 15, 1958 Parafon Forte Dsc, Janssen R And D; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 33 first October 6, 1981; 16 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 19 of which 19 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.210 per tablet Chlorzoxazone 500 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 2 since 2021 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest August 27, 2021
- FAERS reports
- 1,296 through July 30, 2026
What is chlorzoxazone used for?
From the label: indications and usageChlorzoxazone is indicated as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. The mode of action of this drug has not been clearly identified, but may be related to its sedative properties. Chlorzoxazone does not directly relax tense skeletal muscles in man.
Conditions named in the indications of chlorzoxazone's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other chlorzoxazone labelsMuscle spasms and spasticity: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Chlorzoxazone is indicated as an adjunct to rest, physical therapy, and other measures for the relief of discomfort associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions.
FDA pharmacologic class: Muscle Relaxant.
Source: FDA drug label (CHLORZOXAZONE), Aurobindo Pharma Limited, effective September 5, 2023 (SPL set 52d3aa2c-f88f-4de7-b5ae-df8a46e94879), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte Dsc)?
The FDA approved the first generic chlorzoxazone on October 6, 1981. 33 generic applications are approved; 16 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists chlorzoxazone from 19 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1958 earliest approval on file
- 1981 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte Dsc)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.210 per Chlorzoxazone 500 mg tablet, down 5% from $0.222 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Chlorzoxazone 500 mg tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorzoxazone 250 mg tablet | Generic | $2.52 per tablet | $75.63 | n/a |
| Chlorzoxazone 375 mg tablet | Generic | $0.667 per tablet | $20.00 | +18% |
| Chlorzoxazone 500 mg tablet | Generic | $0.210 per tablet | $6.30 | -5% |
| Chlorzoxazone 750 mg tablet | Generic | $0.675 per tablet | $20.26 | +1% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has chlorzoxazone been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 2 recalls naming chlorzoxazone since 2021: 0 Class I (the most serious), 2 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2021 | Class II | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA | CGMP Deviations |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the chlorzoxazone label say about other medicines?
The chlorzoxazone label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 6 other medicines name chlorzoxazone. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name chlorzoxazone
Source: FDA drug label (CHLORZOXAZONE), Aurobindo Pharma Limited, effective September 5, 2023 (SPL set 52d3aa2c-f88f-4de7-b5ae-df8a46e94879), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for chlorzoxazone?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,296 reports that list chlorzoxazone among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 130 are coded as a death and 366 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as chlorzoxazone?
9 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as chlorzoxazone or labeled mainly for the same use (muscle spasms and spasticity), the same class first. Muscle spasms and spasticity lists all 12 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclobenzaprine | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 60 labelers | $0.0171 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Methocarbamol | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 54 labelers | $0.0395 per tablet 500 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Metaxalone | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 33 labelers | $0.452 per tablet 800 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Carisoprodol | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 24 labelers | $0.0706 per tablet 350 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Orphenadrine | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 14 labelers | $0.454 per tablet 100 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Aspirin and caffeine and orphenadrine | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 3 labelers | n/a | No current entry |
| Baclofen | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 52 labelers | $0.032 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Tizanidine | Muscle spasms and spasticity | 51 labelers | $0.0331 per tablet 4 mg tablet | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as chlorzoxazone
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does chlorzoxazone compare with medicines for the same use?
6 side-by-side pages set chlorzoxazone beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to chlorzoxazone
- 9 medicines for the same use
- Other muscle relaxants
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Chlorzoxazone side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other