Orphenadrine

Orphenadrine (sold under many brand names worldwide) is an anticholinergic drug of the ethanolamine antihistamine class; it is closely related to diphenhydramine. it is used to treat muscle pain and to help with motor control in Parkinson's disease but has largely been superseded by newer drugs. It was discovered and developed in the 1940s.

Medical use

Orphenadrine is used to relieve pain caused by muscle injuries like strains and sprains in combination with rest and physical therapy. A 2004 review found little clinical evidence for the safety or efficacy of orphenadrine for this use.

Orphenadrine and other muscle relaxants are sometimes used to treat pain arising from rheumatoid arthritis but there is no evidence they are effective for that purpose.

A 2003 Cochrane Review of the use of anticholinergic drugs to improve motor function in Parkinson's disease found that as a class, the drugs are useful for that purpose; it identified one single-site randomised, cross-over study of orphenadrine vs placebo. Orphenadrine and other anticholinergics have largely been superseded by other drugs; they have a use in alleviating motor function symptoms, and appear to help about 20% of people with Parkinson's.