Yes, Fioricet contains butalbital, which is a mild narcotic. It is not as effective as other pain medications, but at my job as a neurologic assistant, I see many patients that have told me it improves their back pain.
Fioricet Blue and White Tablet
Fioricet contains a combination of acetaminophen, butalbital, and caffeine Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and fever reducer. Butalbital is in a group of drugs called barbiturates. It relaxes muscle contractions involved in a tension headache. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. It relaxes muscle contractions in blood vessels to improve blood flow.
But as Robert said, it is indicated for headaches.
Is it OK to take Fioricet every day?
Because butalbital is habit-forming, it is not recommended to take Fioricet every day. It’s possible to build up a tolerance to butalbital. Over time, higher doses may be needed to have the same effect, leading to drug dependence. Taking higher doses of Fioricet can also increase the chance of an overdose.
Fioricet is intended for occasional use every 4 hours when symptoms occur.
Fioricet is indicated for the treatment of muscle tension or muscle contraction headaches. It is also commonly prescribed for migraines although it is not FDA indicated for this use in the United States. The usual adult dose is 1-2 tablets every four hours as needed, not exceeding six tablets in a 24-hour period. An overdose can damage your liver or cause death. Tell your doctor if the medicine seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.
Evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of this combination product in the treatment of multiple recurrent headaches is unavailable. Caution in this regard is required because butalbital is habit-forming and potentially abusable.
Extended and repeated use of this product is not recommended because of the potential for physical dependence.
Butalbital belongs to the group of medicines called barbiturates. Barbiturates act in the central nervous system (CNS) to produce their effects.
Acetaminophen is used to relieve pain and reduce fever in patients. It does not become habit-forming when taken for a long time. But acetaminophen may cause other unwanted effects when taken in large doses, including liver damage.
When butalbital is used for a long time, it may become habit-forming, causing mental or physical dependence. However, people who have continuing pain should not let the fear of dependence keep them from using narcotics to relieve their pain. Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal side effects if treatment is stopped suddenly. However, severe withdrawal side effects can usually be prevented by gradually reducing the dose over a period of time before treatment is stopped completely.
Caffeine is a CNS stimulant that is used with pain relievers to increase their effect. It has also been used for migraine headaches. However, caffeine can also cause physical dependence when it is used for a long time. This may lead to withdrawal (rebound) headaches when you stop taking it.
This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.
This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Tablet
Capsule
Solution
What is the proper dosage for butalbital-acetaminophen-caffeine?
BAC is available in capsules, tablets, or a liquid. The number of capsules or tablets you take varies by medication.
In capsule form, the recommended dosage is usually one to two pills every 4 hours as needed.
In liquid form, it’s usually 15 milliliters (mL) or 30 mL of oral suspension every 4 hours, up to a certain amount per day.
Be sure to read the prescription directions.
BAC can become habit-forming. To lower risk, doctors recommend that you do not:
take a larger dose
take it more often than a doctor prescribes
take it for a longer period than a doctor prescribes
Use it exactly as directed and for a limited time. If you think you need more than the prescribed amount for your symptoms or need to take it for longer, contact your healthcare team to discuss.
Gabapentin is as an anti-epileptic drug and as an analgesic, particularly for pain of the neuropathic or neurogenic type. When used for controlling epilepsy, it is usually used in conjunction with another anti-epileptic drug. But Gabapentin is widely used to treat nerve pain or neuropathic pain than it is to treat epilepsy.
Gabapentin is also sometimes used to relieve the pain of diabetic neuropathy (numbness or tingling due to nerve damage in people who have diabetes), and to treat and prevent hot flashes (sudden strong feelings of heat and sweating) in women who are being treated for breast cancer or who have experienced menopause (”change of life”, the end of monthly menstrual periods). Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication for your condition.
It is also widely used to treat Anxiety and Migraine prevention.
One of Gabapentin “off-label” usage is for migraine prevention and treatment, including migraines with or without aura, vestibular migraines. It can reduce the frequency of headaches, pain intensity, and the use of symptomatic medications. Gabapentin is a good preventive therapy for migraines refractory to standard medications.
The chemical structure of gabapentin is related that of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which is a neurotransmitter in the brain. The exact mechanism as to how gabapentin controls epilepsy and relieves pain is unknown, but it probably acts like the neurotransmitter GABA.
The effective dose of gabapentin varies greatly. Some persons need only 200-300 mg a day whereas others may need 3000 mg or more a day. It may take several weeks to become effective, so it is important to stay on it for an adequate length of time.
The Efficacy of gabapentin in migraine prophylaxis experiment shows gabapentin is an effective prophylactic agent for patients with migraine.
In the Clinical trials, 143 patients evaluated gabapentin for migraine prophylaxis. After 3 months the patients taking gabapentin had a reduction of the migraine frequency by 1.5 migraines per month (or by 35.7%) compared with a reduction of 0.6 migraines per month for the placebo group. Also, gabapentin reduced the headache frequency by 50% or greater in 45% patients compared with only 16% patients on placebo. The most frequently reported adverse events were asthenia, dizziness, somnolence, and infection.
In Famous medical websites, migraine patients also review the gabapentin as the migraine prevention medicine. They rate Gabapentin 8.1 stars out of ten stars. It is a high mark and means Gabapentin is a very effective medicine for migraine prevention.
I haven’t been taking this medication for long but it’s helped so much. Neuro started me off on 300mg at night and now I’m at 600mg at night. It doesn’t make me sleepy or drowsy. Before starting gabapentin, I was having migraines just about every day. I started having aphasia and vision changes with my migraines, so I decided to take action. I’ve only been on it for almost 2 weeks but I’ve been migraine free and my triggers are no longer triggers at this point, which is fantastic. I should note it has reduced my appetite but this is not a negative thing.” – Crystaldreams July 25, 2017
This medication is..interesting. I am 20 with what a few doctors think is Fibro and a chronic pain condition but was Rx’d this med by a psych doctor for tension migraines. While it does NOT really help with migraines, it has been making me awfully sleepy and drowsy, and helping with weird aches and pains throughout my body. It can be used as a mood stabilizer and I can see why- because it makes you so drowsy you can’t do or say anything, especially after taking the evening dose! I’ve been afraid to drive any car since starting this. It makes me more drowsy than my anxiety meds which don’t make me drowsy at all! Doctor is raising the dose because since writing that first part- I have become quite used to the med, where my dose does NOT work – Chelseabergstresser (taken for 1 to 6 months)May 11, 2017
“I have chronic Migraine called Glutamate Storm. First dose of 100mgs made me sleep 36 hours. Before I got the prescription I never slept more than 5 hours per night and often only got 2 hours of sleep per night. But I did not want to take a prescription every day, so I only took it when my ears were ringing really loud and I was sleep deprived. But then I noticed that my chronic cough was always gone the day after taking Gabapentin. So I started taking it every day for that. When I did, my headache and ear ringing got a lot better. I am now taking 400 mgs per day. I had bad breath at first, but it’s gone. Dr. says it might have detoxed something. I am all for that. Better out than in. This drug has helped me a lot. And I am not pro-pharma.” – Gylm April 26, 2017
