What to expect when withdrawing from Fioricet

[octoberblues]

What are the dangers of withdrawing from fioricet?

How long after my last pill will I go into withdrawal?

I do not abuse it as in taking more than 6 a day, and have been only taking 4 a day for awhile now.  Sometimes 3.

I am not sure when I began taking them daily but it's been probably six months.  I have a 2 left, and will most likely get an RX for 90 tomorrow, but it's not certain.

I planned on doing one less pill a week at a time until I'm down to a half.  I won't be going to a hospital unless I end up there in an ambulance against my free will.  It was doctors who did not treat me properly in the first place that got me here, and I will not be using anymore of them unless I lose my faculties and am forced to.  I'm very serious about my decision, and I just want to know what to expect.  

I have Propananol for chest pains that I get from mitral valve prolapse, that helped lower my blood pressure yesterday when my pain levels were unbearable.  I have a lot of neck pain, and it gives me tension type headaches.  

I don't feel high, drunk or impaired when I take fioricet so I don't know what people are talking about when they say they feel euphoric or good, or energized.  I just feel as if it helps with the pain in my neck and head.  I have muscle relaxers for the spasms in my back/neck but when I take those I feel weak all over.  I noticed taking the fioricet helped tension just as well and didn't make me feel like crap.

[vicki595]

If you withdraw abruptly from Fioricet  it is likely that you'll have a seizure.

You can feel withdrawal within 12 hours after the last tablet.

If you don't think you're addicted to this, why are you wanting to stop? It sounds like it helps you.  Although taking it every single day is a form of abuse. It's a prn medicine.

You also sound a little angry...Just be careful with this and taper very slowly.

[LeaAnn807]

Get a doctor's help with this!  You can't just kinda do it the way you feel like you should!  That could get you in big trouble with your health especially with heart problems to begin with.

[octoberblues]

I think I've come across more people who are afraid to have one than people who've actually had one.

I think that we are all so afraid to have one, it keeps us on pills that no longer work and that are bodies are clearly dependent.  You don't realize it until you miss a dose that you are dependent on them physically and then end up having to take them just so you won't be sick from not taking them.

That's why I want off of them...and I am not saying forever.  When you have a chronic pain problem, you try things, they work. they quit working..you realize you are taking more and more to get the desired affect, and you either stop for a while or you spend a lot of money on getting more.  My insurance will pay for the pills but they won't pay for treatment.  So my premium is 300 a month, deductible for a specialist is 2500, and it won't pay for the specialist I need...but it will pay for pills that are dangerous to discontinue when they won't work anymore.  I'm upset.  

Thanks for replying.  I'll be careful. Not driving anywhere the next few days and have a few left.   I'll probably share more later.

[octoberblues]

My heart problem isn't serious.  They only found out about it because I was sick with meningitis a long time ago and did an echo.  It's one of those problems that cause a lot of symptoms but no real threat to health.  I rarely take the BP medicine, and it's really not for high BP for me. It's to relieve the chest pain or palpitations that Mitral Valve Prolapse can cause.  So I luckily have this BP med for chest pain, so that when my BP has been high from being in pain or maybe from missing a dose of butalbital at least I can get it down.  That helps.

[donewitis]

i know nothing about fiorecet..but totally relate to your last post. That's why I did the taper of oxycodone. I wanted to see what my 'real' pain parameters are. I'm 3 days w/o and am doing alright. Last night was unbelievable. I slept like a baby..I can't recall that good a nights sleep. I'm very thankful. Immediately upon opening my eyes, I said, Thank you, Lord."
Now, if I need something for pain I'm gonna reach for ibuprophen. For now. Like you, I can't afford the specialists but 4 years on these pain meds is far too many. Wish you well.

[Oxy480Jim]

Addicts take those things because they multiply the effects of other drugs, especially opiates. They either use them for that purpose, or use them to stretch their supplies of their drug of choice. Alcohol also will enhance the effects of Butalbital, but it also causes respiratory depression at the same time.

The way you take them shouldn't make you feel high, unless you mix it with other narcs.
If you quit them like you described you were going to, you shouldn't have any problems at all, no withdrawals, seizures, or trips by ambulance to the hospital, LoL

[LeaAnn807]

Oh dear!  I've had seizures coming off of barbs.  Also coming off of benzos and Ambien.  I recommend strongly that you speak with someone about the taper.  Seizures are a very real threat!  And your heart problem may not be a big one, but it's a problem with palps and such, so I'd be careful there too.  WDs can cause your heart to race and palpitate and BP to go very, very high!

Please be very careful!  This is nothing to disregard!

[Oxy480Jim]

You should also keep the half life of Butalbital in mind if you continue taking them.  You could cause a build up of Butalbital in your system  if you take to many of them too frequently. They were prescribed to you for your tension headaches I assume, so the doc either told you to take them as needed, or to maintain a certain level of Butalbital in your system to prevent the onset of your tension headaches. I suspect the later since your rx is for 90 a month, which would be 3x a day dose.  

[vicki595]

Butalbital is not a drug that should ever be taken empirically (to prevent the onset of tension headache).   Many,many people take them for headaches and exclusively to get high!  It doesn't take much for some...three could do it.  It,also,doesn't take much for an individual to have a seizure. We never know what our seizure threshold is so it's always good to be cautious.  It's not necessary to to go to the hospital to detox; it can be done at home. It MUST be tapered s l o w l y, over time. That's why we suggest contacting your doctor for a good taper plan.

There really isn't a degree of addiction with butalbital ( strongly or lightly ).  It's like being pregnant: you are or you are not!

I had a rather intimate relationship with this devil for quite a while. I'd be more than happy to help and support you any way I can!   Good luck!

[Emily_MHManager]

Please be careful when giving advice about medications.  Even a "mild" heart condition, such as mitral valve prolapse, needs to be taken into consideration when either taking medications or stopping.

It is very important that we proceed with caution in this as we can't predict how each person will react when tapering or going CT. It is vital to talk with your doctor about a taper plan, especially when you factor in any heart condition.

Emily

[octoberblues]

Thanks for your input and I understand no one here can replace the advice of my own doctor.

I didn't get a refill yesterday, and the past few days have taken 1 1/2 each 24 hrs.  Feel pretty crappy, headache is bad, twitchy, restless.

I have a few left, and guess I'll just break those in half.  My BP isn't through the roof but like I said, I've not stopped completely and I imagine it will get a bit worse before it's out of my system.  Went from 3 a day, to 6, then back down pretty fast.  

[Oxy480Jim]

The drug sheet suggests that it should be used "as needed"  but her prescription ( 90pills/mo ) sounds like it was prescribed empirically. Plus she said she took 3/day, sometimes 4. Thats why I said 'sounds like'.  and be careful what she does because it can build up in her system.

octoberblues- you should really see your doctor before you try quitting them. You don't want to mess around with that stuff, and should taper as directed by your doc. If your headache is bad and you aren't feeling well, then take them as the doc directed and see the doc before you try quit them.  You definitely DO NOT want to taper off them too fast, or you WILL end up taking that ambulance ride to the ER.
Please be careful and smart about this.

[Oxy480Jim]

You aren't even taking into consideration the 35 hour half life of those pills.  This means you will not notice the effects that taking even ONE pill less than prescribed will be for you.

Taking a lot less than prescribed  is a dangerous thing to do, because you will not feel the full effect that has  for over a day!  

Fill your prescript. and see your doc before you do anything please!

[overopiates]

I'm so confused about fironal as I've been prescribed them for yrs.I used2get90now I had them dropped2 60amonth cause there expensive+didn't need that many as I'm prescribed2a day but I will go about half the month w/o them(will take them when I get headaches like there r days I take them everyday4- 3-4days but have times where I can take otc meds to fix the headache/or won't take them4a week of so.These r fironal capsules.I've NEVER had w/d at all even when I was getting90+had days of taking3-4a day.I didn't even know these were addictive until this site

[Oxy480Jim]

As vicki595 says, they aren't supposed to be prescribed for prevention, they should be taken 'as needed' at least that what the drug sheet says.

sounds like you have the same Doc as Octoberblues, LoL!   They are specifically prescribed for tension headaches. You shouldn't take them for other types of headaches. I don't get headaches very often, but when I do a tylenol works for me.  For some strange reason, despite all the oxy I take, it doesn't do a thing for headaches. I should be immune to headaches, LoL!

[overopiates]

Well mine r also prescribed for migraine headaches too not just tension from a neurologist.We tried them n combination of like6+other meds for prevention NONE worked.They were initially prescribed from a PM DR.I have noticed since quitting the tabs I get a lot less extreme headaches which is common as a side effect of opiates(so I take less now than I ever have).

[vicki595]

Overopiates:  Hi!  A lot of people have been/are prescribed Fiorinal/Fioricet and the stuff works very nicely for headache.  It doesn't create a problem with prn use. It's always or should be prescribed as prn only!  I never took it that way and paid the nasty price!  Some take it once and awhile,it works,and it's all good.  The thing is,for some, it's easy to take it everyday. Then you go from 2 to 4 a day. Then 8 a day,everyday....then run out/stop. Then the awful rebound headaches,anxiety,dizziness,all over pain...terrible!  You're fortunate that it wasn't a problem. Kind of like me with opiates!

October: It's good you're stopping these for now. You may need to take them again because they do work well.  You should just never take them everyday,ever!  I have no idea what "Jim" means by:"Taking a lot less than prescribed is a dangerous thing to do"...
How much lower can you get than 3 per day?  Anyway, that's for your doctor to decide and not us. We aren't free to comment on tapers or give advice in that regard.  I will say that you really don't need to feel this crappy. A slow taper with this particular drug works very well. Feel better...

[my_mayberry]

vicki...i think i understand what jim was saying. it's something i've said before, but most people don't have an interest in listening to. the half-life of butalbital is 35 to 100 hours, depending on the person, and also which source you read. thats a HUGE window...but basically it means that a seizure might not happen right away till the drug has began to be eliminated.  so, say the drug is elminated at a rate of 50% every 50 hours....it could be 50 hours before you reach the seizure threshold. it just depends on where the seizure threshold is vs how much butalbital is in your system. if you reduce the dose too fast, you could have a seizure and yet it may not present itself for a couple days after the reduction in dose. i THINK this is what Jim was getting at.

in any event.....to October....i won't suggest anything as far as a taper other than SEE YOUR DOCTOR! i will say, though, that propranolol DOES help some people quite well with migraine prevention. it does for me! what dose are you taking? thats also something to talk about with your doctor....but to be honest, i'm not sure what type of migraines you're getting. i couldn't really pick up on it from what all you said. if it is something to do with nerve damage or related to muscle tension, then it will be ineffective probably. this is why for TENSION headaches or persistant migraines where the cause is from a nerve or neck muscle.....fioricet really does work better than anything else....but i'm so happy that you understand that you can't be on it forever. as you said, your dose will only continue to increase. you probably do not feel high from it because you are treating a legit problem. for example, when i take one and i have a full-blown knock-down drag out migraine, i do NOT feel high....only relief. there are those who take some pretty heavy-duty opiates for chronic pain who also do not feel high when they take them because they are treating such severe pain. this obviously isn't true for everyone, but for some it is. for others, they just don't get high off of it. even for opiates, the addiction rate is no where near 100%....which means that not everyone actually gets loaded off of them.

i hope you find a way to get to the specialist you need! i would suggest also asking your doctor about midrin...it works decently for the types of headaches you seem to be having......however, they took it off the market for now. the FDA wants them to PROOVE it works.....so i suspect its only a matter of time before they do the same with fioricet. Midrin was the only alternative to fioricet that had a lower rate of addiction. much lower, actually. now, they are switching those on midrin over to fioricet....by far a much more dangerous drug.

does your propranolol help with your pain? also, have they tried topamax or anything? amytriptyline works for nerve pain, also...you might ask about that.

the moderate mentioned your heart condition, and that does factor into things. by the way....butalbital greatly reduces the effectiveness of beta-blockers....especially when used on a daily basis. keep that in mind!

[dominosarah]

Great advice mayberry~~

[Oxy480Jim]

Yep, that's what I  said.

And vicky, apparently Docs do prescribe them that way, as Overopiates Doc has as well as Octobers apparently.

And no, she should not stop taking them suddenly.  She is setting herself up for a possible seizure by withdrawing to fast from them, not to mention she also has a heart condition.

[vicki595]

Actually, it's not apparent to me that both of these gals had butalbital prescribed around the clock as opposed to prn...it's unlikely but if it was...that's very bad...


Matt: I guess it's been awhile since I've been seeking these things out!   Ha! When did Midrin go away??  
Also, you know I totally "get" the half life scenario...that's where my "accidents" happened!
But,the comment wasn't clear: "take A LOT less than prescribed".  If we're speaking about 3 a day, what is a lot less?  She already knows not to stop abruptly. She's well informed. So, that's all...I think she's on the right track now...

[Oxy480Jim]

And you are right again as far as chronic pain and opiate use goes.  I have never gotten a buzz from them. Not even if I try. I do get the same physical addiction as opiate abusers do though.  I just get gypped out of the "buzz" They say they get.
Not that I wanted it in the first place, which was why I went on it.  The fentynol I was on before this had some strange side effects. As long as my eyes were open and I was engaged mentally, i felt ok, but soon as I shut my eyes  for a moment, like you do when they get tired from working on the PC all day, I would fall asleep instantly. Plus it was hell on the long term memory. I didn't like having to drive on that stuff, so i quit fentynol and went on oxy. Much better, except for  when I want to sleep! I'm lucky if I can get 4 straight hours at a time. But it's still better than spontaneous sleep. Like any drug, if you have to be on them, there are trade offs.
  

[dominosarah]

You got gyped out of the buzz even if you tried?  Be very grateful for that.

[Oxy480Jim]

Did you not read Overopiates post?

"I'm so confused about fironal as I've been prescribed them for yrs.I used2get90now I had them dropped2 60amonth cause there expensive+didn't need that many as I'm prescribed2a day"

Prescribed 2 a day.  

Oct. is prescribed 90 a month which equals 3 a day. She said she was taking 4 a day for a while and went back to 3 a day. I asked if they were prescribed that way to confirm my suspicions, but she hasn't answered yet.

Read her first post.  as well as Over opiates entire post  Maybe it will become more 'apparent'.