Withdrawal from Butalbital

Find out more about butalbital withdrawal symptoms and how detox and rehab can help you.

Fioricet is a barbiturate depressant that is prescribed to treat ailments such as tension headaches, migraines, pain, anxiety, and insomnia. The drug is commonly used as a painkiller and contains butalbital, acetaminophen, and caffeine, and in some varieties also contains codeine. Both butalbital and codeine are highly addictive drugs and withdrawal from butalbital can cause dangerous health complications. If you are dependent on the drug and want to know how to stop taking Fioricet, speak with your doctor or contact a drug rehab center. You will need professional help to safely stop taking this drug because butalbital withdrawal can cause severe complications.

Many patients who take medications that contain butalbital can easily become tolerant of the drug and find that they have to take more of it to get the same effects as before. By exceeding the recommended dosage, thereby abusing the drug, some people become physically and psychologically addicted to butalbital. Abuse of butalbital can cause toxicity in the body resulting in an overdose, and taking the drug with other medications or alcohol can also cause life-threatening results. Some of the signs of a person who is dependent on butalbital include:

• Taking other drugs or alcohol with butalbital
• Faking pain or other symptoms to obtain a prescription from your doctor
• Taking larger doses, or taking the medication more often than what is recommended, doctor shopping for prescriptions
• Borrowing or stealing money for the drug, risky behavior, criminal activity
• A change in behavior, lying
• Isolation, withdrawing from family and friends, secretive behavior
• Poor performance or attendance at work or school

Some of the side effects of the drug butalbital are:

• Euphoria, drowsiness, dizziness, sedation, fainting
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• Impaired judgment
• Respiratory depression, rapid heartbeat, seizures, shock, coma

If you are addicted to Fioricet and want to stop taking the drug, you should contact a drug rehab center. Withdrawal from butalbital can be extremely complicated and you will need the help of medical professionals to stop taking the drug; this is how to stop taking Fioricet safely and effectively. At the rehab, you should receive a medically monitored detox from the drug. The staff will keep you stable and comfortable with medications that can ease the withdrawal symptoms, as you are slowly being weaned off of the drug. The more dependent a person is on butalbital, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms may be. Symptoms of withdrawal from butalbital can begin in about 8 to 36 hours after taking the last dose of the drug, and should gradually decline after a few weeks. Some of the butalbital withdrawal symptoms that a patient may experience are:

• Rapid heart and respiratory rate, respiratory difficulty, vomiting,
• Elevated blood pressure and body temperature
• Nervousness, disorientation, anxiety, delirium, depression, rage,
• Seizures, tremors

Inpatient or residential treatment for a minimum of 90 days is recommended for effective butalbital addiction recovery. The patient will be closely monitored within a safe and structured environment and will receive psychological and behavioral counseling. If the patient struggles with a mental health disorder, it will also be treated along with the addiction. The integration of treatment, for all physical and psychological issues, is the most effective way to treat addiction. The patient will learn how to manage his mental issues with behavior modification and medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help the patient address underlying psychological issues that may have led him to abuse drugs. And relapse prevention strategies will teach him how to handle triggers, stress, cravings and toxic people and situations.

These therapy programs will help the patient stop abusing Fioricet, and learn how to stay sober. If you have an addiction problem and want to know how to stop taking Fioricet, you should contact a drug treatment center today.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.