Medicine Information

Fioricet: Migraine Remedy Medication Or Just Another Headache?


We've all had garden variety headaches from time to time. Getting sleep, drinking water, or taking aspirin or Tylenol lets you squash these "tension headaches" (as doctors call them) quickly and easily.

But if you suffer from severe or chronic tension headaches, you know that headaches can take over your work and family life. A study by the American Headache Society shows that 70% of chronic headache sufferers have significant problems with daily functioning because of the headaches.

Migraine sufferers have symptoms in addition to headache; they may spend days each month in a darkened room because the pain and light-sensitivity are unbearable otherwise.

Fioricet: A New Option

Fioricet is one of the drugs that researchers have developed to manage headaches. It has been found to be effective for tension headaches. While studies haven't shown it to be effective for migraine sufferers overall, some people with migraines seem to find it helpful as well.

Fioricet gets its effect from three different ingredients that attack different "parts" of your headache, just like a good laundry detergent has different ingredients to tackle grease, odors, and dirt.

So how does the dynamic trio work?

Fioricet has three parts, two of which may be old friends:

Butalbital
Acetominophen
Caffeine

Butalbital is a barbiturate; like other barbiturates, it has a relaxing effect. Butalbital will help you relax and make you feel a bit drowsy, which seems to help with tension headaches.

Acetominophen is a drug that you may recognize as the active ingredient in Tylenol. It can help with pain relief especially when combined with a relaxant.

Caffeine gives you the "buzz" that you may feel after drinking tea, coffee, or colas, or eating chocolate. Caffeine helps to reduce blood flow to the brain. Many scientists believe that "too much" blood flowing to the brain is part of what causes chronic tension headaches, so caffeine can reduce that effect.

Fioricet as part of your pain-management system

As headache sufferers, anything that might help get our lives back to normal sounds like a God-send. But there a couple of questions you should ask yourself before talking with your doctor about a prescription

? Do I have migraines? If you don't know, talk about your symptoms with your doctor before deciding that Fioricet is a good fit for you.

? Is operating heavy machinery or doing a lot of driving part of my daily life? If you take a little too much Fioricet of if you're very sensitive to barbiturates, it can create the feelings and behaviors of someone who has had too much alcohol. Being "drunk" is not a good mix with operating a crane or driving carloads of kids to school, soccer practice, and the library!

? Do I need a pain-killer at least once a day? Fioricet can make you dependent on it. Dependence can lead to "rebound headaches" (headaches as the drug leaves your system) and even more serious health consequences. Your doctor might suggest using Fioricet as a "back-up" medication - to use it for the days where your regular medication doesn't work. And if you've previous experienced dependence on another drug (including alcohol), this medication is not for you.

I've Thought It Over, So What's My Next Step?

Take the prescription to your local pharmacy or on-line drug store so it's ready for your use at the sign of the first stubborn headache. Discussing any problems or side effects like dizziness or drowsiness with your doctor will help you manage this drug and can make it part of your plan for a pain-free life!

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for health news and Fioricet.

Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.


MORE RESOURCES:

Funeral to be held in Medicine Hat, Alta for Canadian killed in ...
The Canadian Press,  Alta - 1 hour ago
Medicine Hat, Alta — A funeral will be held today for one of the Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan this month. Services for Sapper Stephan Stock will ...


KU School of Medicine-Wichita dean stepping down to teach
Lawrence Journal World, KS - 6 hours ago
By Mark Vierthaler S. Edwards Dismuke, dean of the Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita, announced Friday he is resigning effective Sept. 10. ...
Dean of KU School of Medicine retires Kansas.com
Dismuke to step down as dean of Wichita’s KU Med School Bizjournals.com
Medical school dean steps down The Wichita Eagle
all 13 news articles


Greenville man was a nuclear medicine pioneer
Greenville Daily Reflector, NC - 13 hours ago
One award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine Education and Research Foundation was presented to Richards for his outstanding work with science applied to ...


Some medicine shops should remain open for 24 hours: DM
The Statesman, India - 19 hours ago
29: The district magistrate Mr CR Das today held a meeting with the medicine shop owners’ association urging them to keep some of their shops at English ...


YHS offering class in sports medicine
Nisqually Valley News, WA - 20 hours ago
Clinton will develop a comprehensive sports medicine program. He previously worked at Moses Lake High School, with 12 years of previous teaching and ...


AFP

Besieged Kashmiris running out of food and medicine
Daily Times, Pakistan - 18 hours ago
By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: Message received by this newspaper from Srinagar paint a bleak picture with curfews, massive shortages of food and essential ...
Hostage drama rebels killed Gulf Daily News
Indian troops kill Kashmiri rebels in shootout; end 20-hour ... The Canadian Press
Hostages held in Indian Kashmir: army AFP
International Herald Tribune - Voice of America
all 1,193 news articles


CTV.ca

Herbal medicine all-clear
Gulf Daily News, Bahrain - Aug 27, 2008
Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) discovered one-fifth of US and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines they purchased online ...
A Dose of Lead or Mercury With Your Medicine U.S. News & World Report
Ayuvedic medicine: Toxic metals in remedies for sale on internet guardian.co.uk
Online Ayurvedic Medicine May Be Unsafe WebMD
Hindu - United Press International
all 171 news articles


Smart Personalized Medicine, LLC, Founded by Dr. Richard Caruso ...
MarketWatch - Aug 29, 2008
Under the terms of the Agreement, HDC will receive a 15% equity position in Smart Personalized Medicine, LLC based on up to a $5 million initial investment ...


Los Angeles Times

Dr. Robert F. Maronde, 88; USC professor helped create artificial ...
Los Angeles Times, CA - 7 hours ago
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Dr. Robert F. Maronde, a professor emeritus at the USC School of Medicine whose accomplishments included ...


Conference combines music with medicine
Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, IN - 2 hours ago
By DOUG LEDUC The Fort Wayne area is known in some regional circles for its music and its medicine, but not so much for the kind of out-of-the-box thinking ...

Medicine - Google News

home | site map
© 2006