Common Complaints Associated with Fioricet Use

Fioricet is a combination of three medications that work together to help relieve headache pain.

• Butalbital is a barbiturate that works by raising the levels of chemicals that cause your brain to relax.

• Acetaminophen is an analgesic. It stops the production of certain chemicals in your brain, which can help relieve pain.

• Caffeine is an adenosine antagonist. It blocks a natural chemical in your body called adenosine. It’s unclear exactly how caffeine works to treat headaches, but it’s thought to boost the pain-relieving activity of acetaminophen.

Common Complaints Associated with Fioricet Use

High Blood Pressure and Severe Headaches

Fioricet can cause high blood pressure due to its caffeine content, leading to severe headaches and conditions like Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES).

Psychiatric Complications

Patients using Fioricet are more likely to have a prior psychiatric diagnosis and may experience exacerbated psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, especially if they have a history of emergency department visits for headaches.

Emotional and Psychic Tension

Fioricet is effective in alleviating emotional or psychic tension associated with tension headaches, more so than acetaminophen with codeine.

General Adverse Reactions

While Fioricet is effective in pain relief, it is associated with various adverse reactions, although these reactions are generally not serious and resolve without medical intervention.