Fiorcet Addiction-Is it possible?

Hi Heather, Sorry you have been suffering with the headaches. As far as I know Fiorcet contains a barbiturate which I would think would be addictive! Also do you take Fiorcet with codeine or without as I know from experience that codeine is addictive. I used to take painkillers almost daily that contained codeine which helped my migraines to develop into a daily headache.

Unfortunately despite asking my Doc repeatedly if the amount I was taking was the problem he encouraged me to keep going and not to worry. This caused me a great deal of unnecessary suffering!!!

I would suggest you do some homework of your own and research this drug yourself, and after you have done that I suggest you go and talk to your Doctor about your findings - we are not medics here we can only speak from our own experience.

It makes me very cross that the Docs turn a blind eye to meds like this that are used long-term, we should be informed of all possibilities! I hope this helps, please let us know how you get on, take care Ann.

hello everyone, fiorecet with codiene is great for my headaches/migraines but can cause rebounds too and to me are very very addictive cause they make you higher then morphine or any other hard core pain killer out there bause of the barbituate. and i have taken it enough to cause me withdrawals a few times and it is terrible, makes you vomit like crazy for days, so now im very very careful when i take them.

-hellokitty22

I was taking fiorcet for awhile to see if they would help my migraines and the #1 thing my neurologist stressed and I mean STRESSED to me was to never take it more than 2 days per week due to the rebound headache effect it is known to cause. If you are taking this more than 2 days a week and having dull headaches I would think you are probably having rebound headaches caused by the drug itself. The only thing I would suggest is try to not take it and see if the headaches go away. I know it sucks -- having a headache and not taking meds for it!!! I would agree with the other posters that you can get addicted to it due to the barbituate in it. Just be careful. Hope that helps!

--janet

Hi dirkdavid29,

Welcome to Healing Well. I am glad Fioricet works well for you. Have you tried any of the triptans? If so what have your experiences been. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on.

take care

Ann

hey I am posting this for all i have read the threads

My sister in-law is in the hospital IC she had migrains and took fiorcet from her pri care he must have stopped it so we just found out she was buying on line from all these companys some are calling he cell phone harssing her husband as she is lying there in a psycosis and has lost over 30 lbs and is detoxing from these pills now they may or may not be the real drugs we may never know but know this they are addicting and could get any one so think twice and dont buy online no doctor checks on you and they just push drugs online just google fiorcet and you can get any pain pill or anything you want I cant understand how this is possible

Hi All, I sure will I was in a hurry and I was rambleing on. I will do better next time. Thanks Mark

I have just become a member here, and I just happened to be looking up fiorcet, which my doctor gives me often in VERY restrictive amounts for my stress headaches.  I am 99% sure I do not have migraines.  None of those medications for migraines have worked, plus my younger sister suffered tremendously over the years with migraines, and I do not have those kinds of symptoms.  But none the less, my stress headaches make me almost non-functional at my job.  That's when I either call or go see my doctor, and he gives me 20 which I can take, I think, one every four hours or six hours.  However, I do worry about the addiction because they do have codeine in them.  But, do you think if he is careful about administering these, plus I go and see him every 3 months, anyway, for him to either to do blood work or just check me on my other 2 meds that I have taken for some time now, that I will be okay on this?

My mother who is 49 years old has suffered migraines for atleast 7 years. She is currently in the hospital to detox from fiorcet. We just found out she has become addicted to this prescription drug last week when she was so dizzy she fell. She became addicted to what the doctor prescribed her. She didn't go and get the prescription on her own. This is what her doctor of a couple years is giving her prescriptions for. Doctors don't always make you healthy, because of this my mother is suffering more because now she is addicted to a med that was supposed to be helping her with her migraines. Not only did it not help with her migraines but she seemed to have a headache everyday! I advise anyone on this med to just use as needed because it is addictive. My mother isn't functioning at all. It seems doctors just like to overmedicate and not get to the solution of trying to eliminate or make the headaches less often. This isnt the first time I have been through this with my mother about 5 years ago it was demerol pain shots..given to her right in the Emergency room..duh!!! Stupid doctors!!! If someone is in pain they just want the pain to stop but doctors should know better than getting someone addicted to painkillers! Its very frustrating. I'm 30 and have started to suffer from migraines just like my mother but I deal with mine in a different way unlike everything my mom has been through. I pretty much know at this point that most meds aren't going to help me. What I try to do is live a healthy lifestyle.....LOTS OF WATER, Excercise (helps relieve stress, tension), eating healthy and also knw what your triggers are for headaches and avoid them. My mothers triggers are chocolate and red wine!! Hope this helps anyone looking for another point of view

With my severe headaches/seizures, I take Fiorcet and it really helps me. I don't take more then what my Dr. recommends, because it can cause an addiction. I take it three times a day, but I space them out. Just be careful.

Dear friends- and I mean that to those who suffer pain sincerely,

My headaches came to a severe peak while I was in Iraq for my second combat tour... during my down time between missions- particularly if I'd been exposed to explosions I would accept medication so long as the doctor said it would wear off in time for me to return to duty and not miss a mission. I had been prescribed Fiorcet before.
Exposure to hyper-pressurized waves from explosions of road side bombs caused concussions (traumatic brain injury) and damaged nerves in my neck were the result of being tossed around and out of vehicles and smacking my head on walls and everything else in my path. Irritated nerves and tense muscles led to head aches... neutralize the latter of the equation and the former never happens. Is it addictive? Yes. Have I ever escalated the dose frequency? Yes. Do I believe that it is a medically warranted prescription? Yes.
I think the bottom line for me is asking the question "what is effective?"- over and over and over until I figure out what my body responds to... and in spite of what I might say of the doctors it IS my responsibility to "self report" symptoms. They've just recently acknowledged T.B.I. as the trademark wound of this war- which means, I mean, how many of us were and are walking wounded without knowing it? Because it is the nature of my (now ex-) profession to accept pain and say, "I'm good to go..." And, WHAT is effective can always be improved on... had I been more proactive in my research and had more resources over-seas I'd have not had to argue to receive adequate medicinal treatment.
Also, with the issue of pain- that is a disease in itself as potent, if not more potent than addiction. Pain is a cancer; pain only spreads and develops inside our bodies... and this leads to dread and worry and the thought of "maybe if I take this all the time I can prevent the head-aches altogether" for me, anyway.
Fiorcet is one of the few salvation from head aches for me...
I found their (the doctors') reasoning for other medications to be highly suspicious... for instance Neurontin, it was discovered in a survey of patients with seizure disorder AND migraine headaches that their headaches lessened or disappeared. However, the medical community will not comment officially on whether or not the seizure disorder and relief thereof had anything to do with the relief of the head aches.
Fiorcet is a controlled substance, they don't understand "closed" TBI headaches and they're not going to risk their precious license on prescribing me medicine. To which I say they are cowards and know nothing of risk... it is one doctor who is a psychiatrist who prescribes ALL of my medication because I do not like talking to other doctors and we have a 4 year history built on trust.
Discover your own body... pain and the relief thereof is a relative issue and not objective. One doctor would rather prescribe Stadol or Demerol... seriously? Seriously? This is the expert opinion? No. We are the experts of our own bodies and the medical community says "take an active role in your care..." Please do it. Find your path, deviate when possible to explore without risking ineffective relief- but take initiative and figure it out is what I've learned.
Also, having "too many cooks in the kitchen" is a bad thing... one doctor, for me.

Thanks for reading, I'm interested in opinions

........Just my input
I was put on Fiorinal ( which is just the same but with aspirin) 1/4's at 12 yrs old

THat is Fiorianal 1/4 of codiene

I became so addicted it was just ridiculous
The last time I took them I actually fell to the ground ( I was taking 5 6 at a time ) I had totally lost all feelings in my legs..........

Another thing I too found was the rebound headaches you get from them ..........

I have NOT touched a fiorianl now for 20 yrs and I never will
I was not the same
I was moody and was not in control.......THATS me .....and amount........

I would have been dead no other way ........
My doc I have had for 10 yrs now DOES NOT RX them and never will.........

Like I said just a lil if my prob ( addiction) with them

LYN

** yes Fioranal......Fioracet.........are barbituates

ARe you taking the ones with Codeine ( sp )

I found this drug to be very addictive and caused rebound migraines.  I started having migraines with premenopause.  The doctors put me on every pill they could think.  What works best for me is plain Excedrin, Imitrex, and Ginger Ale.  And sleep.  Every time I get desperate and go on fiorcet, I regret it.  What did work for me was Topamax.  However, it thinned my bones and gave me depression.  So I had to stop taking Topamax.  The migraines are now back.