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Is there medical help to get off Fioricet?

Hi everyone!  After 20+ years on Fioricet taking 10-12/day I was able to get myself down to 2 a day!  The problem is (because I can now get them on the internet, ugh) I increased them again.  When they were only prescribed by my doctor they were kept to a minimum and I only used them for migraines.  They do work great for migraines but have been taking them mostly....well, just because they give you a "kick" of energy and euphoria when you need it.  The downside to that is after the kick/euphoria comes the irritability!

Here's my question:  Is there a medical treatment that can completely clear them out of my system?  I have been able to decrease only to go back up again.  Any suggestions or comments (good or bad, I can take it lol) are most appreciated.

The highs and lows from this med have caused me terrible problems and need to get off it completely.  For those of you who don't know it....yet....FIORICET IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY!!  It's the only pain med I've ever taken and wish I'd never started.  Bad stuff.  It should not be sold over the internet and why they're allowing it is a mystery.
25 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi Vicki.  What vitamins and minerals do you suggest?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
All of you are helping me so much!!  I'm getting encouragement and tips from each one of you.  THANK YOU!  I don't know if this is the "right" way to taper off fioricet but it seems to be working for me.  If I take 2 in the morning instead of 1 it (somehow? not sure how) keeps the withdrawals away and I only need one now and then and can go hours without one:)  But if I take only 1 in the morning then I'm fighting withdrawals all day and taking them so I can function.  My plan is to keep taking the 2 and then taper to 1-3/4 and so on.  I'd sure appreciate any feedback on this "plan" I've come up with...either negative or positive.  Is there anyone else on here who's also tapering off fioricet?  I'd like to talk to them.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It sounds like you jumped from 10 to 5 all at once!  That's a 50% drop and you won't feel good for a few days but stick with it! It will pass but it was too large a drop...

One will keep the wd's away at each dose. It's not missing the second pill that's causing this discomfort. Just stay where you are for several more days until you feel better. I know it's hard when you feel awful but promise me you'll do that...I promise you'll feel better.

If you taper the way it was explained to you, you shouldn't have a bad headache but, again, it must be from that huge drop.   You can't be in a hurry to detox from this drug. It takes time and it needs to become your new hobby or job...I'm serious!

Beef up on daily vitamins and minerals. Let me know if you need suggestions...
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
I agree with the replies you've gotten, especially Debbie's above.  To increase the chance that a taper will be successful, it's important to allow yourself to adjust to each new dosage reduction.  That amount of time will vary from person to person, and depending on what the drug of choice was, and how much one was taking.  The good news for you is that you've already gotten yourself down fairly low  (compared to what you were taking).

You may need to give the new dose (5 pills) a week or two for you to adjust.  Obviously, how you'll know is the w/d symptoms will ease up.  Then, you can consider dropping down again.  You may have to decide to take this a little slower in terms of how much you're reducing.  

The rebound headaches are going to be par for the course I'm afraid, but again, after that adjustment period, those will ease up too.  They may not totally resolve, but they'll improve.

You've got lots of knowledgeable people helping you out.   Not only is vicki very knowledgeable with her background as a nurse, but like she said, she lived through Fioricet addiction.  Having her in your corner will be a Godsend.

I wish you the very best...you WILL get there....keep posting, keep talking!  Whatever you do, don't increase your dose.  If you're very tempted and having a hard time resisting the urge to take more, come and talk to us.  Do you have anyone supporting you at home?  Is your doc involved?  If possible, adding those two factors would help to empower you a LOT!

Hang in there!!
Helpful - 0
1235186 tn?1656987798
Hun stick with the 5 pills a day. Your body will adjust. Don't go back up. Going down and up, up and down is worse.

The headache is part of the withdrawal and detox. Just take it easy. put a cold  Compress on your forehead and the back of your neck. Do neck exercises, stretching your head forward and back, rotate your head around.

Try drinking coffee. Since there is caffeine in your pills  you now have less caffeine. There is also headaches associated with caffeine withdrawal.

What are your worst symptoms? You have to treat the symptoms.
Keep moving forward Hun. You are doing great.
Sending prayers,
Debbie
Helpful - 0
7604172 tn?1445632194
Hi there:

I have zero experience with this drug, but I commend you for being strong enough to whittle your habit down so significantly. I would say stick with a taper. Slow and steady wins the race, I suppose. I think you are going to need to reach out to others, like on this site, for the emotional support and strength needed to get through this successfully.

I recommend putting other, healthier habits into place, such as taking a vitamin everyday, or just anything good that can fill the void of that habit that you have had for so long you know.

Getting educated as much as possible is very empowering, as many of us walk into our addictions blindly, even when walking into a doctors office. We don't make highly informed decisions, but now we live in the information age with loads of it at our fingertips. We should always become experts on anything we are considering putting into our bodies that will alter us in the ways that these drugs do.

You are doing great and doing the right thing. Stick with it and you can definitely do it. It won't be easy at the last, but it's much like a marathon you know, the last few miles are going to be the hardest hun. Just visualize the finish and dig deep so you can pull through.

Good luck hun

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Den sorry took so long to get back to you....I kicked it if you can say going a week is kicking it....I wish I knew what would help in your situation but I really have no clue.

I took a walk at lunch today hoped to get things moving.....I'm so tired I csant sleep.....my alarm is gonna go off in three hours and I'm wide awake....does the exedrine help at all
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Not doing so good on only 5 pills a day :(  It worked the first couple days and then I started getting withdrawals bad.  I'm not going to get discouraged but I'm scared that this is going to be REALLY hard to do.  It seems my body is used to getting 2 pills at a time.  Yeah this is scary now.  Not sure what to do cutting down from 10-12.  I'm also getting terrible rebound headaches.  Is that from the barbituate or so much caffeine in them?  I get really disoriented, shaky and can't think if I go over 3 hours without 2.  Any suggestions pleeeese.
Helpful - 0
1855076 tn?1337115303
Definitely stick with your taper.  Going up and down wreaks havoc with your body.  My situation and meds were different than yours but I will tell you with Vickie in your corner, you'll get through this. She's my guardian angel :-)   Seriously, if it wasn't for her ... I can't even think about it.  And there was great support and tips from other members, too.  Tapering is best done slowly and consistently.  Sometimes you neeed to stabilize at a dose but that's okay.  
Helpful - 0
655875 tn?1295695107
I personally would go to a doctor and ask.  I was on this for migraines, but I never had any side effects like euphoria or anything.  They don't even work as well as triptians(ex. Maxalt).  I get frequent migraines too, especially now that I'm dextoxing from fentanyl patch.  I wouldn't detox without doctors help due to the risks involved.  

Good luck!  
Helpful - 0
1235186 tn?1656987798
you are doing awesome with your taper. keep yourself busy.
go for walks, get some sun,  clean ,cook, listen to music, go shopping anything to keep your mind off your next pill.
space them further apart. let your body adjust to the new lower dose before you drop down again.
half life refers to how long it stays in your blood stream.
.butalbital has a 35 hours half life. so in 17.5 hours half of the amount of butalbital is still in your system, and so on.
you are getting rebound headaches. this will happen when your body is detoxing.  drink coffee, this will help.
keep up the good work.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Okay...I thought you were on a higher dose.  Fioricet has a fairly long half life but that doesn't matter for what you want to do.

It's important to keep tapering once you begin, okay?  Going up and then down will ruin any gains from tapering.

Check your mail; I'm going to send you a message.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm down to 5 a day this week!  If I take less I get withdrawals.  What worked is never taking 2 at a time.  If I have a migraine or bad headache I take 1 fioricet with an excedrin or 2 excedrin or if really bad an imitrex.  The good news is whatever the amount of barbituate there is in 1 pill is enough to keep me out of withdrawals.  Now I need to be careful to taper off these so I don't go up/down/up/down....  I read about half-life but don't really understand how to apply it.  Thank you so much for sticking with me.  I couldn't be more serious and determined to never see another pill again!

Something interesting is happening as I've cut down, I don't like the feeling of taking one, don't like feeling wired anymore.  What I thought was "energy" and "euphoria" was just a really creepy feeling of being nervous and hyped up.  yuck.  And admitting it on here and talking to you and others is helping a lot.  

Any suggestions to wean off the 5 a day is appreciated.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Denise- how many are you taking per day now?   I'm not going to give up on you and I can help you taper off...just let me know the dose you're on...

You should never abruptly stop this because the seizure risk is HUGE. The secret is to drop a small amount over a long period of time.

I'll check back-
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
the withdrawals are real shaky, mental breakdown, can't function mentally or physically to the point of not being able to write with a pen or speak clearly.  that's why i know it must be tapered slowly. i may wind up at an addiction physician's office because this has to stop now and I need help with it.
i will never  take anything addicting again and wasn't told this drug is.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
can you do physical activity? can you get outside? if you can there are so many "natural highs" you can get into. i ask this because that WAS my life until the pills took control and that's exactly what I'll goback to. sure hope you can.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
how do you feel if you dont take anything i dont know what the wd from barbs are like
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Avatar universal
typical story here started with pain pills moved up to stronger pill......stopped relapsed....pills stopped working turned to heroin.....i was of the pills for almost to years and relapsed ive been using for the past 2-3 years picked up the heroin about two years ago.

i stopped for about five months than relapsed again.......im currently 4 days off and on a very low dose of subs....im so sick of this circle that i have to jump out

for ppl like me only three things can happen and is so true recover, jail, or death......i choose life
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Jayeye, thanks for the encouragement :)  i need it to get through this.  i've been all over the internet trying to find a "plan" to wean off this horrible stuff. it's the barbituate in it that's the problem.  when i get a plan i'll stick to it.

you're still on heroin or you've kicked it?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
nobody is going to give up on you here.....this place saved my live but i relapsed and started using heroin.....and you know what they havent given up on me.

i know know much about what you were taking but i am going to take a look into it.....from all my years in this game im pretty good with pharmaceuticals
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm trying to get off them but don't know how many to take to taper down so just taking as little as possible and feeling shaky.  Is there a tapering system for  fioricet to follow?  I can get down to 2 a day again but never completely off and that's probably the problem, not tapering down but just getting as little as possible too fast.  Vicki please don't give up on me!  I just need to do this right to get it out of my system.  Thank you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You need to change your daily routines regarding the pills...If you take a pill when you first get up in the morning, you need to change your morning routine. If you take a pill at 3pm, you have to be doing something else at that time. Just some examples...

Who do you have to support you?  You need to be accountable to someone for this to work and you really should give your bank card and credit cards to someone to hold for you.  The most important thing you can do is really want to do this. If your head's not in the game, it will never end...
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Avatar universal
ur  at the forum that will help keep posting
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Avatar universal
Vicki, thank you for the info and advice :)  I need all the help I can get right now.  I keep going down to only 2 a day (but never any days in between) and then right back up again.  Writing in a notebook every single pill I take, the time I took it, and why I took it has worked.  I start taking more again for the euphoria and energy.  But the lows after the highs are getting worse and that's why I'm on here to finally get off these for good.

What do you mean by "change up your routines"?  Can you suggest a forum or anywhere that you think would be helpful for me?  Anything at all would be really appreciated.  Thanks again.
Helpful - 0
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