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Butalbital is habit-forming and potentially abusable.
acetaminophen = Tylenol
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have:
kidney disease
liver disease (!)
You may not be able to take Fioricet, or you may require a lower dose or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.
Does your Doctor who prescibed this know you have HCV and liver disease? You may want to check with him as this med can cause liver damage.
Cheers!
Hector
I know, I know, don't take meds that are not prescribed to you...but I don't know what else to do, he won't give me anything strong no matter how many times I ask.
Aren't barbituates "speeders?" How can this be a sedative? And the caffeine? And I wonder WHY I don't feel anything. Is it for pain, too? If not, he lied to me.
Fioricet/Fiorinol won't help a migraine - it will help muscle tention headaches (If that's what you are having) If you are having bone pain you should make an appt. with a rheumatologist. He can prescribe something for you, they generally know a lot about hcv and it's symptoms, tx and sx. If you want Foricet without the caffiene (which I used before it's called PHRENILIN) I prefer to take my own caffiene (coke or coffee)
Try the meds he rx'd you and see if it works.
The liver warning has more to do with the Acetaminophen that's in the Fioricet than the actual Butalbital. Plus there is a small amount of caffiene in the pill to constrict your blood vessels to stop any pounding in your head. It may work great for you, give it a try
Hope you feel better...
enigma
Quote"Toxic Medications:
Many people with hepatitis C also suffer from other illnesses or disorders which require them to take medications. Many medications both prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be quite toxic to the liver (see list below).
The author notes that for example; taking paracetamol (acetaminophen in the USA) on an empty stomach or with alcohol can be harmful.
Eating regularly will help avoid this as well as help you absorb any other medications or supplements you are taking. But, if you are in pain, paracetamol is the best option with a safe dosage being 500mg four times a day or 2g daily (Riley, 2001 - part 1).
List of Toxic Medications:
• Muscle relaxants.
• Psychotropics (a drug which alters the mind) e.g. antidepressants.
• Anticonvulsants (a drug or agent that prevents or reduces the severity of convulsions).
• Lipid-lowering drugs.
• Oral antidiabetic agents (therapy for type 2 diabetes).
• Estrogens are any of various steroid hormones developing and maintaining female characteristics of the body; this hormone produced artificially for use in oral contraceptives etc.
• Anabolic steroids are any of a group of synthetic steroid hormones used to increase muscle size.
• Antituberculous agents (Riley, 2001 – part 1).
I feel ashamed. I guess I'm hurting myself even worse.
About halfway through TX, I started taking regular massages with a massage therapist, and it made a huge positive difference in terms of muscle and joint pain. I also found that on the weeks I had a massage just before my Friday night injection, I had dramatically reduced bruising and tissue damage around the injection site. Go figure.
Also, remember that many people on TX experience depression (or bipolar-ish behavior). That may be coloring your judgment somewhat, so make decisions a bit more conservatively than usual, and cut yourself some slack emotionally. :)
Another thought: Locate a doctor in your area specializing in pain management. Check with your local hospitals to see if they have a pain management clinic or practice.
Hope this helps!
-- Allan (Week 48 as of Friday night)
http://hepatitis-c-log.livejournal.com/
Daniel