Any information on tapering fioricet? Please read!

Hi,

I am Heathcliff. I successfully tapered off of valium with the fantastic help of the long hold support group. I will forever be indebted to all the buddies on this entire website for saving me. It’s now almost three years that I have been free of Valium. And I am my old self again, happy and free! I never thought I would ever be ME again!

Ok, so now I have another problem. Not so bad, but I need advice.

Ihave been taking fioricet for about 35 years, prescribed for me for tension headaches. I never had any problem with it in all this time.

But now all of a sudden I am getting “rebound headachs”.

From what I understand it’s because I have taken it for too many days in a row.

Small dose, usually 1/2 Pill would take away my headache(which was triggered by chocolate) and it would be gone all day.but it was an everyday thing, because I stupidly kept eating chocolate!

Now I am getting pretty bad headaches even though I have really given up chocolate!

  I am not eating chocolate or anything else that may trigger a headache, but the headaches  keep coming.

I cut my pill now to 1/4 pill each day.

My question….

Is tapering fioricet just like tapering a benzo.

Can I do this taper myself and just go real slow, about over the course of 2 months and hope that slow and small cuts and holding at times will get me off fioricet and these rebound headaches?

If it worked for valium will it work for fioricet?  Fioricet is Tylenol, butalbital, and caffeine.  Normal prescription is 1-2 for a headache, but only 1/2 pill has worked for me. I am at that dose now but just cut my pills to1/4 and will taper down slowly.

Yhe information on the general internet says….The rebound headaches are really bad. But I can’t and won’t take anything for them now. I just  need to taper down slowly and the worst of the headaches will subside after a week or two if I taper slowly.

So…any advice?

Thanknyou so much for being there for soooo many people you have literally. Saved from doom!

Heathcliff —- originally joined in 2016

Hi,

I am Heathcliff. I successfully tapered off of valium with the fantastic help of the long hold support group. I will forever be indebted to all the buddies on this entire website for saving me. It’s now almost three years that I have been free of Valium. And I am my old self again, happy and free! I never thought I would ever be ME again!

 

Ok, so now I have another problem. Not so bad, but I need advice.

Ihave been taking fioricet for about 35 years, prescribed for me for tension headaches. I never had any problem with it in all this time.

But now all of a sudden I am getting “rebound headachs”.

From what I understand it’s because I have taken it for too many days in a row.

Small dose, usually 1/2 Pill would take away my headache(which was triggered by chocolate) and it would be gone all day.but it was an everyday thing, because I stupidly kept eating chocolate!

Now I am getting pretty bad headaches even though I have really given up chocolate!

  I am not eating chocolate or anything else that may trigger a headache, but the headaches  keep coming.

I cut my pill now to 1/4 pill each day.

My question….

Is tapering fioricet just like tapering a benzo.

Can I do this taper myself and just go real slow, about over the course of 2 months and hope that slow and small cuts and holding at times will get me off fioricet and these rebound headaches?

 

 

If it worked for valium will it work for fioricet?  Fioricet is Tylenol, butalbital, and caffeine.  Normal prescription is 1-2 for a headache, but only 1/2 pill has worked for me. I am at that dose now but just cut my pills to1/4 and will taper down slowly.

 

Yhe information on the general internet says….The rebound headaches are really bad. But I can’t and won’t take anything for them now. I just  need to taper down slowly and the worst of the headaches will subside after a week or two if I taper slowly.

 

So…any advice?

 

Thanknyou so much for being there for soooo many people you have literally. Saved from doom!

 

 

Heathcliff —- originally joined in 2016

 

 

Have you been taking it daily?

Fioricet is just Tylenol and caffeine, with a very small dosage of a very mild sedative.

You're getting rebound headaches from the Tylenol.  I would expect that you wouldn't need to taper, but expect to have rebound headaches for a bit.  Acetaminophen (Tylenol) taxes your liver, so daily usage is not advised.  If you've been taking it everyday for 35 years, then yes, i would say maybe you need to discuss with your DR if you should do a taper from the sedative itself, but its more likely that you're suffering from rebound effects from caffeine withdrawal and from the Tylenol.  Daily coffee drinkers suffer a similar effect when they stop drinking coffee.  It shouldn't last long, though, perhaps a week or two.  If you continue to get the headaches, and especially if they are severe or disabling, then I would suggest you ask your Dr. for an MRI to see if there is anything underlying that may be causing them. 

I did a quick search and found old threads on Fioricet/taper.  Here is the link to the search feature:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?action=search