Long-term side effects of Fioricet use can be serious. Over time, episodic or acute effects can progress into recurrent, chronic effects. For example, as people experience stomach problems more frequently, they can develop chronic digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. Fioricet abuse can also cause chronic insomnia as people develop tolerance to its sedative effects.
Short-term psychological effects like depressed mood and anxiety can develop into chronic mental health conditions over time as neurotransmitter levels become imbalanced. Chronic excitation of the central nervous system can cause generalized anxiety symptoms, while frequent episodes of depressed mood can progress to the point a person is diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
Because Fioricet includes acetaminophen, another serious risk of long-term Fioricet abuse is liver damage and liver failure. Acetaminophen is toxic to the liver in higher doses, which is why the FDA now requires drugs with acetaminophen to contain no more than 325 milligrams per dose. Liver toxicity is especially likely if people exceed 4000 milligrams of acetaminophen a day, but it can occur at lower doses. Mixing alcohol and Fioricet increases the risk of liver damage.
One of the most frustrating side effects of long-term Fioricet use is rebound or withdrawal headaches. Medication-overuse headaches (MOH) affect 1-2 percent of the global population. People only develop MOH if they have a pre-existing headache disorder and overuse headache medicines in an attempt to alleviate headache pain. Unfortunately, this means medications like Fioricet can actually make headaches more intense and frequent over time. People can develop MOH when they use Fioricet or butalbital for as few as five days a month.
Signs of Fioricet Overdose
Fioricet overdose can be caused by butalbital, acetaminophen or codeine. Both butalbital and codeine cause respiratory depression. People may stop breathing when they take either drug in large amounts. Acetaminophen overdose occurs when people take enough acetaminophen to damage the liver. Symptoms of Fioricet overdose can include:
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Stomach pain
- Shallow breathing
- Labored breathing
- Low blood pressure
- Blue lips or fingernails
A Fioricet overdose requires emergency medical treatment. In addition to lack of oxygen, which can cause coma and brain damage, other severe withdrawal symptoms like seizures can be fatal if they are not addressed right away. After a person receives treatment for an overdose in a hospital, clinicians usually recommend that they go to a hospital for detoxification or to a substance abuse treatment facility with medically-supervised detoxification services.