Someone with a Fioricet addiction takes great pains to get a hold of either Fioricet, Esgic or their generic versions. They may not get high or get any good sensations from these prescription painkillers, but may need them in order to get rid of pain or to just get through the day. When they stop is when the withdrawal symptoms kick in. These symptoms (such as migraine or vomiting) can be so bad that addicts will do just about anything to get the drug they need in order to get rid of the pain.

What Is Fioricet?

Firoicet is a combination of caffeine, acetaminophen (also called paracetamol) and butalbital. All three of these substances can become habit-forming, but it’s the butalbital that really hooks someone in. It’s a barbiturate similar to Phenobarbital, which helps to relieve pain by making the person feel sedated. Ideally, Firoicet is only to be used for the short term and only when other kinds of painkillers have failed.

There is a caffeine-free version of Fioricet, but not a barbiturate-free version. In hospitals, for extreme pain from trauma or surgery, is a type of Fioricet combined with codeine. But Firoicet is mainly prescribed for people with severe headaches or for migraines. It’s best to take Firoicett with food or milk, otherwise a person may vomit it up. Although there is an injectable version of Firoicet, addicts mainly get hooked on the pill form.

Unintentional Addiction

People with a barbiturate addiction usually have a serious chronic pain condition. Unfortunately, barbiturates only give a short-term fix for the pain. The body gradually gets used to barbiturates, so over time more needs to be taken in order to get the same pain-killing effect. A person with a barbiturate addiction may not understand why pharmacies or doctors are so reluctant to prescribe these medications after they seemed to initially work.

The body also gets used to acetaminophen and caffeine. The body is always striving to come into balance (or homeostasis) and soon figures that certain daily doses of medications are normal. If it doesn’t get these drugs, it sends out very painful symptoms. Unfortunately, these may be headaches or migraines, which the patient was trying to combat in the first place.

Doctor Shopping

The barbiturate addict will often have accounts (sometimes under different names) with several different doctors and pharmacies throughout the state or county. This is to get more prescriptions to get more Fioricet. The addict may also drink alcohol in order to heighten the painkilling and sedative effects.