Posted by Doc Greg on December 02, 1998 at 18:06:12:
In Reply to: Doc Greg...can you clarify? posted by M on December 01, 1998 at 23:13:10:
Fioricet and Esgic have the same compounds. Esgic also comes in a capsule, I think, where F is only in tablet form. Esgic plus has 500mg of Tylenol instead of just 325.
There has been a lot of studies about which drugs can cause rebound headaches. And these drugs are among the worst. The caffeine is a strong one by itself (as anyone who has tried to stop drinking coffee can tell you), and the butalbital (another part of Fioricet) has similar problems (not to mention it's addictive properties). It is an effective combination for pain management...but I think it is a bad choice for long term headache management. I know I get despirate when I have a cluster, and will take anything that will take the pain away, and if this is the only thing that you have found effective, I understand your using it, but try to find something else. You will better off in the long run.
For people who have been on long term analgesics (like Fioricet), it can take as long as 6 weeks to get the body used to not taking them any longer...that's a long time to suffer headaches induced by something you were taking.
Good luck in finding something that helps. I know how hard it is, honest I do, and sometimes anything seems better than the pain. But I hope you squash the beast.
See ya
G