Following an acute overdosage of butalbital, acetaminophen and caffeine, toxicity may result from the barbiturate or the acetaminophen. Toxicity due to caffeine is less likely, due to the relatively small amounts in this formulation.
Fioricet overdose Signs And Symptoms
Toxicity from barbiturate poisoning includes drowsiness, confusion, and coma; respiratory depression; hypotension; and hypovolemic shock.
In acetaminophen overdosage: dose-dependent, potentially fatal hepatic necrosis is the most serious adverse effect. Renal tubular necroses, hypoglycemic coma and coagulation defects may also occur. Early symptoms following a potentially hepatotoxic overdose may include: nausea, vomiting, diaphoresis and general malaise. Clinical and laboratory evidence of hepatic toxicity may not be apparent until 48 to 72 hours post-ingestion.
Acute caffeine poisoning may cause insomnia, restlessness, tremor, and delirium, tachycardia and extra systoles.
Fioricet overdose Treatment
A single or multiple drug overdose with this combination product is a potentially lethal polydrug overdose, and consultation with a regional poison control center is recommended. Immediate treatment includes support of cardiorespiratory function and measures to reduce drug absorption.
Oxygen, intravenous fluids, vasopressors, and other supportive measures should be employed as indicated. Assisted or controlled ventilation should also be considered.
Gastric decontamination with activated charcoal should be administered just prior to N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to decrease systemic absorption if acetaminophen ingestion is known or suspected to have occurred within a few hours of presentation. Serum acetaminophen levels should be obtained immediately if the patient presents 4 hours or more after ingestion to assess potential risk of hepatotoxicity; acetaminophen levels drawn less than 4 hours post-ingestion may be misleading. To obtain the best possible outcome, NAC should be administered as soon as possible where impending or evolving liver injury is suspected. Intravenous NAC may be administered when circumstances preclude oral administration.
Vigorous supportive therapy is required in severe intoxication. Procedures to limit the continuing absorption of the drug must be readily performed since the hepatic injury is dose dependent and occurs early in the course of intoxication.
Addiction is a disease that impacts your behavior because your brain is pushing you toward continuing to use the drug that triggered the reward response again and again. Addiction to opioids is difficult to escape from, and it can lead to overdose and death. Another element of the use of opioids is tolerance and dependence. While these aren’t the same as addiction, these scenarios often go hand in hand with one another.
An opioid tolerance means that your body has become somewhat immune to the effects of these drugs so that you require higher doses to feel anything. A physical dependence means that in many ways the presence of opioids has become your new normal.
If you suddenly stop using opioids when you’re physically dependent on them, whether or not you’re addicted, you may experience very uncomfortable symptoms which are categorized as withdrawal.
Some of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal can include nausea, vomiting, goose bumps, cramping, diarrhea, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, and yawning. Withdrawal from opioids can range from annoying to very painful. During a medically-supervised opioid detox, doctors can prescribe certain medicines that can help keep the person more comfortable and help them be more successful at stopping their use of the drugs.
Some of the medicines that may be given to patients during opiate withdrawal include methadone, buprenorphine, clonidine, and naltrexone. These drugs do everything from providing a maintenance system for opioid addicts, to helping with the actual symptoms such as muscle aches and anxiety.
Some people may attempt to manage their own withdrawal from opioids, and not only can this be dangerous, but it is also often ineffective.