A Close Look at Butalbital

If you are constantly hounded by tension headaches, which can be quite painful and debilitating by the way, then you should be familiar with the barbiturate called butalbital. It is one of the ingredients that make up the chemical composition of Fioricet, and other generic medicines that are intended to address the problems of constant attacks by tension headaches as well as other types of headaches.

What Is Butalbital?

As mentioned earlier, butalbital is a barbiturate. Barbiturates are used in varying applications in the medical world. One of these is anesthesia. You can see now that barbiturates like butalbital are used to address pain. In the cases of both anesthesia and tension headaches, barbiturates produce numbness so that the pain will disappear. Just in case you’re wondering, barbiturates are designed to act specifically on the central nervous system. Our nerves are the ones that detect and transmit pain signals to the body. Barbiturates then make their moves on these nerves so that pain signals are shut down and eliminated. Aside from anesthesia, barbiturates also have another effect: sedation. This is attributed to their functions of acting on the central nervous system itself. Butalbital, however, only acts as an analgesic and not a sedative by itself.

Butalbital and Other Compounds

Butalbital is very effective by itself. However, in order to treat headaches, it has to be combined with other chemical compounds in order to enhance its effectiveness. Here are some of the most common combinations that butalbital is part of. First is acetaminophen. Also known as paracetamol, this is one of the most common over-the-counter drugs known to treat headaches. It is the medicine that people turn to not only to treat minor headaches but also to treat colds, fever and flu. It is also very effective, to which it owes its popularity among the populace. Just like butalbital, paracetamol can also be combined with other medicines in order to amplify its effects, specifically, opioid analgesics. This combination is used to combat the pain induced by cancer cells. You also have caffeine. Caffeine is more than just a drink to ward off drowsiness. It can also be used as an enhancer for other medicines. In caffeine withdrawal cases, for example, the person suffering withdrawal symptoms is made to drink a small amount of caffeine together with the medicine he takes for such symptoms. In fact, caffeine is one of the three ingredients of tension headache medications together with paracetamol and butalbital itself. Also, you have aspirin. Aspirin is yet another drug that barbiturates can combine with in order to produce a very effective drug. Aspirin is an analgesic like paracetamol. It is designed to reduce pain from flu as well as from headaches themselves. However, the drug has lessened in popularity amongst the populace due to some side effects that it has on the body when used in excessive amounts. Aspirin is considered the first non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to be synthesized and discovered by chemists. Not only that, it is also an anti-coagulate, which means it is used to repair damages to blood vessels. Last but not the least, is codeine phosphate. It is also known as methylmorphine. Unlike the other compounds that butalbital can be combined with, codeine phosphate is more than just having analgesic properties. Codeine phosphate is not just an analgesic; it is also antitussive and antidiarrheal. In fact, it is used for medicating irritable bowel syndrome as well as coughs aside from pain-related conditions like migraine and headaches. Codeine phosphate is an opiate, and is considered the most widely used one among the opiate family.

These are the four chemical compounds with which butalbital can be combined with. Common combinations, such the barbiturate itself, include paracetamol, like in the cases of drugs like Axocet, Bucet, Cephadyn and many others; paracetamol and caffeine, for drugs like Fioricet and Esgic-plus, as well as Esgic Plus; aspirin (example of this is the drug Axotal); aspirin and caffeine (this combination is used in drugs like Fiortal, Fiorinal, Fortabs, and Laniroif); paracetamol, caffeine, and codeine phosphate, which is used in drugs like Fioricet #3; and aspirin, caffeine, and codeine phosphate. Drugs with this combination carry the brand of Fiorinal #3.

How Long Does Butalbital Take Effect?

There are many different types of barbiturates in the medicinal world. They are classified as to how fast and how quick they take effect on the body. Butalbital, specifically, is an intermediate acting barbiturate. This means that it takes effect after a few moments of being administered intravenously.