Butalbital is type of barbiturate drug mostly used for treating headaches. Like other barbiturates, Butalbital can cause some side effects like:
- Dizziness or feeling light headed
- Tiredness
- Nausea
- Feeling drunk or sedated
- Slowed reaction time and forgetfulness
When Butalbital is used as prescribed, it rarely will cause any serious side effects. However, barbiturates like Butalbital can lead to a drug dependency. This occurs when after a patient uses Butalbital for an extended period of time and his/her body starts to need the medicine just to function normally. If the person stops taking Butalbital, then he/she will experience withdrawal symptoms and could develop a drug addiction.
The risk of becoming addicted to Butalbital is very low, mostly for the reason that the drug is rarely formulated alone. Instead, it is available in combinations with other drugs such as acetaminophen and aspirin. Acetaminophen and aspirin both have a synergistic effect with Butalbital, meaning that they enhance the benefits of Butalbital. Thanks to the acetaminophen or aspirin, you can get more pain relief from Butalbital but without having to worry about increased side effects or risks.
Unfortunately, the acetaminophen and aspirin which is commonly formulated with Butalbital cannot prevent you from developing a tolerance to the drug. If you use Butalbital frequently, your body will eventually get used to the effects of the drug and it will not provide the same benefits. When this happens, many patients get tempted to take more of the drug so they can experience pain relief. If Butalbital were formulated alone, taking more of it would not be immediately dangerous. Patients could gradually develop a limitless tolerance to Butalbital and take it in increasingly larger dosages without immediate risks (though it would increase the risk of a severe drug dependency forming). Patients do NOT develop tolerances to acetaminophen or aspirin though. If you up your dosage of a Butalbital drug formula, then you risk overdosing on the other ingredients in the formula.
Signs of Overdose
Because of the way that Butalbital medications are formulated, it is much more likely you will have symptoms of an acetaminophen or aspirin overdose before symptoms of a Butalbital overdose. The maximum daily dosage of acetaminophen is 4000mg and, for aspirin, it is 8000mg daily. If more than this amount is taken, then serious side effects could occur or even death.
If you are prescribed a combination of Butalbital with acetaminophen, then you should look out for these signs of acetaminophen overdose:
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Perspiration
- Feeling confused
- Signs of liver damage (dark colored urine, abdominal pain, jaundice)
If you are prescribed a combination of Butalbital with aspirin, then you should look out for these signs of aspirin overdose:
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Pain in abdomen
- Severe dizziness
- Seizure
- Ringing in the ears
- Trouble hearing
- Quickened breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling confused
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