Withdrawal Symptoms And Length For Fiorcet With Codeine

Hello. I had been taking fiorcet codeine ( for over a year. Recently, one of my primary care doctors told me to stop taking it because it is not meant for long-term use. Moreover, I informed him that my blood pressure readings were elevated. I stopped taking f.codeine...took my last pill on Tuesday, March 18th. I was taking 1-3 pills a day depending on my migraine/headache levels. My first day off of it (Wednesday night) was terrible...rebound headache, nausea, diarrhea and minor vomiting. The next day was about the same...last night I had a headache/migraine on left temporal/optic (with sore lower back) and still had the headache this morning. I felt crappy this morning through most of the day...felt like I had the flu...feverish, headache/migraine. I see my primary care doctor again on April 1st to determine if BP is causing my headaches. I am also seeing my neurologist in late April. My pc doctor said to take Naproxen for my migraines but I stopped after Wednesday out of fear of a rebound headache/intensified withdrawal symptoms. I read mixed responses about Naproxen..some people say they do cause rebound headaches. Would like to hear others feedback on how long their withdrawal symptoms lasted and advice to manage thru the symptom, avoiding meds that are likely to cause rebound headaches...thank you.

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Hi KeeblerElf, I literally can feel your pain as a once long time user of Fioricet w/Codeine. This med was the only one that worked for me but my doctor had me on a strict instructions of no more than 3 pills PER WEEK and I suffer from chronic migraines along with muscle tension headaches. She warned me that if I took more than prescribed that I would suffer from rebound headaches which can be worse than migraines and I did suffer from them but when you're in constant pain (you know what I'm talking about), you'll do anything to try to lesson or stop it. We tried every med out there with little to no success. If the med just didn't work, the side effects of others that worked a tiny bit were too much to handle. I did see a Neurologist, who was awesome, and we tried a new med almost monthly for over a year to see if they of them would work and I had the same issues all over again. I even went as far as getting breast reduction surgery to help with the muscle tension headaches, chronic fibromyalgia and insomnia (they were huge and I'm small) in May 2006 but that only helped a little bit (at least my shoulder pain decreased). I did go see a Headache Specialist before my surgery that my doc had referred me to about getting Botox IV's but this doc wasn't very nice, wanted me to get 26 IV's total in one procedure starting at the top of my scalp and going all the way down into my shoulders and when I told her of my needle phobia (I was crying thru our entire discussion because I was having an anxiety attack) she told me that the rooms are sound proof so I could scream all I wanted during the procedure...exit stage right!!! She was horrible and totally turned me off that entire idea of Botox (also I was afraid of looking that I had Bells Palsey afterwards - that would definitely happen to me knowing my luck). Then getting laid off 3yrs ago after working at a Pharmaceutical company for 21yrs, I no longer had insurance that I could afford so I'm no longer on any prescription meds (even getting off birth control didn't help rid the headaches, only made them and my cycle worse each month which is why I was on b.c. to begin with).

I've tried all kinds of OTC meds and Vitamins/Supplements for my migraines, muscle tension headaches, fibromyalgia, IBS, depression and insomnia with no real success. The only OTC med that I have found that helps (but doesn't completely make the migraines go away) is something that I found at my local Walgreens here in CT...it's Walgreen brand Tension Headache Relief (Acetaminophen 500mg, Caffeine 65mg). I take 2-4 most days (sometimes 2-4 times a day) and sometimes along with a can of Pepsi - for that extra caffeine relief - since I don't drink coffee. I cannot stomach any form of Ibuprofen (including Advil, Naproxen, Aspirin, etc). So if you have any allergy or stomach issues when you take Ibuprofen, don't start taking the Naproxen again. Besides, with that being only an anti-imflammatory, I'm sure that it wouldn't help for a long term solution either.

You should check to see if you have an allergic chemical reaction to Aspartame! About 10 yrs ago, while doing research on artificial sweeteners like Equal, Sweet-n-Low, etc, I came across an article about having an allergic chemical reaction to Aspartame. They can trigger migraines, depression, ringing of the ears, blurry vision, etc...they can also imitate signs of certain diseases like Diabetes, Alzheimers, etc...very interesting (and scary stuff). Takes 60 days to get the chemical out of your system and once I did many of diagnoses lessoned or went away for periods of time. If I ingest even a sip of a diet soda, I'll have a migraine in 5 minutes flat! There are over 20 different names of Aspartames (or chemicals) that you'll have to make a note of and refer to when you're looking at the ingredients when shopping but every little bit of this inconvenience is worth it! Trust me! Even Stevia, Splenda and other so-called natural sweeteners are NOT "all natural" unless you buy the extracts from a health food store. So I have to stay away from them too.

Well, I hope something out of my rambling message helps you. Wishing you lots of luck and let me know how you make out. I'm currently looking into Feverfew and White Willow Bark but it's expensive to try this stuff when you're on a strict budget. Ugh! ;)

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I have suffered from migraines for years. Then I was prescribed Imitrex. The pills were of no help, but the injections relieve a migraine in about 30 minutes. I had tried EVERYTHING ELSE before I was prescribed Imitrex injections. It's the only med that has worked for me. I have used it for 15 years.

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I've given Imitrex by injection (once IV — thank God I'm good with needles) to two of my own doctors, Don't get too used to it. Take too much and there awesome nasty adverse effects lurking. Check the PDR.

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