The CNS effects of butalbital may be enhanced by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.
Butalbital, acetaminophen and caffeine may enhance the effects of: other narcotic analgesics, alcohol, general anesthetics, tranquilizers such as chlordiazepoxide, sedative-hypnotics, or other CNS depressants, causing increased CNS depression.
Butalbital
The first reason it’s not good to mix Fioricet and alcohol is because of the butalbital it contains. This barbiturate is a central nervous system depressant, and it slows down some of the life-sustaining functions of the person who uses it, including respiration. If you mix this with alcohol, which is also a depressant, it increases the chances an overdose occurring.
Barbiturates are particularly difficult to gauge when it comes to safety and overdose potential because there’s often a very small differential between a safe dosage and a fatal one.
When you mix Fioricet with alcohol, it can also just heighten the effects of the butalbital and make you feel confused or like you’re mentally clouded. Fioricet on its own has the potential to make people feel intoxicated, and this is further amplified when it’s mixed with alcohol.
When you drink with butalbital, it can cause symptoms including excessive dizziness and drowsiness. It can become problematic for people to drive or do other daily functions when they combine alcohol and Fioricet as well.
Acetaminophen
Another reason the combination of Fioricet and alcohol is never seen as acceptable is because of the acetaminophen it contains. Acetaminophen may be available over the counter, and it’s not habit-forming, but it’s not without risk. Acetaminophen has been linked to liver injury and failure in people, generally when they take more than 4000 mg in a day. It can also be dangerous in people who have liver or kidney functionality problems or underlying liver disease.Alcohol is also linked to liver damage, so if someone pairs both alcohol and acetaminophen it can lead to acute liver failure or eventual liver disease. Basically you’re just amplifying the potential for liver problems that can be fatal. Studies have shown that when people combine alcohol and acetaminophen, a significant amount have liver problems as a result.
Other drug interactions that are possible with Fioricet include any drugs that impact liver enzymes, darunavir, fluvoxamine, MAO inhibitors, and several others.
So is it safe to take Fioricet and alcohol together? While your first resource should always be your physician, in short, the answer is no. Alcohol, when combined with major ingredients in Fioricet, can be dangerous or deadly. First of all combining alcohol with butalbital can lead to symptoms like excessive tiredness or dizziness, and it can cause you to feel very intoxicated. When alcohol is combined with acetaminophen, it can damage your liver, lead to the need for a liver transplant or cause death.
Do not take acetaminophen, butalbital, caffeine, and codeine with any other narcotic pain medications, sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, or other medicines that can make you sleepy or slow your breathing. Dangerous side effects may result.
Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:
- glycopyrrolate (Robinul);
- mepenzolate (Cantil);
- ciprofloxacin (Cipro);
- atropine (Donnatal, and others), benztropine (Cogentin), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), methscopolamine (Pamine), or scopolamine (Transderm-Scop);
- bladder or urinary medications such as darifenacin (Enablex), oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol), tolterodine (Detrol), or solifenacin (Vesicare);
- a bronchodilator such as ipratropium (Atrovent) or tiotropium (Spiriva);
- irritable bowel medications such as dicyclomine (Bentyl) or hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Cystospaz, and others); or
- an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate).
This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with acetaminophen, butalbital, caffeine, and codeine. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.