Butalbital Acetaminophen Caffeine Tips from Pharmacists

• Take butalbital, acetaminophen, caffeine exactly as prescribed by your healthcare professional. This medication can be habit-forming if you take higher doses, more frequent doses, or take it for longer than prescribed.

• If you wish to stop taking this medicine, talk to your health care professional. They will tell you how to do this safely. Lowering the dose too fast or stopping the medicine suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms.

• Butalbital, acetaminophen, caffeine can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Do not drive or do any activity that requires your full concentration until you know how this medicine affects you.

• Avoid drinking alcohol while on this medicine because alcohol can make side effects like dizziness and drowsiness worse. Also, drinking alcohol while on acetaminophen can increase the risk of liver injury.

• Many prescription and nonprescription drugs contain acetaminophen. Check the label of any other drug you are taking to ensure you do not exceed the maximum recommended dose of acetaminophen which is 3,000-4,000 mg per day.

• Try to also manage your headaches with non-pharmaceutical lifestyle changes such as relaxation methods. Taking too much of a headache medicine like acetaminophen, butalbital, caffeine can put you at risk of medication overuse headache.