Question: Fioricet, butalbital compounds for intractable headaches during pregnancy?
Answer:
Dear Dr Villa:
The literature is scanty on this topic; as you know, prescriptions for Fiorinal/Fioricet have decreased by over 90% in the last few years, and many countries have banned these types of products (i.e., Canada, Europe). Butalbital is Pregnancy category C, I believe; acetaminophen can be used during pregnancy. I know of no studies documenting birth defects with butalbital, but this can be looked up on PubMed etc. I don't of any other studies and do not prescribe butalbital compounds at all.
I hope this has been of some help. You may want to contact Dr. Silberstein at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia; he is a great resource of information.
John Claude Krusz
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