Butalbital-containing agents: should they be banned? No.

Abstract

Butalbital compounds are of proven efficacy in the treatment of tension headache. Decades of experience have established their value in the treatment of other mild-to-moderate headaches. Untold numbers of people rely on these medications as their drug of choice or use them when vasoconstrictors, opioids, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents are contraindicated. The medications are cost-effective with only occasional and minor immediate adverse effects. Their overuse may cause the evolution of episodic primary headaches to chronic daily headaches; however, removal of these agents from the market would reduce the chronic daily headache in the general population by a small fraction of 1%.

• Authors: Seymour Solomon
• Journal: Current pain and headache reports (Curr Pain Headache Rep) Vol. 6 Issue 2 Pg. 147-50 (Apr 2002) ISSN: 1531-3433 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11872186 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Barbiturates
• butalbital

Topics

• Barbiturates (adverse effects, economics, therapeutic use)
• Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic (statistics & numerical data)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Humans
• Legislation, Drug
• Tension-Type Headache (drug therapy, economics)