Fioricet and Hypoglycemia??

[jackamoo]

Hey guys! Has anyone ever experienced hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) from taking Fioricet? I work with disabled kids at a residential facility, and I usually don't get a chance to eat. Anyways I was working an 8 hour shift (3-11pm) and I had been taking some Fioricet throughout the night and I also hadn't eaten. Well I wound up getting pulled over and when the cop came up to me window he said that he smelled alcohol. There was absolutely no alcohol involved whatsoever. Well after talking to him he made me do field sobriety tests and I remember feeling super shaky and hot and way crappy. Ive experienced hypoglycemic episodes in the past and I agree that it was irresponsible not to eat. But I'm wondering if anyone knows if perhaps the combination of the not eating and the Fioricet could have caused me to get so screwed up. Needless to say the cops gave me a DUI and I spent the night in jail. I never intended to get "high" off these pills or whatever happened. Could anyone give me some advice?? Ive never been in trouble before and ive never done any illegal drugs. I'm just super freaked out about the DUI. I'm getting a lawyer definately, and the cop was a huge jerk (he wouldn't even let me explain that it was an accident or why I was taking the meds or anything). Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

[msaok]

hypoglycemia is more commonly associated with an overdose.
and fruity breath with [I]hyper[/I]glycemia.

I do think it's possible this med on an empty stomach could cause the symptoms you described, but maybe you ought to have diabetes ruled out as well. Any other signs? healing problems or infections? thirst, hunger, more peeing than usual? fatigue? blurry vision?
If nothing else, it might help your case to present medical records seeking the cause of your impairment.

[jackamoo]

I don't experience any diabetic symptoms like drinking a lot and peeing a lot. I do have Crohns Disease with ulcerations in the terminal ileum of my small intestine. Because of that Ai have a hard time getting sufficient nutrients so I have to take a bunch of supplements. I also am prescribed two immune suppressing drugs so I could easily get an infection and be oblivious to it.

Thank you for the post, I really appreciate your help!
xoxo. -J

[Good Apollo]

@jackamoo bet you it is the caffeine in the fioricet on an empty stomach moreso than a thing else- @alumni might know more. The alcohol thing is something they say to a lot of people sometimes no matter what sometimes ppl admit it lol, bet he didn't smell anything and saw you seemed "off" or something. But caffeine on empty stomach = hypoglycemia symptoms mildly, I would imagine, in terms of jitters and wobbly feeling. I'm not a expert though...

However reading 2nd part of your post fioricet contains a mild barbiturate butalbital , and you can get a DWI while using that although it would not be something as serious if you have medical documention of the interaction and could perhaps persuade a judge that it was an accident you're so so sorry etc but you can get totally loaded on fioricet so idk, please be careful out there. And good luck.

[mrskrabs]

Wow, that sucks about getting the DUI. If you have a valid medical condition and have at any point been seen by a doctor, I'd get your medical records to show the judge. I mean, if you'd been suffering with a migraine at work and trying to take the fioricet just to make it through your shift and all you wanted to do was get home.. they'd have to be pretty cold hearted to throw the book at you.

[Roswell1947]

My wife has diabetes 2 and has had several serious hypoglycemic seizures.
Anyway, she went to a neurologist (not knowing at the time why she passed out)
and he notified DMV and they revoked her driver license.
In Ca. it's required by law that a doctor notify DMV if patient reports seizures.
Say to the doc you were you were just feeling "light headed."
Yes I'd go to court and have a written report in your favor from the Doc
and the judge hopefully will throw it all out and just give you a slap on
the wrist "To be sure to eat regular meals!"
Good luck.

[H20shed65]

@jackamoo

Hi, read your post regarding hypoglycemia and fioricet. There is nothing in fioricet that would cause this issue. However, not eating for prolonged periods of time or ingesting high sugar content foods without proteins( ex: eating gummi bear & a coke for breakfast) will cause a sudden drop in blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Symptoms usually involve feeling shaky, cold sweats, hunger, disorientation, inability to focus. This is a somewhat common issue and should be easily corrected by a change in diet. It's possible the caffeine in fioricet made the effects of the hypoglycemia more pronounced. Hypergylcemia with ketoacidosis is a much more serious problem common in diabetics. Symptoms can include fatigue, disorientation, extreme thirst or hunger , and the fruity breath smell another poster mentioned above. If you have been regularly tested for diabetes and found nothing, you likely had an episode of hypoglycemia. If you ate something after hypoglycemia and began to feel better within 20 minutes , you have nothing to be concerned about. If you had hyperglycemia and ate something, you would not feel better. Hope everything works out for you and good luck.

[msaok]

<snip>I'm just super freaked out about the DUI. I'm getting a lawyer definately, and the cop was a huge jerk (he wouldn't even let me explain that it was an accident or why I was taking the meds or anything). Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

IANAL, but I think you will be ok in court if you have a medical record and they don't have a positive breathalizer, UNLESS you refused to take it.

[jackamoo]

Thanks everyone for the input!! I never refused anything, the only test they gave me the night I was arrested was a blood test. They only gave me a breathalyzer the next day when I was being released. I did talk to a couple other people who I know have taken Fioricet before, and they told me that they had experienced similar symptoms (at home, not driving), and that the medication would sort of speed up their metabolism. I know the difference between hyper and hypo glycemia, so I don't need any information on that. Ive only ever touched on the topic of hypoglycemia when talking to a doctor, and I said it affects me maybe a couple times a month and that everything is fine in 15-20 mins if I eat some bread or whatever. This is the first time something more than shakiness and sweating and other minor symptoms, developed into the more serious symptoms like blurry vision and inability to concentrate, etc. I don't even think its in any of my charts. But I know that if I speak with a doctor and be honest about everything, I wont have a problem getting a document saying that I have such and such disease/disorder and these symptoms can occur.

One thing that I forget to mention also is that some of my Crohns mess cause me to completely lose my appetite. There are a lot of times where I feel sick cuz I haven't eaten and I just have to pick something out of the cupboard. It is so hard to chew and swallow something that isn't appetizing at all.

Oh and another thing....when the cop approached my window, I was parked on the side of the street in a residential area (like 2 blocks from my job). I was putting in contact lenses (because of the blurry vision) which Ive worn probably 3times in my whole life. I usually wear my glasses if I need them cuz the contacts are so annoying. Anyway, because of the contacts being a pain in the ass, I knew id been parked there maybe ten minutes. So I know the cop never saw me actually driving the car, only sitting in it with the ignition on.