Medication reference

Butalbital and Acetaminophen

Barbiturate [EPC] — ORAL

Butalbital and Acetaminophen — Barbiturate [EPC]. INDICATIONS AND USAGE Tencon (butalbital and acetaminophen) Tablets are indicated for the relief of the symptom complex of tension (or muscle contract

Butalbital and Acetaminophen

Boxed warning

WARNING WARNING: Hepatotoxicity Acetaminophen has been associated with cases of acute liver failure, at times resulting in liver transplant and death. Most of the cases of liver injury are associated with the use of acetaminophen at doses that exceed 4,000 milligrams per day, and often involve more than one acetaminophen-containing product.

Brand names

BUTALBITAL AND ACETAMINOPHENBUTALBITAL and ACETAMINOPHENbutalbital and acetaminophenButalbital And AcetaminophenALLZITALButalbital and AcetaminophenTencon

Active ingredients

ACETAMINOPHENBUTALBITAL

Indications

INDICATIONS AND USAGE Tencon (butalbital and acetaminophen) Tablets are indicated for the relief of the symptom complex of tension (or muscle contraction) headache. Evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of this combination product in the treatment of multiple recurrent headaches is unavailable. Caution in this regard is required because butalbital is habit-forming and potentially abusable.

Dosage

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Butalbital and Acetaminophen, 50 mg/ 325 mg tablets: One or two tablets every four hours as needed. Do not exceed not exceed 6 tablets per day. Butalbital and Acetaminophen, 25 mg/ 325 mg tablets: Two tablets every four hours. Total daily dosage should not exceed 12 tablets. ALLZITAL (butalbital and acetaminophen, 25 mg / 325 mg): Two tablets every four hours. Total daily dosage should not exceed 12 tablets. Extended and repeated use of these products is not recommended because of the potential for physical dependence.

Warnings

WARNING HEPATOTOXICITY ACETAMINOPHEN HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CASES OF ACUTE LIVER FAILURE, AT TIMES RESULTING IN LIVER TRANSPLANT AND DEATH. MOST OF THE CASES OF LIVER INJURY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF ACETAMINOPHEN AT DOSES THAT EXCEED 4000 MILLIGRAMS PER DAY, AND OFTEN INVOLVE MORE THAN ONE ACETAMINOPHEN-CONTAINING PRODUCT. WARNINGS Butalbital is habit-forming and potentially abusable. Consequently, the extended use of this product is not recommended. Hepatotoxicity Acetaminophen has been associated with cases of acute liver failure, at times resulting in liver transplant and death. Most of the cases of liver injury are associated with the use of acetaminophen at doses that exceed 4000 milligrams per day, and often involve more than one acetaminophen-containing product. The excessive intake of acetaminophen may be intentional to cause self-harm or unintentional as patients attempt to obtain more pain relief or unknowingly take other acetaminophen-containing products. The risk of acute liver failure is higher in individuals with underlying liver disease and in individuals who ingest alcohol while taking acetaminophen. Instruct patients to look for acetaminophen or APAP on package labels and not to use more than one product that contains acetaminophen. Instruct patients to seek medical attention immediately upon ingestion of more than 4000 milligrams of acetaminophen per day, even if they feel well. Serious Skin Reactions Rarely, acetaminophen may cause serious skin reactions such as acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which can be fatal. Patients should be informed about the signs of serious skin reactions, and use of the drug should be discontinued at the first appearance of skin rash or any other sign of hypersensitivity. Hypersensitivity/anaphylaxis There have been post-marketing reports of hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis associated with use of acetaminophen. Clinical signs included swelling of the face, mouth, and throat, respiratory distress, urticaria, rash, pruritus, and vomiting. There were infrequent reports of life-threatening anaphylaxis requiring emergency medical attention. Instruct patients to discontinue Tencon Tablets immediately and seek medical care if they experience these symptoms. Do not prescribe Tencon Tablets for patients with acetaminophen allergy.

Contraindications

CONTRAINDICATIONS This product is contraindicated under the following conditions: • Hypersensitivity or intolerance to any component of this product. • Patients with porphyria.

Drug interactions

Drug Interactions: The CNS effects of butalbital may be enhanced by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Butalbital and acetaminophen 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.

Adverse reactions

ADVERSE REACTIONS Frequently Observed The most frequently reported adverse reactions are drowsiness, lightheadedness, dizziness, sedation, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and intoxicated feeling. Infrequently Observed All adverse events tabulated below are classified as infrequent. Central Nervous: headache, shaky feeling, tingling, agitation, fainting, fatigue, heavy eyelids, high energy, hot spells, numbness, sluggishness, seizure. Mental confusion, excitement or depression can also occur due to intolerance, particularly in elderly or debilitated patients, or due to overdosage of butalbital. Autonomic Nervous System: dry mouth, hyperhidrosis. Gastrointestinal: difficulty swallowing, heartburn, flatulence, constipation. Cardiovascular: tachycardia. Musculoskeletal: leg pain, muscle fatigue. Genitourinary: diuresis. Miscellaneous: pruritus, fever, earache, nasal congestion, tinnitus, euphoria, allergic reactions. Several cases of dermatological reactions, including toxic epidermal necrolysis and erythema multiforme, have been reported. The following adverse drug events may be borne in mind as potential effects of the components of this product. Potential effects of high dosage are listed in the OVERDOSAGE section. A cetaminophen: allergic reactions, rash, thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS , contact Quagen Pharmaceuticals LLC at 1-888-344-9603 or www.quagenpharma.com, or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Mechanism of action

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY This combination drug product is intended as a treatment for tension headache. It consists of a fixed combination of butalbital and acetaminophen. The role each component plays in the relief of the complex of symptoms known as tension headache is incompletely understood. Pharmacokinetics The behavior of the individual components is described below. Butalbital : Butalbital is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is expected to distribute to most tissues in the body. Barbiturates in general may appear in breast milk and readily cross the placental barrier. They are bound to plasma and tissue proteins to a varying degree and binding increases directly as a function of lipid solubility. Elimination of butalbital is primarily via the kidney (59% to 88% of the dose) as unchanged drug or metabolites. The plasma half-life is about 35 hours. Urinary excretion products include parent drug (about 3.6% of the dose), 5-isobutyl-5-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) barbituric acid (about 24% of the dose), 5-allyl-5(3-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propyl) barbituric acid (about 4.8% of the dose), products with the barbituric acid ring hydrolyzed with excretion of urea (about 14% of the dose), as well as unidentified materials. Of the material excreted in the urine, 32% is conjugated. The in vitro plasma protein binding of butalbital is 45% over the concentration range of 0.5 to 20 mcg/mL. This falls within the range of plasma protein binding (20% to 45%) reported with other barbiturates such as phenobarbital, pentobarbital, and secobarbital sodium. The plasma-to-blood concentration ratio was almost unity indicating that there is no preferential; distribution of butalbital into either plasma or blood cells (See OVERDOSAGE for toxicity information.). Acetaminophen : Acetaminophen is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is distributed throughout most body tissues. The plasma half-life is 1.25 to 3 hours, but may be increased by liver damage and following overdosage. Elimination of acetaminophen is principally by liver metabolism (conjugation) and subsequent renal excretion of metabolites. Approximately 85% of an oral dose appears in the urine within 24 hours of administration, most as the glucuronide conjugate, with small amounts of other conjugates and unchanged drug (See OVERDOSAGE for toxicity information.).

NDC examples

35573-45535573-45670752-14770010-05470752-14868047-72168047-75368047-75269292-30169292-30269292-30375907-008

Indicated ICD-10 codes

Treats these conditions

Source: openFDA + RxNorm · 2026

Look up another medication

Powered by Eleplan

A drug lookup is just the start. Eleplan keeps the whole care plan in one place.

Medications, diagnoses, documents, appointments, and the whole care team — organized and always in sync, with Ellie, your AI care assistant, on top of it. Free to start.