|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remember the last time you stubbed your toe? OUCH! It's painful. But a stubbed toe usually doesn't send us running to the medicine cabinet, since we know that the pain will pass within a few minutes.
But for more serious "acute" pain (pain that's severe and constant for a couple of days), waiting it out may not be an option. For some acute pain, we might even make things worse: for example, if you hold a painful joint at an awkward angle to relieve the pain, you might end up with a muscle strain.
So what are our options? Sometimes simple over the counter medications may do the trick. But for when they don't, a prescription medication may be the best bet.
UltraCET: Two Tough Drugs in one Small Pill
For acute pain from sprains, muscle strains, surgery, or dental work, or for arthritis flare-ups, UltraCET is a terrific option.
UltraCET is like any heroic dynamic duo (think Batman and Robin, or Xena and Gabrielle): One drug has the high-profile effect, but the other has an equally important, though less noticeable set of activities.
The "ultra" part of UltraCET is tramadol, the generic name for Ultram. Tramadol's effect on your body is similar to the effect of narcotics (drugs like opium and heroin which are illegal, and codeine and morphine, which aren't). Tramadol is just as good as narcotics in relieving pain but because unlike narcotics, it doesn't affect your breathing or have other side-effects which stop us from regularly using medical narcotics.
The "CET" part of UltraCET is probably familiar to you in its day-to-day formulation; you might even have it in your medicine cabinet! It's acetaminophen, the same drug that's in Tylenol.
The two drugs work together (in "synergy") to control pain. Acetaminophen helps "increase your threshold to pain." That's a fancy way of saying that mild pain signals from your body don't even make it up to your brain so they don't register. The bigger pain signals do make it to your brain, but that's where tramadol kicks in - stopping the pain signals while they're working their way through your brain. It's just like Robin capturing the villain's henchmen while Batman tackles the mastermind villain!
This Sounds Like The Perfect Rescue!
If you've just been seen by a doctor (a surgeon, or a dentist), she may well have already prescribed UltraCET for you. If you haven't, but you've got a sprain or regular arthritis flares, you should talk with your doctor about a prescription for this drug.
Like anything powerful, though, you need to use it at the right time for the right reasons (letting Xena show off her acrobatic skills in a china shop is not a terrific idea!). The most important thing about taking UltraCET is to remember that it's for short term use only!
Most doctors will suggest using it for up to five days only because you can otherwise become dependent on (addicted to) it. Stopping the drug after taking it a long time can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, so never take more than the doctor prescribes.
Your doctor will also ask you about other drugs that you're taking. Tylenol, some antidepressants, and some seizure medications don't mix with UltraCET. Neither does drinking, so you might wait to celebrate until after your sprain has healed!
Once these issues are resolved, your doctor can send you home with a prescription for UltraCET. It'll help you get through the worst of the pain, and then best of all, it can ride off into the sunset when its job is done, leaving you to your pain-free life!
Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005
Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, the only online pharmacy with pain support forums and UltraCET medication.
Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.
Contact Ian Mason by e-mail at ian@shoppe.md
When your knee hurts, getting relief is all that's on... Read More
Sit down in a quiet place alone and take a... Read More
A time will come when our children's children will look... Read More
Each year hospitals end up killing twice as many people... Read More
According to Dr. Nathan Wei, "The hand and wrist are... Read More
When you (or loved ones) are taking prescription or over... Read More
Don't laugh. Both get a lot of coverage in the... Read More
Intravenous Chelation was the most common practice until a few... Read More
Things are moving forward and new and advanced procedures are... Read More
If your back aches when you're loading groceries in the... Read More
Electronic Medical RecordAn Electronic Medical Record is a secured electronic... Read More
Serevent is an asthma inhalation medication, a bronchodilator, that relaxes... Read More
According to ongoing research about the needs of patients with... Read More
Rezulin, a prescription type 2 diabetes drug has been withdrawn... Read More
What an oxymoron the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has... Read More
Clinton's recent quadruple bypass surgery has been largely debated. Being... Read More
What is the role of steroid injection in carpal tunnel... Read More
SJS is an allergic reaction to certain medications that can... Read More
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition, but... Read More
1. Support the affected arm during activities of daily living.... Read More
Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a... Read More
Your colon is a place for other parasites and organisms... Read More
All medications, which include prescriptions, over-the-counter preparations, vitamin and mineral... Read More
Last year I told an acquaintance that at the age... Read More
The recent withdrawals of the prescription medications Vioxx and Bextra... Read More
1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners... Read More
A thick, yellowish nail with splotchy white areas is a... Read More
Hypnotherapy is one of the best known and most widely... Read More
With the hum of the election campaign and the debate... Read More
Finding the right treatment for any person suffering with a... Read More
A recent report has found that Americans are more frightened... Read More
When you're in need, the quickest way is the best:... Read More
Consider this:Already since 1972, over 60 million people in the... Read More
Another Vioxx-like occurrence may be on the rise, as warnings... Read More
Recently once taboo subjects like plastic surgery have become acceptable... Read More
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). This... Read More
Individuals who regularly take Relafen (nabumetone) or other anti-inflammatory medications,... Read More
An estimated 85 million Americans have acquired the herpes simplex... Read More
Are you currently on one or more pharmaceutical drugs? Perhaps... Read More
America's war on drugs, which has been fought in the... Read More
Before computed tomographic (CT) scans became available in the 1970s,... Read More
Chemical dependency recovery provides with positive changes in reactions and... Read More
We've all had one of those weeks: the washing machine... Read More
For many years since medicine has been established as an... Read More
Have you been struggling to lose weight, but diet and... Read More
If your back aches when you're loading groceries in the... Read More
Lipitor is a drug intended to help lower cholesterol. The... Read More
While everybody else is wandering around enjoying the spring weather,... Read More
1. Support the affected arm during activities of daily living.... Read More
Whether you're a weekend athlete, or a gardener that overdid... Read More
Medicine Medicine |