Ultracet and vicodin

I just got a root canal because my tooth is "dying" and it was causing severe pain throughout the whole right side of my face, head, and ear. I asked the Ortho not to give me Percocet or Vicodin because I get nauseous / puke profusely. I took an Ultracet and luckily I only felt a twinge of nausea... just on the brink of nauseous but I could live with it. It also made me feel really dopey and high. I liked the feeling because I had been days of severe pain and finally it was gone after the numbing from the dentist and the Ultracet... However, when I took one just before bed (4 hrs after 1st dose) I did get nauseous. I also felt twitchy and restless. My mom takes Ultram religiously for her headaches, and takes two at a time... I don't know how she does it. She is dependent on them. I went to work today and took one because my face started pulsing again. It was interesting because I didn't get nauseous and I felt more productive. I did get dopey for about 45 minutes but it went away and the pain stayed gone well after that. So in my short experience with this drug, I've noticed the side effects aren't as bad during the day (maybe because I'm moving around more and not concentrating on them). I've also noticed that if taken during the day I got a little bit of an energy burst after the 45 minute dopey phase passed. Now it's night time again and my face hurts again, so instead of taking a full pill, I broke it in half (Verified with pharmacist that it's okay), and took an 800mg ibuprofen. Hopefully, I won't get sick and I'll sleep through the night without a pounding face alarm clock.

I'm only 21 years old, Female from NY. I was born with scoliosis and i've been in two major car accidents. I take about 2-4 Vicodin's a day, and decided to try Ultracet in order to decrease the amount of acetomenaphen to my liver daily. I find that I need to take TWICE as many Ultracet in order to feel comfortable daily, well about 4-6 pills daily.

I remember having side effects years ago, I think i'm totally immune now when it comes to Vicodin and Ultracet.

Am I the only one who's taking more than 3 a day?
I now notice that I am probably better off just sticking with the Vicodin, as I have chronic back pain and nerve damage in my spinal cord. As for the addiction part... I cannot go more than a day without my meds, so I am addicted. My advice to those who have to take these medications daily to keep a quality of life? Do as I do, DONT EVER RUN OUT!

Good luck all.

I have had surgery on my elbow for a bone spur and tendon repair, I have a tremendous amount of pain and am not aloud to use my arm for anything for almost 6 to 8 weeks, no lifting, no pullin. no pushing only some writting and am only able to lift the wieght of a coffee cup. This has been very frustrating to me, I have been on vicodin and percacets for almost three weeks and now started Ultracet cause it is "non-narcotic" I am so far having no pain relief and no side affects, all this stuff on this page has actually scarred me but I don't know where all these symptoms are coming from I sure hope it kills the pain in time but this first dose has done nothing for me

I have been taking Ultracet for over a year now..as needed for back pain from a car accident and significant re-injury of my back. I have sciatica in my laft leg with significant pain and some numbness if I sit too long in one position as well as moderate to severe back pain if I walk or stand up too long.

I will say from the start I have a very high tolerance for drugs. Doses of narcotic pain killers (darvocet, vicodin etc) thta knock most people out will just make me feel slightly "high".

I take Ultracet as needed for pain and Flexeril for muscle spasms in my back. I do not ever go over 3 pills in one day.

I have not noticed any of the reactions people mention here. I can go several days without taking Ultracet with no problems. Perhaps it is that I do days without taking it that has saved me from becoming addicted to it.

I have heard of side effects such as upset stomach, nausea and my doctor warned me to let her know if I felt anxiety or other emotional incidents (mood swings, depression, feeling "high" etc). I have had none of those effects that I can specifically attribute to the ultracet.

After asking my physician about whether ultracet is a narcotic in the same category as darvocet, percocent etc. ( I asked because of the similarity in name). She said it was not classified as a narcotic as it is a synthetic substance and supposedly does not have the addictive ingredient found in the natural opiates. Supposedly is the key word here. She also told me that people who are susceptible to addictions (i.e. family history of alcohol or drug abuse etc) may become addicted to it. She said that the threshold for addiction seems to be when taking more than 3 pills a day.

The ultracet works well for controling the pain in my legs and back. I am fortunate to be able to take a dose of ultracet and rest for 20 minutes until it kicks in most times. I have had no problems with driving or dizzines since I started taking it.

my experience with ultracet has been positive so far I have a shoulder problem from excessive use at work.The added bonus I get from ultracet is the extra energy, I cant take vicodin because they space me out, with ultracet you do get a little high but its a good feeling.my pain is gone with ultracet and I wold recommend it to anyone.

I am a registered nurse in an emergency room. In an effort to be taken seriously regarding your pain,by a healthcare professional - keep a pain journal. Note the time, the severity (on a 1 to 10 scale), location, duration, what you were doing when it started, any treatment you completed for the pain and the outcome of that treatment, MD visits and treatment, etc. It can just be a little notebook. Bring that with you to your MD appointment. If you start changing doctor's, visiting different clinics and emergency rooms to obtain the "correct" medication for your pain - you are addicted, and need to seek help for that. Of course you should seek second opinions on your continued pain, just don't expect to always get the specific medicationn that you would like. Yes, healthcare professionals scrutinize closely people who come in requesting Vicodin, or any other narcotic. The drug-seekers in the community have forced us to be more suspicious - especially if you say you have been on Vicodin (or any other narcotic) for 6 months(???!!!)
No-one should be on narcotics for extended periods of time. If you are taking them for longer than a couple of weeks, on a pretty scheduled basis - you are addicted. Period. Narcotics have different levels given to them for dependency issues. Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (Vicodin), Demerol, Morphine, Valium - are all at a pretty high addiction rate. Tramadol is at the lower range.
I am amazed at the number of people who are having a paradoxical effect to Ultracet. It is a narcotic - a "downer". There might be more than just that specific medication causing the euphoric effects. Perhaps a pain journal would also clarify this.
I am not a physician, but an experienced ER RN - take my advice for what it is worth.