Ultracet: Agent for Acute Pain

What to Know When Prescribed Ultracet

If you went to the doctor's office looking for relief from pain, and he/she prescribed you Ultracet (Tramadol HCL and Acetaminophen), this literature will prove beneficial to you. You will learn about the effects that Ultracet will have on your body, and other special indications that you should be aware of when taking Ultracet.

Ultracet comes in tablet form. Each tablet is light yellow, film-coated, and embossed with the symbols "O-M" on one side, and "650" on the other. Each tablet also contains 37.5 milligrams of Tramadol HCL and 325 milligrams of Acetaminophen.

Ultracet is used for the short term management of acute pain. Ultracet is not to be used for more than five days. The recommended dose is two tablets every four to six hours as needed for pain relief. The maximum number of Ultracet tablets that can be taken in one day is eight. If you are a patient with renal impairment (which means you have a creatinine clearance of less than 30mL per minute), the recommended dosing interval would be two tablets every twelve hours as needed for pain relief.

Since Ultracet is a combination drug, there are three drugs at work which are providing pain relief simultaneously. Tramadol controls and ceases the activity of norepinephrine and serotonin. Tramadol's primary active ingredient is its metabolite, known as M1. M1 is up to six times more potent than Tramadol in producing analgesia. Acetaminophen relives pain by stopping the producing of prostaglandin in the central nervous system and through a peripheral action by blocking the pain impulse generation. Onset of analgesia is evident within one hour after administration of Ultracet and it reaches a peak in approximately two or three hours. It's important to note that food delays the time for peak plasma concentrations to be reached with Ultracet. Food affects Tramadol by 35 minutes, and for acetaminophen b, one hour.