Remember the last time you stubbed your toe? OUCH! Its painful. But a stubbed toe usually doesnt 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 thats 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 dont, 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. Tramadols effect on your body is similar to the effect of narcotics (drugs like opium and heroin which are illegal, and codeine and morphine, which arent). Tramadol is just as good as narcotics in relieving pain but because unlike narcotics, it doesnt 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! Its acetaminophen, the same drug thats in Tylenol.

The two drugs work together (in synergy) to control pain. Acetaminophen helps increase your threshold to pain. Thats a fancy way of saying that mild pain signals from your body dont even make it up to your brain so they dont register. The bigger pain signals do make it to your brain, but thats where tramadol kicks in - stopping the pain signals while theyre working their way through your brain. Its just like Robin capturing the villains henchmen while Batman tackles the mastermind villain!

This Sounds Like The Perfect Rescue!

If youve just been seen by a doctor (a surgeon, or a dentist), she may well have already prescribed UltraCET for you. If you havent, but youve 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 its 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 youre taking. Tylenol, some antidepressants, and some seizure medications dont 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. Itll 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!