People suffering from osteoarthritis usually get an arthritis flare attacks. When this happens, they need something to calm the pain. Ultracet serves that purpose. Researchers at the American College of Rheumatology reported that Ultracet plus an anti-inflammatory drug is more effective at easing the pain of an osteoarthritis flare than using an anti-inflammatory drug alone.



Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints. It is the most common type of arthritis also known as degenerative arthritis. Since it mostly affects aging people, it is also called the ?wear and tear? arthritis. Millions of Americans suffer from cartilage breakdown when they reach 45 and above.

Aside from aging joints, causes of osteoarthritis include previous injuries and obesity, among others. It may affect any joint, including the hand, wrist, neck, back, knee, and hip. Unlike many other forms of arthritis that are systemic illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus, osteoarthritis does not affect other organs of the body.

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint/s after repetitive use. Usually, joint pain becomes worse later in the day. There can be swelling, warmth, and creaking of the affected joints. Pain and stiffness of the joints can also manifest after long periods of inactivity, such as sitting in a theater. Moreover, severe cases may lead to complete loss of cartilage cushion that creates friction between bones, causing pain at rest or pain with limited motion.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis differ greatly from patient to patient. While some can be seriously debilitating, others may have remarkably few symptoms in spite of dramatic degeneration of the joints apparent on x-rays. Symptoms also can be intermittent. It is not unusual for patients with osteoarthritis of the hands and knees to have years of pain-free intervals between symptoms.

Treatment for most osteoarthritis sufferers requires only over-the-counter pain relievers. However, if these are not enough to ease the pain, many patients will be given prescription-strength anti-inflammatory drugs.

In a study involving 300 people with osteoarthritis who suffered a flare-up of their knee or hip pain, each participant was already taking an anti-inflammatory drug. When a flare-up occurred, some of them added Ultracet, while the others added a placebo.

The result shows that those who took Ultracet had significantly more pain relief within four hours than those taking placebo.

While common side effects of nausea, dizziness, and vomiting were experienced by some of the participants, only 13% of people had to stop taking the drug.

The study was designed to attack several different causes of pain in people with arthritis. As the anti-inflammatory drugs combat the pain by easing inflammation, Ultracet works on different pain-causing mechanisms in the body.

Ultracet is a combination of two drugs: Ultram and acetaminophen. It is recommended only for short-term relief of pain: 5 days or less. And since it is an opioid type of drug, it should not be used by anyone who is currently addicted to pain pills or has been in the past.

Overcoming flare-ups is often the first step toward getting your life back on track. But talk to your doctor first before taking this or any other prescription drug to chance of drug interactions.