"i was just taken off vicodin and given nucynta to try for my chronic pain. i have chronic, acute pancreatitis and a kidney blockage. it was hard to find a pharmacy that carried this medication. i ended up going to a hospital pharmacy to have my prescription filled. the medicine is comparable to the vicodin. i still itch with nucynta, but not as bad as with the vicodin. nucynta&#039;s pain relieving effects are short lived. they last for about 3 hours. they change my voice also. i sound like a frog when talking. i am having trouble sleeping. this is only day 3 of taking this medication, so i will have to keep comparing. the medication does give me energy. it makes me groggy after about 45 minutes of taking the medicine."