In case it hasn't been noted, as someone who's been through several surgeries in his life, I can tell you that you're much less likely to catch a strong buzz/high if you actually are in pain. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but for this purpose, as T. has said, you should make sure to use other OTC pain meds to their maximum possible extent if you're still in pain.
There are prescribing guidelines that differ based upon chronic and acute administration of stuff like Ibuprofen and APAP. My surgeon routinely advises me to take 800mg Ibuprofen up to 4x daily, with the max daily APAP and Hydromorphone. As long as it's for a short period of time, you don't even necessarily need to consult a physician regarding their use.
It's my opinion and that of many others that these OTC analgesics are really underutilized. I'm not saying in a general, universal way, but more in the sense that people tend to think that they are prescribed a powerful Opioid that they are already receiving the most analgesia possible. Really, you can extend the use of your Opioids further and have a superior analgesia by using OTC analgesics to their full extent with Opioids.