We investigate theoretically the optical response of the output field and the tunable slow and fast light in a nonlinear optomechanical cavity with a degenerate optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and a higher order excited atomic ensemble. Studies show that the higher-order-excitation atom which is similar to the degenerate OPA that acts as a nonlinear medium, induces an additional dip in absorption spectrum of the probe field. The coherence of the mechanical oscillator leads to split the peak in absorption in the probe field spectrum so that the phenomenon of optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) is generated from the output probe field. In particular, the presence of nonlinearities with the degenerate OPA and the higher order excited atoms can affect significantly the width of the transparency windows, providing an additional flexibility for controlling optical properties. Furthermore, in the presence of the degenerate OPA, the optical-response properties for the probe field become phase-sensitive so that a tunable switch from slow to fast light can be realized.