Tapentadol and Constipation: What Users Say

• Lau...
• February 13, 2020

Tapentadol for Pain "I've never had more side effects with any other medication. I ended up in the ER, I'll get into that more later. Blurry vision, can't read off my phone. Can't focus my eyes, they feel strained. It causes this 'psychedelic effect' where things look like they're moving with slight colors. Chest pain. Went to the ER. They gave medication to slow my heart rate, which was 150 bpm. Heart pounding, tightness in chest, fast heart rate, low blood pressure. Unable to concentrate/poor memory. Forgetting mid-sentence. Dizzy, the room is spinning. Uncoordinated. Depressed breathing. Hallucinations. I thought I saw a red bug on me, but it was just my birthmark, I was hallucinating! I've never hallucinated before. Restlessness. The skin on my hands and feet turned blue. Anxiety/depression. I have slight anxiety, but not like this, it made me depressed. Urinary pain (from the coating on these pills made to prevent people from misusing them). Heaviness in limbs. Trouble swallowing. Severe constipation. Indigestion. Low energy."

• Rit...
• September 24, 2019

Tapentadol for Pain "I don't want to give this medication a high rating. My husband was put on this medication last week. At first, he thought it was great, but then trouble came. He had problems focusing, broke out with a rash, had constipation, could not eat, and always felt like he was going to throw up. When I saw the rash on his leg, I immediately called the pharmacist, and the pharmacist told him to stop taking this medication. On top of that, he is on antidepressants and blood thinners."

• Mib...
• May 20, 2014

Tapentadol for Pain "After orthopedic foot surgery, I was prescribed Percocet. After side effects, my medication was changed to Nucynta. For me, I prefer the Nucynta. My problems with constipation went away immediately. I had a little itchiness from Nucynta, but nothing I couldn't tolerate. I got much better pain relief from the Nucynta too. Good thing I have insurance as it's very pricey."

• Bet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2012

Tapentadol for Pain "I was having pretty severe post-surgical pain. OxyContin gave me a pounding headache and caused depression and insomnia. Tramadol did not help. I started taking Nucynta 50 mg yesterday. I must say, on a scale of 1 to 10, my pain is now a negative 10! When it wears off, it's pretty sharp and uncomfortable. I take 1 50 mg tab every 4-6 hours. The doctor said I can take 2 pills, but I haven't needed to. I recommend this for anyone who has issues with the usual pain medicines. I have also been drinking prune juice because it does have a constipation effect."

• Unc...
• December 20, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I tried Nucynta but had too many side effects on it. First of all, I had terrible nightmares on it, and secondly, it made me terribly constipated. I could not poop at all on Nucynta and didn't poop until 3 days after stopping taking the medication."

• PES...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2018

Tapentadol for Pain "I have had multiple different surgeries and live with chronic pain. I've been taking three Percocet 5-325 mg per day. The pain control would only last for around 3-5 hours. The constipation that comes along with the above med was unreal. I then ended up forming stage three hemorrhoids and had to have a hemorrhoidectomy, which was the worst! The pain medicine also made my depression worse, which I did not need! My pain clinic doctor recommended Nucynta ER 50 mg every twelve hours. There were two benefits in taking Nucynta ER 50 mg: first, it was around-the-clock pain control; and secondly, it eliminated my hard stool and constipation. It was increased to 100 mg because of my pain levels. I was still dealing with breakthrough pain and was given oxycodone 5 mg, but once again, it caused more depression and constipation immediately! I’m going to have to stop taking the oxycodone and talk to my pain clinic doctor about increasing my dosage of Nucynta to 150 mg twice per day."

• Rub...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 5, 2017

Tapentadol for Pain "I have chronic idiopathic pancreatitis, allodynia, gastroparesis, and tarsal tunnel syndrome. I was also just recently tested for lupus. I was taking Norco (hydrocodone/acetaminophen) for a year until my new doctor realized it was making my GI issues worse. We switched to Nucynta ER 150 mg/BID and Nucynta IR 75 mg for breakthrough. While they worked the first few months, I seem to be building a tolerance. I feel like the ER takes the edge off when my pain is between 4-5. But both IR and ER cause excessive sweating. I mean, there are days I have to change clothes multiple times daily. It's embarrassing. But the Nucynta does not have any of the GI side effects (constipation, namely) that other narcotics do."

• rag...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2017

Tapentadol for Pain "I have chronic pain from a defective knee implant, which is scheduled to be revised in a few months. The pain was successfully managed with Opana ER/IR. Because the FDA forced the manufacturer to remove Opana from the market, my pain management doctor switched me to Nucynta 200 mg twice daily. Within a few days, I started to experience severe side effects - constipation, nausea, stomach pain, headache, confusion, lightheadedness, inability to think clearly, joint and muscle pain, restlessness, insomnia. And the pain was only about 50% controlled. After 5 days, my doctor switched me to the fentanyl patch. Within a few days, all of the side effects went away, and my pain is much better controlled. In my opinion, Nucynta is a terrible drug."

• Wam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2019

Tapentadol for Pain "Multiple herniated discs, severe osteoarthritis in my spine, and severe degenerative disc disease, my neck and lower back are the worst for me. I've tried percs, Butrans 20 mg patches, and now Nucynta 400 mg a day. Been on it for 6 months now. Helps, but certainly not a cure-all! The breakthrough pain is awful, and all I can take for it is arthritic acetaminophen, which does nothing. Don't miss the constipation, buzz, or nausea of the other options. Biggest downside is it stops all ambition and drive!"

• FLk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 25, 2018

Tapentadol for Pain "Taking 150 mg every 8 hrs. This was to replace 15 mg morphine ER twice a day and 10 mg Oxy every 4 hrs. I get the queasy stomach and the constipation, but ZERO pain relief. I think the pharma co's put this out so people think they care. Waste of time and money."

• Wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2017

Tapentadol for Pain "The first dose made me somewhat woozy. However, the next 3-4 were like taking aspirin. USELESS! I am sure that this drug causes diarrhea! Also, yesterday morning I had body aches, which felt like I had the flu! It is common for most opioid users to suffer from constipation; however, I take Miralax every other day to avoid this problem."

• Anonymous
• February 8, 2012

Tapentadol for Pain "Have been taking Nucynta for 6 months. Works very well for pain. Better than Vicodin or Norco. Most side effects went away after about a week, except for some constipation. Tolerance comes on fairly quick though, as it does with most opiates. So I have had to have the dose increased once so far, from 50 mg 3 times a day to 75 mg 3 times a day. Now I'm getting some tolerance to that as well. Also, it only seems to work for about 3 hours (regular Nucynta, not ER)."

• Sti...
• June 5, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "Was prescribed Nucynta for pain associated with sciatica and herniated disk in L5/S1. Although it did relieve the pain, the side effects I've experienced are just not worth it. Horrible headache, itching, sweating, constipation, and depression."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 19, 2017

For Pain "After 13 years of suffering from chronic pain and exhausting a lot of other pain meds, including Norspan patches, I was prescribed Tapentadol SR (Palexia). I take up to 450 mg a day, and it works... definitely not in as much pain. Apart from constipation and fatigue, it seems to be the best one I've tried."

• sby...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 19, 2025

Tapentadol for Pain "I was diagnosed with Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, and I have trialed almost all the opioid and non-opioid medications that are given to chronic pain patients, and this is the only medication that consistently works and takes away about 60% of my pain. What I like about Nucynta is that it's activating, so you don't feel like a zombie. I have a job that forces me to be alert, so I can't be on something like Oxy. Also, you don't get constipation on Nucynta like you would on an opioid like Norco, and the potential for abuse is lower since Nucynta doesn't make you feel 'high' per se. When you first take it, it might, but as your body gets used to the medication, it doesn't feel like an Oxy high. Why I am giving Nucynta an 8 is because no generic version exists where I live, and it is an insurance nightmare. I got extremely lucky with employer-based insurance that covers this medication, but it can take weeks to months to get the prior authorization approved for 30 days."

• Cin...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 9, 2025

Tapentadol for Pain "I’ve been taking Nucynta 75 mg 3x daily for many years, and it’s the only pain med that works for me. I have degenerative arthritis in my cervical spine, lower back, and both hands. Nucynta doesn’t cause nausea or constipation, and I don’t have to take it as often as other meds. Yes, it is expensive, but worth it for me. Insurance is trying to make me change to lesser expensive, but more dangerous drugs that do not work."

• Car...
• December 11, 2016

Tapentadol for Pain "Nucynta has been effective for pain management. But I have developed constipation and prolonged yeast infections."