Tapentadol and Insomnia: What Users Say

• geo...
• January 5, 2014

Tapentadol for Pain "I have numerous chronic conditions but I will speak about my pain. I have been attending the pain clinic for approximately 5 years and have tried every conceivable pain medication that I could get including a ketamine IV, nothing has worked until now. I am on 500 mg of Palexia/tapentadol/Nucynta and it works. I have nerve damage due to an undiagnosed neurological condition with symptoms mimicking Multiple Sclerosis. It has taken about 8 weeks for it to work but it has made a big difference. Side effects are lack of sleep (chronic), dizziness (goes away), and mood swings. I want to stay on it and hopefully my doctor can help with the sleep. So, anyone just starting it or considering it, please give it some time."

• sun...
• April 15, 2015

Tapentadol for Pain "I take both versions, 150 ER twice a day, and one IR once a day. This works for me better than Vicodin 10's along with all the other stuff I had to take with them. I used to take 6 a day of Vicodin, or Ultram 300 and 6 Ultram 50 mgs and Soma 350 mgs. Now, all I need is the Nucynta, sometimes I have pain it doesn't totally control, but, you can't be pain-free 24 hours a day no matter what you take. I like that if you forget to take one, or whatever, there aren't any withdrawals for me. Nothing, no insomnia, no illness, it works like an opioid without the hassles. I don't know why it is schedule 2 because to me, it is like a super strong Tylenol, you never withdraw from Tylenol. I feel lucky that my doctor chose this to control my pain."

• Zvo...
• February 4, 2016

Tapentadol for Pain "Nucynta was prescribed by my pain clinic a few months ago. Despite my complaints of severe anxiety, restlessness, elevated blood pressure, restless legs, my skin turning blue, inability to sleep, they continue prescribing it. I am losing my mind. I have spinal stenosis, DDD, RA and OA with cervical fusion surgery, two total hip replacements, and one hip revision. My life is governed by pain. Since I started taking this horrible Rx, I am losing my mind. I am 69."

• Nie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2018

Tapentadol for Pain "Was on Opana ER 20 mg twice a day with Oxy 5 mg 1-3 times a day. Was doing well, not using the IR very much. Pain clinic doctor no longer issuing prescriptions for Opana. I was put on Nucynta 100 mg twice a day in place of Opana. The last five days have been very difficult. I can't sleep, literally. I have zero appetite and have to force myself to eat some crackers and cheese. The medication wears off after 8-9 hours with strong withdrawal symptoms. So I have to take breakthrough meds just to calm the withdrawal. My hands shake and I feel so weird. Like depression. I can't take this medication any longer. I believe our bodies all react differently to medications, and for me, this is not a good fit."

• Cin...
• February 11, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been on Nucynta for 1 1/2 years. I've had major problems with pain meds. Vomiting, not sleeping, to very high liver counts. I've had 4 surgeries on my wrist in 3 years. One being an internal amputation of the ulna hump & approximately 3 feet of bone. Picture that hump in your wrist & 3 feet of the bone that is attached to it gone. Bone hitting bone, pain I wouldn't wish on anyone. My pain management doctor put me on 50mg x 2-4 times a day. For the first time in 14 years, I'm almost pain-free. I'm going this week to have the dosage increased. I had to stop working and I never thought that I would have a normal life or be able to hold my grandkids. Now I have 6 grandkids and I spend every day with them. I can even pick them up and hold them. My newest is 8 weeks old. Nucynta saved me."

• gra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 10, 2014

Tapentadol for Pain "I could not deal with the side effects of OxyContin or hydrocodone. Too much dizziness and severe itching. Unable to get restful sleep. Nucynta ER 50, 2 times a day has been MUCH better for me. Very little side effects and only for the first couple of weeks. I sleep better too. Only objection is that it wears off after only about 5 hours. So I have to take hydrocodone occasionally."

• Hol...
• July 26, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I started Nucynta the first time and was on a low dose of 25 mg of Zoloft. I had been taking hydrocodone 10 mg for several years. The reason for Zoloft was for minor depression that the hydrocodone causes. The first two pills I had of Nucynta caused insomnia, weird dreams, and a bit of anxiety. Also, I had shivering and felt so hot I thought I was burning up. Even though my rheumatologist/pain specialist suggested I give it 5 days, I did not. Well, a couple of weeks later, I am trying it again. So far, so good. My pain level is better but not yet all gone. I did have to take hydrocodone early in the morning as I started having withdrawal symptoms from not taking it. I was told I would not. I'm glad for Nucynta. I have neuropathy, fibromyalgia, and two kinds of arthritis."

• kad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 24, 2016

Tapentadol for Pain "I was prescribed this medication because I'm allergic to some of the more common painkillers. I took it a total of 2 weeks, daily as prescribed. I had horrible hallucinations, became severely depressed, had insomnia, and I felt like every ounce of joy was sucked out of my body. I had the strangest experiences with this medication. I felt like I left my body. Once, I saw myself jumping off the balcony. I was clearly hallucinating. It was the worst experience from a medication I've ever had. I was extremely distraught but had no idea why. My husband freaked out and rushed me to the doctor. I was told that it was side effects of the medication. I had to be weaned off of it by a doctor. Even under the doctor's care, I had horrible withdrawal symptoms."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• March 4, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "I have had this medicine for a week now. I am not totally sure if I like it or not. I cannot sleep if I take one of these pills. They make me feel like I'm on high doses of steroids. They do help with pain from rheumatoid arthritis. If you do not have trouble sleeping, then I think this medicine could work for you. If you are already suffering from sleep problems, then I would not advise this medicine."

• 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."

• Bug...
• January 29, 2018

Tapentadol for Pain "I almost died taking this. Horrible heart racing and arrhythmias. Pain management gave me this after 2 very bad days after quad back injections. I took only twice. Husband had to take me to the ER at 5 in the morning due to side effects of this medication. They changed to 10 mg hydro qty 20, which helped with pain and lost sleep. I reported this to the manufacturer of this medication, and they were very understanding and seemed concerned. Never again will I take these medications due to DRs getting kickbacks from the manufacturer. Be aware first time using, and if things don't seem right, stop taking. It's garbage, IMO."

• old...
• May 8, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "Just started this medicine 3 days ago, have been in near constant pain for 16 years. It is a life saver. Only side effects have been trouble sleeping and moderate headache, but I feel so much better than on hydrocodone. Feel no pain at all. Energy is boundless! Has helped my depression, and I'm not as hungry as usual. Very happy with the product."

• Anonymous
• February 18, 2012

Tapentadol for Pain "I was put on 100 mg of Nucynta ER for facial nerve pain. I have found that it doesn't work that well for my pain, and it causes intense headaches and fatigue. I have also experienced auditory hallucinations at night or when daydreaming when fatigued. Just some really weird side effects and increased insomnia. I still find more relief from low-dose oxycodone for breakthrough pain, but like to limit the number of times a week I have to use it. I find the pain relief to be mild to moderate at best, and with a lot more side effects than the oxycodone, but everyone reacts differently. If you had any side effects at all when trying Tramadol, be cautious, in my experience (with Nucynta), the side effects were the same but more intense."

• gre...
• October 18, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I've been on 50 mg, 1-2 tabs every 6 hours. Started approximately two months ago. The first 4-5 weeks were great. No more pain, but now suddenly, major side effects have kicked in. Migraine-type headaches, rapid heartbeats, occasional anxiety attacks, and definitely insomnia (even with taking an Ambien). I'm beginning to wonder if the side effects will ever go away. Doctor says hang in there, everyone reacts differently. However, my side effects seem to be getting worse instead of better. Haven't been able to get out of bed for the last 4 days. I don't understand why this is happening."

• Max...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2019

For Pain "Tapentadol - I was on tapentadol for 4 months after breaking my neck in a bike accident. While on the drug, it did a great job of controlling my pain. The issue I had was coming off it. The sheer pain and anxiety with coming off the drug was horrible. I could not sleep for days, and the onset of nerve pain was intense. Never again."

• Wil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2019

For Pain "I have been taking OxyContin for over 10 years, 60 mg a day. Tried tapentadol over a six-month period. Caused sleep problems, chest pain, severe headaches, red face, pain in legs, and very little pain relief, 300 mg a day. Did not work for me, so going back to the OxyContin."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 31, 2018

For Pain "Perplexia SR was given to me for severe back pain and spasms associated with damaged discs, and the side effects were terrible! Diarrhea, nervousness, weakness, chest pain, and trouble sleeping; and pain was not eased at all! I don’t recommend anyone be on this one. I was on 100 mg of Perplexia slow release, and taking it caused more trouble than help."

• ric...
• November 24, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "I was put on Nucynta 6 months ago. Way better than Norco. I am able to return to work and be productive. It is short-term, about 3-4 hrs, but I feel more in control of my pain that way. Having trouble sleeping through the night with the pain waking me around 2 in the morning. Doctor prescribed Oxycodone time delayed to get through the night."

• Mom...
• January 26, 2021

Tapentadol "Nucynta is very disappointing. It doesn’t work for me, doesn’t relieve any pain. I have multiple sclerosis, and instead of relief, it gives me a horrible headache, high blood pressure, erratic heartbeat, insomnia, and constant thirst, which is horrible, horrible, horrible. I don’t advise taking the medication without talking to your doctor about the rest of the drug interactions."

• Anonymous
• December 22, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "I have a lot of back pain due to two injuries. Out of everything I've taken, I really like this. There are only 2 complaints: first, it's expensive, and second, I have trouble sleeping when I take it. It wakes me up, so taking it at night is not a good idea for me."

• Emm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2022

Tapentadol for Pain "I've had fibromyalgia for 16 years, degenerative disc disease, 2 failed back surgeries, and osteoarthritis. I was on Belbucca but was having a lot of pain still. I was put on Nucynta ER 150 mg. The first couple of days were okay. But after a week, my blood pressure was really high. Then I started getting hot flashes, chest tightness, coughing, and insomnia. I called my pain management, and they told me to stop taking it, but I have to wait 2 weeks for my next appointment. That's sadistic! I went to the ER, and they said I had bronchitis. The next day, I thought the bronchitis was causing my symptoms, and I was in pain, so I took a Nucynta. Nope, it's the medicine! About 30 minutes after, maybe my chest got tight and started coughing, and later got hot flashes. Not a good medicine!"

• Bog...
• October 8, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "My doctor has me trying this drug, but I find that it does not work as well for me as Norco does. Also, it has interfered with my sleep and has kept me up. Add to this that I seem to get upset easier since I started taking this drug. I'm going to speak with my doctor about going back to Norco, which did work for me, but there were also side effects."

• inv...
• May 29, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I have had many back surgeries for degenerated disc disease and was put on Nucynta three days ago. My dose is 50 mg three times a day. It makes me feel high, gives me a severe headache, diarrhea, agitation, insomnia, dizzy, confused, and it only helps for an hour. I was taking methadone 5 mg two times a day, three on bad days, and that worked great, but this doesn't."

• Bac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 14, 2013

For Pain "Gave it a try, but side effects too much, I was a meerkat with the super anxiety and insomnia. No pain relief, next morning, heart and lungs working overtime. Paracetamol was much more effective with less side effects."