Tapentadol and Nausea: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 6, 2019

For Pain "Saw the new Pain Specialist last week as my Dr. wanted to add breakthrough meds to my Oxycontin ER 35 mgs t.d.s. (3 times a day) as I've just had avascular necrosis of the left femoral head diagnosed, which increased the pain I already have from other conditions. The Pain Specialist didn't want to add breakthrough meds and instead gave me a script for tapentadol ER 50 mgs to take twice a day. The first tablet did nothing except add extreme nausea to the pain. I developed an awful headache and racing pulse, flushed face, stomach upset, and other awful side effects. I ended up gradually adding more 50 mg tablets, and there was no pain relief even at 400 mgs. Over the following days, I experienced withdrawal symptoms from Oxycontin and awful effects from tapentadol. It was useless for my pain! I'm returning to my Dr. to resume Oxycontin ER."

• gol...
• December 13, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "My doctor wanted to try me on Nucynta for my sciatica pain since ibuprofen and Ultram did not work very well. I tried one dose Friday night, 75 mg, and woke up Saturday morning with a horrible headache. Then, an hour or so upon getting out of bed, it turned into the worst headache of my life and then I had nausea and vomiting with it. I wound up having to go to urgent care, and they gave me a shot of Toradol for the headache and a shot of Phenergan for the nausea and vomiting. I finally felt better after a while. These side effects were too horrible for me."

• Anonymous
• December 6, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been prescribed Nucynta 100 mg for a torn herniated disc (L4). My doctor has me taking 1 tablet every 6 hours as needed. I was previously on Lorcet Plus, which made me feel sick to my stomach at times. Nucynta has provided way more pain relief than Lorcet or Lortab. Nucynta works very, very well. The only downfall is there is no generic. Extremely expensive."

• Cly...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 11, 2019

For Pain "I was switched to this med when hydrocodone made me sick. Very effective for pain, the problem was it showed up as other illicit drugs on my drug test because of how it is metabolized. I have never used illegal drugs in my life, and after this med, it showed in my system. After going off this medication, no further problem. I'm a nurse and was very upset about this. Frustrating to finally find something that works and then have that happen."

• Rub...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 22, 2018

For Pain "I have been on Palexia 150 mg twice a day for about 2 and a half years for severe neck, thoracic, and lumbar pain after a car accident. Surgery is not an option, unfortunately, due to the amount of spinal degeneration. I have also been prescribed Fentanyl 25 mg patches and OxyContin prior to Palexia but became tolerant to these. Switching to Palexia was very difficult, and the withdrawal and pain were very difficult for 2 weeks. I persevered and am glad I did. Pain is now better controlled, and tolerance builds much slower, and I still get some decent pain relief. Give it some time if switching. I almost gave up thinking it wasn’t working, but I now realize that I was withdrawing from other meds, and it takes time to build up in your system and start working. I have some side effects at times: headache, tiredness, sweating, and a bit of nausea, but still better than being in severe pain 24/7."

• Bus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2015

For Pain "Excellent alternative to oxycodone/hydrocodone-based pain killers. Eliminated the pain very effectively once I got home from my ACL/MCL left knee surgery. I used the 75 mg IR version as needed every 4-6 hours, but the pain relief routinely lasted the entire 6 hours. I experienced no nausea or stomach discomfort of any kind. Most importantly to me, while I did feel the usual significant euphoria associated with most prescription narcotics, it was not overwhelming, and no dizziness or disorientation accompanied it. This gave me the confidence and therefore the ability to drive safely only three days after my surgery while taking the tapentadol. Just needed it for 7 days and was easily able to switch to only ibuprofen and start physical therapy."

• 2nd...
• August 19, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "My doctor gave me 75 mg of Nucynta every 6 hours for a second-degree burn I got on my arm at work. I have an intolerance to painkillers and get sick off any kind I take with Nucynta. I did feel nausea but did not vomit, which is a first for me, however, the grogginess of this medication was still affecting me when I woke up for work 8 hours after my dose. It's a give or take game, I suppose."

• cap...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 25, 2013

For Pain "I've found that Nucynta (Palexia in Europe) has been great for me. I've had lumbar pain on and off for 35 years. For the last seven years, it's been chronic, sometimes incapacitating. I was on the hydrocodone ladder (5, 7.5, 10), (x4, x6, x8, per day) until a doctor where I work said, 'Whoa! That's way too much acetaminophen. It's dangerous.' He prescribed tramadol. It helped somewhat - and had an upper limit (for me) of about 300 mg/day before nausea set in. A year and a half ago, he suggested I try Palexia (the trade name in Europe). What a difference it made! Some tolerance (not much) and no dependence I can discern, nothing like the 'codones'. Easy to lay off it whenever. For me, it's great!"

• Lau...
• September 11, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I have a lot of pain issues. Mainly replaced C4 C5 disc, then fused, and C6 C7 disc replaced, then fused, and Fibro. I have a high tolerance for medication, my body adjusts very quickly, and suddenly I am on the highest dose, and then it doesn't work. Last month I weaned myself off of 160 mg of Methadone a day in like 3 weeks. Anyway, Nucynta is new, it is my last hope. I am very scared about this because I am already on 100 mg 3 times a day, and sometimes I take an extra just to get through the day. I CAN'T afford this, but I don't know what else to do. It does cause nausea and dizziness, a little disoriented, but those symptoms are fading."

• Anonymous
• September 2, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I was prescribed this by my physiatrist as an option for my AVN, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain disorder. Many typical pain medicines overly sedate me, make me all nauseous that I'd prefer the pain, or make me itch. This medicine has helped with moderate pain if I only need to take two tablets max a day, any more than that, comes the itching and nausea."

• Anonymous
• June 29, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I have cystic fibrosis and severe back/neck pain. I needed a stronger medication due to the cystic fibrosis and found that Percocets just made me extremely nauseated. Nucynta can be taken on an empty stomach, and while I experience slight tiredness, that was about all. However, as time progressed, I discovered that it became somewhat less effective, and I had to bump up to 10s. When this happened, I started having pronounced muscle spasms and issues with regulating my body temp. Also, there is no generic, so I averaged about $117 per dose. Overall, I was pleased with the medicine."

• Anonymous
• September 20, 2009

For Pain "I had a terrible experience with this medicine. It took 2 hours to find a pharmacy that carries it. My insurance only paid a percentage of the cost, so it came to about $200 for 90 pills. I had horrible side effects - it made me very nauseous, even though it's marketed to have much less stomach upset than other opioids. I felt almost drunk - I had all the woozy and dizzy feelings of being drunk, without the mental impairment. My doctor said it would take about 2 weeks to adjust, but I could only make it through one. My doctor switched me back to my old medicine and told me that many of his patients had experiences just like mine. On top of all that, I had no pain relief, and my pain was worse than before. I hope you have a better experience than I had."

• lee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 17, 2016

For Pain "I have been taking 15 mg of OxyContin 3 times a day. Recently given Palexia 50 mg to replace a dose of OxyContin. Gives me a bad headache and nausea but seems to reduce the pain the same as the other meds. It stopped working, and I have continued with the midday dose of OxyContin and use Palexia to top up before bed. I often have to take ibuprofen to get rid of the headache. Not sure these are very helpful as morphine tends to make me more cranky than I would be on OxyContin."

• tja...
• June 6, 2018

For Pain "Of all the drugs I've had, Palexia was the best, except for odd dreams at night and a little bit of nausea. I was on Lyrica but prefer the Palexia as it doesn't have a mind-altering effect for me and reduces the pain to a tolerable level."

• Jea...
• January 31, 2012

For Pain "Nucynta has been working great to control my pain and back pain. I have Crohn's disease and arthritis in my lower back. I took a combination of Vicodin and Percocet in the past with great results as well, but after 4 yrs I built a tolerance. I was skeptical at first since I read that Nucynta was a type of tramadol, which it is kind of, it's a mu opioid. Takes longer than Percocets to provide relief, no nausea, even on an empty stomach. Had some bizarre dreams the first few nights. A big downside is the price, even with insurance, it is costly. I am just happy to be pain-free, no head rush like Percocets, able to take them at work too, unlike other narcotics I have been prescribed. I am taking 100 mg ER every 12 hrs."

• Nes...
• July 2, 2016

For Pain "Was skeptical when doctors swapped me from Endone to slow release (SR) tapentadol. Huge headache and nausea the first week. Over the next month, felt like the twice daily 50 mg would wear off in 5 hours. So, the specialist has doubled the dose to 4 times per day. I feel a bit weird for the first hour after taking it, but that's better than the up-and-down effect of Endone. I feel like the pain is better controlled now taking the dose 4 times per day. But the general doctor was reluctant to increase, so very glad I saw the specialist and he recognized that pain that SIJD causes."

• 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."

• Jew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 2, 2021

Tapentadol for Pain "I just went on 75 mg, and I cannot take it, it makes me so nauseated the next morning. I am a person who cannot take pain meds and function, so I can only take them at night. Any suggestions?"