Tapentadol and Tiredness: What Users Say

• hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I'm taking 75 mg qid for severe spinal degeneration as well as other issues. In the past, I used Dilaudid, Percocet, and MS Contin. Nucynta works great for pain, but I am more tired than with other drugs. My insurance company denied approval, so I faxed them a letter explaining why I needed it, and they approved it 10 minutes after the fax was sent. Thank God!"

• Spr...
• October 17, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been taking Nucynta for about 2 years now. This medicine seems to be helping with my back pain. I started at the low dose of 50 mg, then went to 75 mg and am now taking 100 mg every 4-5 hours, as well as taking the 100 mg Extended Release tablets every 12 hours. They work great, although my only complaint would be that they make me sweat profusely when doing any activity that includes work. I even start to pour sweat when just sitting after 1 hour of taking it. As well, it makes me very tired. I find myself trying hard to keep my eyes open when I'm sedentary."

• Jam...
• August 8, 2015

Tapentadol for Pain "Take it for back pain as needed. 100 mg dose. It works, but it makes you tired. No pain. Some days I can't even get up because of my back pain. Only problem is when I don't take it (I try not to use pain meds too much) I get really sick. Maybe it's withdrawal. That part isn't fun. But after 3 days or so of not taking it, I'm back to normal."

• Lum...
• February 16, 2014

Tapentadol for Pain "I was only on Nucynta for 2 days. 50 mg tabs x 3 times a day. I have been taking tramadol with no problems, but thought this might work better, as tramadol does not always control my pain. I must be very sensitive, as this medicine on day 1 made me feel as if my body were speeding, but tired and loopy at the same time. Day 2 was more of the same, but I needed a higher dose in order to control a pain level of 7 that comes upon me as the day wears on. I decided I did not want to go to 100 mg because of my sensitivity to this medicine."

• Ado...
• October 12, 2010

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been happy with Nucynta. I have been using it for almost a year. I used hydrocodone/Lortab for almost 8 years and oxycodone/Percocet for about 4 months. The oxycodone made me feel awful. I was always tired and had stomach issues. I was fine on hydrocodone, but I unfortunately built a tolerance after 8 years. I always avoided taking the maximum dose, but it got to a point where even the max dose wasn't helping, and I was very concerned about the Tylenol mix affecting my liver. I do take milk thistle to try to repair and avoid liver damage. I have had drug addictions in my life, but never to opiates. I have always been very careful with my prescriptions not to take more than prescribed, no matter how much the pain. I like that Nucynta feels very mild on the body."

• Mta...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2018

Tapentadol for Pain "I was taking 15 mg oxycodone and 15 mg OxyContin ER. My doctor just switched my meds to Belbuca film and 75 mcg Nucynta ER, which is outrageous! My insurance company doesn’t pay for it! $100 for 14 days of it! Neither of the meds work, they make me very tired, dizzy, and have headaches. The doctor said I wouldn’t have withdrawals, but that’s a lie. I have zero pain relief! Complete waste of money! It has more bad side effects than good things about it! Especially when you read on it, and that’s what it first says. Please be careful."

• Mar...
• February 23, 2019

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been on Nucynta ER since around 2013. Had a bad car accident in 2011, and the opiates alone were not enough. My lower back discs L2-S1 are bad along with my facet joints, spine, and nerve damage in my left leg and other issues. My doctor started me on 250 mg, which helped. The pain was better, and I still stayed on my hydrocodone 10 mg 2-3 times a day. After a couple of years, I felt I wanted to go off this drug. I did not like the foggy feeling. I went down to 150 mg. It took my body one year to adjust to 200 mg a day! The first two weeks were horrible! This medicine will not make you 'high' like Percocets or oxycodone. It just made my body crawl, and I could not sleep. It gives me hot flashes, makes me tired, and affects my memory. I am still on the 150 mg and searching for another opioid to replace it with. I just do not want to go on something that will give me the same side effects."

• ram...
• November 7, 2009

Tapentadol for Pain "My experience with Nucynta was very disappointing. Did not relieve pain any more than a few ibuprofen. And it made me feel tired, sleepy. I have been on many pain medicines in the quest to find something that allows me to function. This one will be at the bottom of my list, mainly due to its poor performance for me in easing the pain, combined with sleepy, tired, and a little dizzy."

• DWA...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 25, 2021

Tapentadol for Pain "I have been on Nucynta ER 250 mg 2x/day for several years. This medication is a lifesaver for me because it works for my pain and none of the side effects associated with other narcotics. I still have Oxycodone 10 mg for breakthrough pain management but only use as necessary. Nucynta provides relief in several different ways, and due to my genetics, it works great for me, where some will receive absolutely no relief. I do not suffer from tiredness, sleepiness, or any intestinal issues. My only issue is sometimes there are supply chain issues - the drug is manufactured in PR, and after major hurricanes, there have been disruptions. Also, pharmacists are very reluctant to fill even a day early, so it is difficult to plan your life around picking up a prescription. With all of this, I wouldn't want to change to any other pain management medication."

• Anonymous
• April 23, 2013

Tapentadol for Pain "I have nerve damage due to spinal cord surgery. I have tried several long-term and short-term pain medications, and everything made me tired that I could not work while taking the medication. The pain doctor then put me on Nucynta, which I take at night, and it works wonderfully. I still take pain medication during the day for breakthrough pain, as I cannot take the Nucynta while I am working."

• Feb...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 15, 2017

Tapentadol for Pain "This medication was seriously a godsend for me. I have tried so many other medications, and none of them worked, and then when I would go off of them because they didn't work, I would feel like I was dying. My pain was getting so severe that my body was going into shock, and I would stop breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital. Enter this medication. I was very skeptical that it would do a darn thing. I honestly thought my doctor was crazy for even wanting to try it, but after about 3 days on it, I noticed a huge, huge, huge difference. I take three to four 50 mg pills a day spaced out roughly 6 hours, and I feel like a completely different person. It has reduced my pain by about 90%. No side effects other than mild tiredness."

• pai...
• October 26, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I have suffered from back problems for almost 20 years and, more recently, neck problems, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. In that time, I have taken about every pain medication known to man, just to have them either work slightly or not work at all. Nucynta is my godsend. I am on 50 mg three times per day, although I try to keep it to one per day when my pain is at its worst so as not to form an addiction. The side effects aren't bad to me, comparatively speaking. I do get tired shortly after taking it, but then my pain disappears, and I have energy to do things that need to be done. I have some itching as well, but I can handle some itching and drowsiness if it means I have some pain-free time every day! So grateful."

• Jam...
• November 30, 2016

Tapentadol for Pain "I took it for three and a half weeks, it gives some pain relief. 200 mg per day. I prefer the hydrocodone. It made me very tired after 6 to 8 hours and affected my vision some when reading closely. Probably good for some if you don't travel much and can just stay home."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 16, 2025

Tapentadol for Pain "I came across Nucynta when researching other pain meds that would work better than others on the market. I have cervical, lumbar, and nerve pain. Failed surgeries, injections, etc. I started off with a regular dose every so many hours. We then tried the ER dose. 50 mg ER was my sweet dose. I was so happy to find this medication. The other medications made me feel tired, etc. Nucynta didn’t take 100% of my pain away, but I could finally function. It works beautifully for me. Unfortunately, even with good insurance, my copay was around $500 for the month. I couldn’t financially afford it after so many months. I went back to other medications and felt horrible again. I really hope that a generic is released so others can afford it to get their life back to somewhat normal."

• ger...
• August 4, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "I am suffering very severe back pain due to a ruptured disk L4-5. I have been on Nucynta for two weeks now. I started with the blue pill 250 mg twice a day (every 12 hours). The pain subsided with the first dose within 45 minutes. All I felt was a warm, fuzzy sensation throughout my body. I was somewhat tired, but not too bad. I felt detached for some time, like I was not in the room. I had some difficulty remembering what I was going to do. I decided to do something, and a few seconds later I could not remember. This happens quite often after I take my dose. All in all, I am very happy with this medication for pain. It really does help."

• 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."

• Ros...
• February 8, 2014

For Pain "I have been on Tapentadol for about 2 months as well as taking numerous amounts of other medicines. I have found that it does help with my lower back pain, but I am struggling with some side effects like constantly feeling tired and a lack of energy. I have found that to help sleep at night, I take Endep. This helps with sleep, but when I first took it, I had bad nightmares, but they have gone now. Before Tapentadol, I was in constant pain ranging from 10 to an 8, my pain levels have now dropped to a 4 to 5 on bad days and 2 to a 4 on good days, which for me is worth battling with some small side effects."

• Anonymous
• August 21, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "Prescribed 100 mg every six to eight hours for lower back muscular pain. Relieves symptoms, and along with PT, has provided relief. I only take it when the pain flares up. There was an initial instance or two of psychedelic-like effects the first two or three times I took Nucynta and went to bed. Seem to sleep okay after taking Nucynta now. Provides much better relief than Oxycodone did. Have experienced some tiredness while taking."

• Bac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 5, 2020

For Pain "Tapentadol slow release was generally effective in managing moderate to severe pain after a radio frequency nerve ablation of medial nerves from my lumbar facet joints. It was easy enough to step down from 200 to 150 to 100 mg after the procedure. But I quickly developed tolerance, meaning the lower dose became ineffective almost immediately. I stepped off without major physical side effects (other than increased pain) but suffered from considerable exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and confusion for several days. I wouldn’t have made it through post-procedure recovery without this medication, but be wary."

• 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
• December 29, 2011

Tapentadol for Pain "250 mg once every 12 hrs didn't do much for pain in ER formulation for me, but the 50 mg worked quite well as a breakthrough pain medication when combined with 2/3 my typical dosage of OxyContin. I found that pain relief duration at 50 mg was about 4 hrs. I believe that the ER formulation starts at 100 mg and higher. I am lethargic on Nucynta ER at the 250 mg 2x a day dose compared to OxyContin 30 mg 3x daily."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2020

Tapentadol for Pain "Medicine made me feel very loopy and unable to concentrate. Could not wait until it was out of my system. Made me tired for days."