Nucynta Information and Uses

Nucynta

Nucynta Overview Follow Medication

Nucynta (generic: tapentadol) is a prescription medication used to treat moderate to severe pain that is expected to last for a short period of time. Nucynta belongs to a group of drugs called opioids which work by stopping pain signals made in the brain.

This medication comes in tablet form and is usually taken every 4 to 6 hours, with or without food.

Common side effects of Nucynta are nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. Do not drive a car or operate machinery if you have these symptoms.

Uses of Nucynta

Nucynta is a prescription medicine that is used in adults 18 years of age or older to treat moderate to severe pain that is expected to last a short time. Nucynta is for short-term use only because the risks for withdrawal symptoms, abuse and addiction are higher when Nucynta is used longer.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Side Effects of Nucynta

Nucynta can cause serious side effects including:

Life-threatening breathing problems. Call your doctor right away or get emergency medical help if you:

have trouble breathing, or have slow or shallow breathing
have a slow heartbeat
have severe sleepiness
have cold, clammy skin
feel faint, dizzy, confused, or can not think, walk or talk normally
have a seizure
have hallucinations

Physical Dependence. Nucynta can cause physical dependence. Talk to your doctor about slowly stopping Nucynta to avoid getting sick with withdrawal symptoms. You could become sick with uncomfortable symptoms because your body has become used to the medicine. Tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms of withdrawal: feeling anxious, sweating, sleep problems, shivering, pain, nausea, tremors, diarrhea, upper respiratory symptoms, hallucinations, hair "standing on end." Physical dependence is not the same as drug addiction. Your doctor can tell you more about the differences between physical dependence and drug addiction.
Serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is a rare, life-threatening problem that could happen if you take Nucynta with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs), triptans or certain other medicines. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any one or more of the these symptoms: you feel agitated, have hallucinations, coma, rapid heart beat, feel overheated, loss of coordination, over active reflexes, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Seizures. Nucynta can cause seizures in people who are at risk for seizures or who have epilepsy. Tell your doctor right away if you have a seizure and stop taking Nucynta.
Low blood pressure. This can make you feel dizzy if you get up too fast from sitting or lying down.

The common side effects with Nucynta are nausea, dizziness, vomiting, sleepiness, and itching.

Constipation is a common side effect of all opioid medicines. Talk to your doctor about the use of laxatives and stool softeners to prevent or treat constipation while taking Nucynta.

These are not all the possible side effects of Nucynta. For a complete list, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Nucynta Interactions

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using Nucynta with other medicines can cause serious side effects. The doses of some other medicines may need to be changed. Your doctor can tell you what medicines can be safely taken with Nucynta.

Especially tell your doctor if you take:

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs).
any medicine that makes you sleepy. Nucynta can make you sleepy and affect your breathing. Taking these medicines together can be dangerous.

Nucynta Precautions

Do not take Nucynta if you:

have severe lung problems
have a gastrointestinal problem called paralytic ileus in which the intestines are not working normally.
take a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicine or have taken an MAOI within the last 14 days. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your medicines is an MAOI.

Do not drive, operate machinery, or participate in any other possibly dangerous activities until you know how you react to this medicine. Nucynta can make you sleepy.

You should not drink alcohol while using Nucynta. Alcohol increases your chance of having dangerous side effects.

Nucynta Food Interactions

There are no known food interactions with Nucynta.

Inform MD

Nucynta may not be right for you. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have:

trouble breathing or lung problems
or had a head injury
liver or kidney problems
convulsions or seizures
dependency problems with alcohol
pancreas or gall bladder problems
past or present substance abuse or drug addiction. There is a risk of abuse or addiction with narcotic pain medicines. If you have abused drugs in the past, you may have a higher chance of developing abuse or addiction again while using Nucynta.
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
are breast-feeding. You should not breast-feed while taking Nucynta.

Especially tell your doctor if you take:

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs).
any medicine that makes you sleepy. Nucynta can make you sleepy and affect your breathing. Taking these medicines together can be dangerous.

Nucynta Usage

Do not take Nucynta unless it has been prescribed for you by your doctor.
Take Nucynta exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
Do not change the dose of Nucynta unless your doctor tells you to. Your doctor may change your dose after seeing how the medicine affects you. Do not use Nucynta more often than prescribed. Call your doctor if your pain is not well controlled while taking Nucynta.
Follow your doctor's instructions about how to slowly stop taking Nucynta to help lessen withdrawal symptoms.
Nucynta can be taken with or without food.

Forms of Nucynta

Active Ingredient: tapentadol

Inactive ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, croscarmellose sodium, povidone, magnesium stearate, and Opadry II, a proprietary film-coating mixture containing polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide, polyethylene glycol, talc, and aluminum lake coloring.