Published on 14 June 2022

How Long Does Tapentadol Stay in Your System?

Tapentadol how-long-does-tapentadol-stay-in-your-system
Table of Contents

Everyone consumes a drug for various conditions; each pill stays in the human body and starts to work, fighting against the toxic substances to make you feel better. But how long will it remain in the system? What exactly will it do? Everyone has this question, 

You have to know each drug works differently according to the nature of the drug. The body takes time to observe the drug. It will stay in urine, hair, blood, and saliva to determine if drug tests are done. 

Like the drug Tapentadol for treating painful neuropathic conditions, let us see its working state and how long it will stay in the system. 

What Is Tapentadol?

Tapentadol (Nucynta) is an opioid analgesic of the benzenoid class prescribed to treat short-term musculoskeletal pain. It is a moderately potent opioid, so abuse and addiction to Tapentadol and also misuse is risky. 

Tapentadol is listed as schedule II under the controlled substance act by FDA. Please consult your doctor before taking this medication; it is not available over the counter, as the prescription is necessary to buy Tapentadol from your local drugstore or online pharmacy.

How Does Tapentadol Works?

Tapentadol is an opioid pain medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic. Tapentadol is a prescription medicine used to treat seven pain. It also works on moderate levels of trouble. It is a strong painkiller that works in two ways.

It binds to some tiny regions (opioid receptors) in your brain and spinal cord and regulates the level of a chemical called noradrenaline in your brain. These actions lead to a decrease in the way you feel pain and your reaction to pain.

Warnings

This drug stays in the body for almost 24 hrs. of a day. Some parts of the drug can find it in urine up to 90 days from the last dosage. so it is always recommended to understand safety and warning before purchasing and consuming this medicine 

  • for severe asthma or breathing probleSomebowel, obstruction (including paralytic ileus); or
  • Consumption of MAO inhibitors in the past 14 days, such as isocarboxazid, blue injection, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, etc.

How Long Does Tapentadol Stay In Your System?

Various factors affect how long Tapentadol stays in the biological system. These include body mass, metabolic rate, age, activity, dosage, tolerance, and for how long you have taken Tapentadol.

However, its 100mg tablet stays in the system longer in the central nervous and gastrointestinal tract. Usually, this drug shows its effect within 30 minutes of administration and remains within the system for around 22hrs.

The concerned doctor recommends an effective dose for treating pain. This drug's elimination occurs from the other routes apart from the kidney. Thus, this drug can be detected in different parts of the body. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Tapentadol causes constipation, which is one of the side effects of opioid medication. It includes digestive issues such as vomiting and diarrhea in people who consume it in the beginning stage.
Tapentadol is prescribed for pain relief to a patient suffering from extreme nerve pain, so the drug's action is to make your pain less; the side effects make you feel sleepy and tired.
The initial dosage is 50 to 100mg every 4 to 6 hours when required; your doctor should initiate the dosage and frequency according to your severity.

How Long Does Tapentadol Stay In Urine And Hair?

The elimination of Tapentadol takes place within 24 hrs from different body routes. It can be identified in the urine for nearly 3-4 days. Also, this drug can be detected in hair for up to 90 days from the last administration of the Tapentadol dosage.

The drug's elimination half-life is nearly 3.93 hrs, which is the time taken to reduce its effectiveness value to its half after administration of the last dose.

How Does Tapentadol Affect The Body And Brain?

Tapentadol actively binds to the opioid receptor in the brain and makes changes within the body to interpret pain. It also blocks the norepinephrine transporter and reduces the level of serotonin neurotransmitters in the brain.

This causes an increase in epinephrine, norepinephrine, and adrenergic neurotransmission, which can affect physical, mental, and emotional health. This drug shows its effect on the gastric tract and central nervous system.

Thus, drinking plenty of water and other fluids while on this medication is advised. In case of any issue observed like weight loss, tiredness, confusion, or breathing difficulty, report the reaction to the concerned doctor.

Is It Safe To Take Tapentadol During Pregnancy? 

Tapentadol is a moderately potent opioid and should be taken under the supervision of a healthcare provider. The effect of Tapentadol is uncertain during pregnancy. Per its monograph, it could be risky for a woman to take this drug when conceiving.

The 100mg dose of this drug is rapid-acting and exerts effect for a more extended period. It is advised not to take this drug during or before labor.

Dosage Of Tapentadol

  • Immediate-Release Tablet

Starting dose: 50 to 100 mg orally every 4 to 6 hours 
Maintenance dosage: 50, 75, or 100 mg orally every 4 to 6 hours; adjust the dosage according to the pain.

  • Extended-release Tablet

Starting dose: 50 mg or all twice a day.
Maintenance dosage: 100 mg to 250 mg orally twice a day

Use at the lowest dosage at starting period due to the side effects or habit-forming of the drug. Consult with your doctor for more details. 

Overdose

If someone has overdosed on Tapentadol and has severe symptoms such as passing out or trouble breathing, give them naloxone if available, then call 911. Call a poison control center immediately if the person is awake and has no symptoms.

US residents can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Canadian residents can call a provincial poison control center. Overdose symptoms centreline slow/shallow breathing, slow heartbeat, seizures, and coma.

Possible Side Effects

  • Sleep apnea
  • Breathicentreblems (breathing that blocks during sleep);
  • Seizures, brain tumors
  • Alcohol Centre uses addiction
  • Urinatory Problem
  • Kidney disease
  • PGall bladder or thyroid problems

Expert Advice On Tapentadol 

Tapentadol is a strong painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain when other treatments do not treat your pain well or you cannot tolerate it.
The addiction / habit-forming potential of Tapentadol is very high. Take the prescribed dose.

  • Be Careful while driving or doing anything that requires concentration, as Tapentadol can cause dizziness and sleepiness.
  • While taking Tapentadol, avoid alcohol in all forms, including beer, wine, aftershaCarefulh, vinegar, sure desserts, colognes, and liquid medications. 
  • Contact your medical expert if you have asthma, liver, kidney, or pancreatic disease, or are severely constipated.

Bottom Line From Practical Anxiety Solutions

When we talk about health and medicine, everyone wants the best and wants to get rid of all confusion regarding the drug. As discussed above, people are curious to know how long Tapentadol remains in the body and how it affects the brain and body.

Tapentadol is indeed a fast-acting medicine for the treatment of pain. Various factors affect a drug's metabolism, affecting how long it will stay in the biological system. These could be due to body mass, metabolic rate, age, activity, dosage, tolerance, and how long you have taken.

Tapentadol. Its 100 mg drug form remains in the system for extended periods. Tapentadol can be identified for nearly 3-4 days. Since it is a moderately potent opioid, it is advised to take this drug in a prescribed manner for greater efficacy.

  • Black, E., Khor, K. E., Kennedy, D., Chutatape, A., Sharma, S., Vancaillie, T., & Demirkol, A. (2019). Medication Use and Pain Management in Pregnancy: A Critical Review. Pain Practice, 19(8), 875–899. https://doi.org/10.1111/papr.12814 
  • Candiotti, K. A., & Gitlin, M. C. (2010). Review of the effect of opioid-related side effects on the undertreatment of moderate to severe chronic non-cancer pain: tapentadol, a step toward a solution? Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(7), 1677–1684. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.483941 
  • Carelli, C., Radogna, A., Bolcato, V., Vignali, C., Moretti, M., Merli, D., & Morini, L. (2022). Old and New Synthetic and Semi-synthetic Opioids Analysis in Hair: A Review. Talanta Open, 100108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2022.100108 
  • Hartrick, C. T., & Rozek, R. J. (2011). Tapentadol in pain management: a μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. CNS Drugs, 25(5), 359–370. https://doi.org/10.2165/11589080-000000000-00000 
  • Stollenwerk, A., Sohns, M., Heisig, F., Elling, C., & von Zabern, D. (2017). Review of Post-Marketing Safety Data on Tapentadol, a Centrally Acting Analgesic. Advances in Therapy, 35(1), 12–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-017-0654-0 
  • Vadivelu, N., Maslin, B., Kai, A., Legler, A., Kodumudi, G., & Berger, J. (2015). Tapentadol extended release in the management of peripheral diabetic neuropathic pain. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 95. https://doi.org/10.2147/tcrm.s32193Â