Abstract
Tapentadol is a new, innovative, centrally acting analgesic with a dual mechnism of action, that combines micro-opioid agonist and noradrenalin (norepinephrin) re-uptake inhibitor activities in one molecule. Various indication options of tapentadol in chronic non-cancer pain and presentation of clinical trials that compare the efficacy of tapentadol with available strong opioids are discussed.
Tapentadol in comparison with another kinds of opioids exhibits comparable analgesic effect with optimized side-effect profile and risk of drug interactions is smaller. On case reports of certain types of chronic pain are presented practical instructions for adjustment of the treatment (low back pain and HIV - associated neuropathy) with tapentadol including opioid rotation.