Tapentadol

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Nucynta

Pharmacological Mechanism

Centrally-acting μ-opioid agonist + norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor — dual mechanism gives analgesic effect with lower opioid receptor occupancy than equipotent morphine, reducing GI side effects. Schedule II. CYP-independent metabolism (UGT2B7) limits DDI footprint.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 4h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 100 mg (Range: 50–250 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• nervous
• digestive

Pathways It Modulates

• Opioid receptor signaling (activator) — μ-opioid + NRI

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 9838022
• Formula: C14H23NO
• Molecular weight: 221.34 g/mol
• InChIKey: KWTWDQCKEHXFFR-SMDDNHRTSA-N
• SMILES: CC[C@@H](C1=CC(=CC=C1)O)[C@@H](C)CN(C)C

References

• PMID 31303784
• PMID 17656655