Abstract
SUMMARY In the never-ending process of providing therapy with diminishing side effects, pain medicine stands out as an important area of work. Ever since the introduction of opioids and elucidation of their mechanisms pharmaceutical researchers have sought a compound that provides long-term analgesia with none of the side effects that include somnolence, lethargy, tolerance, addiction, gastrointestinal symptoms and so on. This article reviews one of the latest improvements in analgesia, the formulation of tapentadol as an extended-release medication. Despite not claiming to have eliminated all the negatives of narcotics tapentadol extended-release seems to have made inroads to that goal.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organizwation or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.