Where should analgesia lead to? Quality of life and functional recovery with tapentadol

Chronic pain is a major health-care problem worldwide, affecting more than one out of five adults in Europe. Although multiple analgesic agents have been extensively investigated in terms of clinical response and tolerability profile, few studies have focused on the impact of these therapies on patients’ quality of life (QoL). Of note, improvement in QoL, together with functional recovery, has been recognized since the late 1990s as two main goals of analgesic therapy. Tapentadol is a novel analgesic molecule that synergistically combines two mechanisms of action, µ-opioid receptor agonism and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition, and for which multiple literature data are available that confirm its efficacy and safety in controlling pain. This narrative review summarizes the information available on the impact of tapentadol on QoL, with the aim to provide clinicians with a comprehensive overview of the analgesic effects of tapentadol prolonged release beyond the reduction of pain.