Decontamination

For large ingestions of tapentadol, offer activated charcoal for gastrointestinal decontamination to alert and cooperative patients who are able to protect their airway and present within:

• 2 hours after ingesting an immediate-release preparation
• 6 hours after ingesting a modified-release preparation.

If the patient is intubated, activated charcoal can be given any time after ingestion via a nasogastric or orogastric tube—confirm correct placement of the nasogastric or orogastric tube beforehand.