Mean heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure values remained generally unchanged over 15 weeks of treatment with placebo, tapentadol extended release (ER; 100–250 mg twice daily), or oxycodone HCl controlled release (20–50 mg twice daily) in two patient cohorts: patients with a listed medical history of hypertension at baseline and patients with at least one listed concomitant antihypertensive medication at baseline

Findings suggest that tapentadol ER is a reasonable option when considering treatments for the management of chronic pain in patients with hypertension, although a personalized assessment of patient risk and prudent clinical judgment are recommended