In nine studies involving 318 subjects, it worked as well as lithium, valproic acid, carbamazepine, and haloperidol in mania and mixed states (seven studies), hypomania (one study), or the maintenance phase (one study) (Vasudev A et al, Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;12:CD004857). (thecarlatreport.com)
Carbamazepine is used alone or in combination with other medications to control certain types of seizures in people with epilepsy. (medlineplus.gov)
Carbamazepine can be helpful in controlling seizures, but it is crucial to understand the potentially serious side effects it may cause. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Carbamazepine is a prescription medication that is prescribed to control and prevent seizures or treat mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder. (talktomira.com)
Medications1
A large number of over-the-counter and prescription medications may interact with carbamazepine in a dangerous way. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Some drugs, such as clarithromycin , erythromycin or propoxyphene (Darvon), can make carbamazepine much more toxic, with dangerous blood levels building up surprisingly quickly. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Dizziness1
The side effects it did cause were similar to those seen with carbamazepine: headache, dizziness, somnolence, nausea, and rash. (thecarlatreport.com)
Lithium1
The best results were achieved when oxcarbazepine was used to augment lithium in mania, where it actually outperformed carbamazepine. (thecarlatreport.com)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) is often used in bipolar disorder in place of its FDA-approved cousin, carbamazepine (Equetro, Tegretol). (thecarlatreport.com)
Oxcarbazepine and carbamazepine differ by only a single carbonyl bond, so it seems intuitive that they should have similar clinical effects. (thecarlatreport.com)
Oxcarbazepine and carbamazepine actually target different sodium channels, so there's reason to doubt that they have overlapping clinical effects. (thecarlatreport.com)
The hope of oxcarbazepine is that it's close enough to carbamazepine to treat bipolar, but different enough to be safer and more tolerable. (thecarlatreport.com)
Oxcarbazepine was about 20% less likely to cause side effects than carbamazepine in the studies that compared the two drugs, both in epilepsy and bipolar disorder. (thecarlatreport.com)
Prescribe2
If you do not have this genetic risk factor, your doctor may prescribe carbamazepine, but there is still a slight risk that you will develop SJS or TEN. (medlineplus.gov)
Although the Food and Drug Administration has not approved carbamazepine for other uses, doctors sometimes prescribe it for a variety of psychiatric disorders, alcohol withdrawal and restless leg syndrome. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Hyponatremia1
Heart rhythm abnormalities, lung reactions, pancreatitis and low sodium (hyponatremia) are serious complications of carbamazepine. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Therapeutic2
Although there is a significant cost difference between the generic version of carbamazepine and the brand name, there is no therapeutic difference between the two. (talktomira.com)
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with carbamazepine and each time you refill your prescription. (medlineplus.gov)
Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis usually occurs during the first few months of treatment with carbamazepine. (medlineplus.gov)
Tablet1
Carbamazepine comes as a tablet, a chewable tablet, an extended-release (long-acting) tablet, an extended-release capsule, and as a suspension (liquid) to take by mouth. (medlineplus.gov)
Dosage1
Listed below is a breakdown of the costs of carbamazepine based on the available dosage form and its generic or brand name status. (talktomira.com)
Genetic2
If you are of Asian descent, your doctor will usually order a test to see if you have the genetic risk factor before prescribing carbamazepine. (medlineplus.gov)
Genetic testing prior to starting on carbamazepine may predict patients at higher risk for this reaction, which is more common in people with Asian ancestry. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Carbamazepine can have some serious side effects . (talktomira.com)
Patients3
Patients of Asian descent (specifically Han Chinese) are at greatest risk for developing SJS and/or TEN when treated with carbamazepine and have a high association for being for the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*1502 allele . (ebmconsult.com)
As such, the FDA required all of the manufacturers to add a black box warning to their product package inserts that not only informed healthcare providers about this adverse drug reaction, but to also state that, 'patients with ancestry in genetically at-risk populations should be screened for the presence of HLA-B*1502 prior to initiating carbamazepine. (ebmconsult.com)
Are there any risk factors that predispose patients to carbamazepine induced SJS and/or TEN? (ebmconsult.com)
Meals1
Carbamazepine is best absorbed when it is taken with meals. (peoplespharmacy.com)
Interestingly, two studies of Caucasians of non-Asian ancestry who were positive for the HLA-B*1502 allele failed to show a correlation between the development of SJS and/or TEN while taking carbamazepine.15,16 This suggests that something else in addition to having HLA-B*1502 allele is related to the increased risk for developing carbamazepine-induced SJS and/or TEN. (ebmconsult.com)
Blood1
Carbamazepine may decrease the number of blood cells produced by your body. (medlineplus.gov)