What should I tell my care team before I take this medication?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
- Asian ancestry
- Bone marrow disease
- Glaucoma
- Heart disease
- Irregular heartbeat or rhythm
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Low blood cell levels (white cells, red cells, or platelets)
- Mental health conditions
- Porphyria
- Suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempt by you or a family member
- An unusual or allergic reaction to carbamazepine, other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
- Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
- Breastfeeding
What may interact with this medication?
Do not take this medication with any of the following:
- Certain medications used to treat HIV infection or AIDS that are given in combination with cobicistat
- Delavirdine
- MAOIs like Carbex, Eldepryl, Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate
- Nefazodone
- Oxcarbazepine
This medication may also interact with the following:
- Acetaminophen
- Acetazolamide
- Barbiturate medications for inducing sleep or treating seizures, like phenobarbital
- Certain antibiotics like clarithromycin, erythromycin or troleandomycin
- Cimetidine
- Cyclosporine
- Danazol
- Dicumarol
- Doxycycline
- Female hormones, including estrogens and birth control pills
- Grapefruit juice
- Isoniazid, INH
- Levothyroxine and other thyroid hormones
- Lithium and other medications to treat mood problems or psychotic disturbances
- Loratadine
- Medications for angina or high blood pressure
- Medications for cancer
- Medications for depression or anxiety
- Medications for sleep
- Medications to treat fungal infections, like fluconazole, itraconazole or ketoconazole
- Medications used to treat HIV infection or AIDS
- Methadone
- Niacinamide
- Praziquantel
- Propoxyphene
- Rifampin or rifabutin
- Seizure or epilepsy medication
- Steroid medications such as prednisone or cortisone
- Theophylline
- Tramadol
- Warfarin
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
What should I watch for while using this medication?
Visit your care team for regular checks on your progress. Do not change brands or dosage forms of this medication without discussing it with your care team. If you are taking this medication for epilepsy (seizures), do not stop taking it suddenly. This increases the risk of seizures. Wear a Medic Alert bracelet or necklace. Carry an identification card with information about your condition, medications, and care team.
This medication may cause serious skin reactions. They can happen weeks to months after starting the medication. Contact your care team right away if you notice fevers or flu-like symptoms with a rash. The rash may be red or purple and then turn into blisters or peeling of the skin. You may also notice a red rash with swelling of the face, lips, or lymph nodes in your neck or under your arms.
This medication may affect your coordination, reaction time, or judgment. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you. Sit up or stand slowly to reduce the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Drinking alcohol with this medication can increase the risk of these side effects.
Estrogen and progestin hormones may not work as well while you are taking this medication. A barrier contraceptive, such as a condom or diaphragm, is recommended if you are using these hormones for contraception. Talk to your care team about effective forms of contraception.
This medication can make you more sensitive to the sun. Keep out of the sun. If you cannot avoid being in the sun, wear protective clothing and sunscreen. Do not use sun lamps, tanning beds, or tanning booths.
This medication may cause thoughts of suicide or depression. This includes sudden changes in mood, behaviors, or thoughts. These changes can happen at any time but are more common in the beginning of treatment or after a change in dose. Call your care team right away if you experience these thoughts or worsening depression.
Women who become pregnant while using this medication may enroll in the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. This registry collects information about the safety of antiepileptic medication use during pregnancy.
This medication may cause a decrease in vitamin D and folic acid. You should make sure that you get enough vitamins while you are taking this medication. Discuss the foods you eat and the vitamins you take with your care team.
What are the most serious risks of this medication?
This medicine can lower blood counts, like red blood cells and platelets. This is rare, but is very serious when it happens. Your health care provider will check you blood counts while you take this medicine.
This medicine can stop healthy white blood cells from being made. This is rare but is very serious when it happens. Your health care provider will check your blood counts while you take this medicine.
People of Asian descent may need a genetic blood test before taking this medicine. Asian patients are more likely to have a genetic variation called HLA-B*1502. This may increase the risk of serious rash with this medicine.
This medication may cause rare but serious skin rashes.