Carbamazepine is used alone or in combination with other medicines to contain certain types of seizures. It is also used to treat trigeminal neuralgia (a condition that causes facial nerve pain).
Carbamazepine extended release capsules (Equetro brand only) are used to treat episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited or irritated mood) or mixed episodes (symptoms of mania and depression that fall out simultaneously) in patients with bipolar I disorder (manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods). Carbamazepine is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants. It works by cutting down abnormal electrical action in the brain.
How should this Carbamazepine be used?
Carbamazepine comes as a tablet, a chewable tablet, an extended release (long-acting) tablet, an extended release capsule, and a suspension (liquid) to take by mouth. The regular tablet, chewable tablet, and liquid are normally taken two to four times a day with meals. The extended release tablet is normally taken twice a day with meals. The extended release capsule is normally taken twice a day with or without meals. To help you remember to take carbamazepine, take it at around the same times every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label cautiously, and ask your physician or pharmacist to explain any part you don't understand. Take carbamazepine precisely as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your physician.
Swallow the extended release tablets entirely; do not split, chew, or crush them. The extended release capsules may be opened and the beads inside sprinkled over food, such as a teaspoon of applesauce or similar food. Do not crush or chew the extended release capsules or the beads inside them.
Shake the liquid well before each use to mix the medication evenly.
Your physician will begin with a low dose of carbamazepine and gradually increase your dose.
Carbamazepine could help control your condition, but will not cure it. It could take a few weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of carbamazepine. Continue to take carbamazepine even if you feel well. Do not stop taking carbamazepine without talking to your doctor, even if you experience side effects such as unusual changes in behavior or mood. If you bear a seizure disorder and you suddenly stop taking carbamazepine, your seizures could become worse. Your physician will probably decrease your dose gradually.
Are there other uses for this medicine?
Carbamazepine is also occasionally used to treat mental illnesses, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol withdrawal, restless legs syndrome, diabetes insipid us, certain pain syndromes, and a disease in children called chorea. Talk to your physician about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.
What special precautions should you follow?
Before consuming carbamazepine,
*Tell your physician and pharmacist if you're allergic to carbamazepine, clomipramine (Anafranil), amoxapine (Asendin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), desipramine (Norpramin), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), other medications for seizures such as phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton) or phenytoin (Dilantin), trimipramine (Surmontil), protriptyline (Vivactil), or some other medications.
*You should know that carbamazepine is the active component in several products that have another names and could be prescribed to treat another conditions. Check the list of brand names at the beginning of this document cautiously. All of the products listed contain carbamazepine and you should not take more than one of them at the same time.
*Don't consume carbamazepine if you're consuming monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped consuming them within the past two weeks.
What side effects could this medication cause?
Carbamazepine could cause side effects. Tell your physician if any of these symptoms are serious or do not go away:
Some side effects could be dangerous. If you experience any of these symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your physician immediately:
*Confusion
*Loss of contact with reality
*Chest pain
*Yellowing of the skin or eyes
*Vision problems.
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