Carbatrol
Pharmacokinetics
When taken orally, carbamazepine is quickly and completely absorbed. The majority of body tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS), contain it. The drug carbamazepine is absorbed into breast milk after crossing the placenta. It goes through hepatic metabolism and produces a number of metabolites, some of which are pharmacologically active. Carbamazepine has an elimination half-life of 36 to 60 hours (mean 48 hours), which is prolonged in elderly patients, patients with impaired liver function, and patients taking multiple anticonvulsants.
Drug interactions
If you take any other medications, herbs, or vitamins, carbamazepine may interact with them. When a substance modifies how a drug functions, there is an interaction. This could be harmful or stop the medication from working properly. If you take certain medications along with carbamazepine, it might not control your seizures or reduce your pain as well. To achieve the same effect, you might need to take more carbamazepine. Your doctor will closely monitor you if you are taking carbamazepine along with any of these medications. Before beginning carbamazepine, let your doctor know if you're taking any of the following medicines:
Cimetidine, Rifampin, Phenytoin, and Phenobarbital
Side effects
Other negative effects of carbamazepine are also possible.
The following are a few of the side effects of carbamazepine:
Dizziness
Drowsiness
nausea and diarrhoea
distorted vision
Headache
constipation or diarrhea
Loss or gain of weight
alterations in appetite
Particularly if you are pregnant or nursing, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking carbamazepine with your doctor. Carbamazepine can enter breast milk and have negative effects on a nursing infant.
If you experience any of these serious side effects, call your doctor right away:
Simple bleeding or bruising
Fever, sore throat, headache, and a severe rash that is red, blistering, and peeling
the skin or eyes turning yellow
dark feces
Loss of appetite and pain in the upper right portion of the stomach
nausea and diarrhoea
Dosage and Administration
There are immediate-release and extended-release tablets of carbamazepine. Only those who take carbamazepine twice daily for epilepsy are eligible for the extended-release form.
Carbamazepine is typically started at a dose of 100 mg twice or three times daily for seizure control. Until your seizures are under control, your doctor may gradually increase your dose. The typical daily maintenance dose falls between 800 and 1,600 mg.
The typical starting dose of carbamazepine for nerve pain is 100 mg twice or three times daily. Your dose may be gradually increased by your doctor until you experience pain relief. The typical daily maintenance dose falls between 200 and 400 mg.
Overdose
Call your neighborhood poison control center if you take too much carbamazepine. Call 999 if the person has fallen or isn't breathing.
Storage
Away from moisture and light, keep carbamazepine in a container at room temperature. Keep out of the bathroom. Keep pets and children away from carbamazepine.
A prescription drug called carbamazepine is used to treat bipolar disorder, trigeminal neuralgia, and seizures. The three dosage forms of carbamazepine are oral suspension, immediate-release tablets, and extended-release tablets. Normally, two or three times a day are sufficient for taking the immediate-release tablets. Taken twice daily are the extended-release tablets. Four times a day, the oral suspension is taken. Carbamazepine frequently causes side effects like drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and weight gain.