Carbamazepine Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• Wear disease medical alert identification.

• If you are 65 or older, use this medicine with caution. You could have more side effects.

• Follow laws about driving with a seizure condition.

• If you have been taking this medicine for several weeks, talk with healthcare provider before stopping. You may want to gradually withdraw this medicine.

• If you have kidney disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have liver disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• You may not be alert. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Do not take other liquid medicines within 2 hours of this liquid medicine.

• Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor).

• You can get sunburned more easily. Avoid sun, sunlamps, and tanning beds. Use sunscreen; wear protective clothing and eyewear.

• Birth control pills and other hormone-based birth control may not work to prevent pregnancy. Use another form of birth control while taking this medicine.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Feeling lightheaded, sleepy, having blurred vision, or a change in thinking clearly. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require you to be alert or have clear vision until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Change in balance.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Dry mouth. Frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Signs or symptoms of infection. These include a fever of 100.5 degrees or higher, chills, severe sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, increased sputum or change in color, painful urination, mouth sores, wound that will not heal, or anal itching or pain.

• Signs or symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, nervousness, emotional ups and downs, abnormal thinking, anxiety, or lack of interest in life.

• Significant change in thinking clearly and logically.

• Significant change in balance.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Unusual bruising or bleeding.

• Yellow skin or eyes.

• Not able to eat.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• If seizures are worse or different after starting medicine.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.