Carbamazepine Uses

Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant drug. It is used to treat epilepsy. This medication is effective against certain types of seizures, such as partial seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and mixed seizure patterns. However, carbamazepine does not appear to control absence seizures. In fact, carbamazepine aggravation of absence seizures has been reported in epilepsy patients. 

Carbamazepine is also prescribed to patients with facial nerve pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia. 

The extended-release capsules of carbamazepine (Equetro brand) may be prescribed for acute manic and mixed episodes in people with bipolar disorder 1.

There may be other uses of carbamazepine, such as to treat restless legs syndrome. Your doctor or pharmacist can give you further carbamazepine drug information.

Carbamazepine Mechanism of Action

Carbamazepine works by decreasing the number of abnormal electrical signals in the brain.

Carbamazepine Doses

Carbamazepine is available as a 100-mg chewable tablet; a 200-mg regular tablet; 100-mg, 200-mg and 400-mg extended release tablets (Tegretol XR); 100-mg, 200-mg, and 300-mg extended-release capsules (Equetro); and 100 mg/5 mL liquid suspension. The typical dose of carbamazepine is as follows:

To treat epilepsy: In adults and children 12 years of age and older, the usual dose of carbamazepine is 200 mg twice a day. Your doctor may increase the dose, if needed. The maximum dose is typically 800 mg twice a day in adults. In children under 12 years of age, the carbamazepine dose depends on the child’s body weight and is typically a maximum of 1,000 mg per day for children aged 6-12 years and 35 mg/kg of body weight for children under 6.

To treat trigeminal neuralgia: The dose of carbamazepine for trigeminal neuralgia in adults is usually 200 mg once a day. Your doctor may increase the dose as needed. The maximum dose is 1,200 mg per day. The dose in children must be determined by a healthcare provider.

To treat bipolar disorder 1: The dose of carbamazepine for bipolar disorder in adults is usually 200 mg twice a day (extended-release capsules Equetro brand). Your doctor may increase the dose as needed. The maximum dose is 1,600 mg per day. The dose in children must be determined by a healthcare provider.