Side Effects Of Carbamazepine

NHS medicines information on side effects of carbamazepine and what you can do to cope.

Like all medicines, carbamazepine can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.

Common side effects

These common side effects of carbamazepine may happen in more than 1 in 100 people. They're usually mild and go away by themselves. If they do not go away there are things you can do to help cope with them:

Keep taking the medicine but talk to your pharmacist or doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away.

Serious side effects

Skin rashes

It's common to get a skin rash with carbamazepine. Most skin rashes are not serious.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare side effect of carbamazepine. It causes flu-like symptoms, followed by a red or purple rash that spreads and forms blisters. The affected skin eventually dies and peels off.

It's more likely to happen in the first 8 weeks of starting carbamazepine, or when the dose is increased too quickly. It can also happen if carbamazepine is stopped suddenly for a few days and then restarted at the same dose as before, without reducing the dose and then increasing it slowly again.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is more common in:

• children
• people who developed a rash with a different epilepsy medicine in the past
• people who are allergic to an antibiotic called trimethoprim
• people also taking a medicine called sodium valproate

To help prevent the chance of you getting a rash that could be confused with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, it's best not to try new medicines or food during the first 3 months of treatment with carbamazepine.

It's also best to not start carbamazepine within 2 weeks of a viral infection, vaccination, or rash caused by something else.

Go to A&E now if:

Other serious side effects

It's unusual to have serious side effects after taking carbamazepine.

Call a doctor or call 111 straight away if:

• you have unusual bleeding or bruising, mouth sores, infections, a high temperature or sore throat - these can be signs of a blood disorder
• the whites of eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow although this can be less noticeable on brown or black skin - these can be signs of a liver problem
• you have pain in your joints and muscles, a rash across the bridge of your nose and cheeks, and problems breathing - these are signs of lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus)

Call 999 or go to A&E now if:

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to carbamazepine.

Long-term side effects

Some side effects of carbamazepine can happen over a long time. These include osteoporosis and osteopenia (increasing your risk of breaking a bone).

Your doctor can arrange for tests to check the strength of your bones. Regular exercise and a good diet can also help to keep your bones strong.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of carbamazepine. For a full list, check the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.