Carbamazepine (Generic Tegretol) - Uses, Dosage and Side Effects

Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder, as well as trigeminal neuralgia. It is also used off-label for a variety of indications, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, phantom limb syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, paroxysmal extreme pain disorder, neuromyotonia, intermittent explosive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Carbamazipine is typically used for the treatment of seizure disorders and neuropathic pain. It may be used as a second line treatment for bipolar disorder and along with antipsychotic agents in schizophrenia.

Carbamazepine (Generic Tegretol) - Availability And Packaging

Carbamazepine is available as Generic Tegretol Tablets which is packaged in 200 mg tablets. Carbamazepine is sold under the brand names Biston, Calepsin, Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Finlepsin, Sirtal, Stazepine, Telesmin, Tegretol, Teril, Timonil, Trimonil and Epimaz.

Side Effects of Carbamazepine (Generic Tegretol)

Common adverse effects of Generic Tegretol include drowsiness, headaches and migraines, motor coordination impairment, and/or upset stomach. Carbamazepine preparations typically greatly decrease a person's alcohol tolerance. Less common side-effects include cardiac arrhythmias, blurry or double vision and/or the temporary loss ofblood cells or platelets and in rare cases can cause aplastic anemia. With normal use, small reductions in white cell count and serum sodium are common; however, in rare cases, the loss of platelets may become life-threatening. This occurs commonly enough that a doctor may recommend frequent blood tests during the first few months of use, followed by three to four tests per year for established patients.
The FDA informed health care professionals that dangerous or even fatal skin reactions (Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis), that can be caused by carbamazepine therapy, are significantly more common in patients with a particularhuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele, HLA-B*1502. This allele occurs almost exclusively in patients with ancestry across broad areas of Asia.

Carbamazepine (Generic Tegretol) - Dosage

The dosage of Generic Tegretol varies as per the codition being treated. For the treatment of Epilepsy in Adults and children over 12 years of age, the Initial dosage is 200 mg b.i.d. for tablets and XR tablets. Increase at weekly intervals by adding up to 200 mg/day using a b.i.d. regimen of Tegretol-XR until the optimal response is obtained. Dosage generally should not exceed 1000 mg daily in children 12-15 years of age, and 1200 mg daily in patients above 15 years of age.
Maintenance Dose: Adjust dosage to the minimum effective level, usually 800-1200 mg daily.

Additional Information

Additional Info: Prescribing Information

Considerable portions of the text here is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamazepine