💊 Carbamazepine Tablet 200 mg
📌 1. Prescription / Indication:
Carbamazepine 200 mg tablets are prescribed for:
- Epilepsy (partial and generalized tonic-clonic seizures)
- Trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial nerve pain)
- Bipolar disorder (as a mood stabilizer, especially for manic episodes)
- Diabetic neuropathy (off-label in some settings)
📄 2. Description:
- Form: Oral tablet (usually round or oval, white or off-white, scored or unscored)
- Dose: 200 mg carbamazepine per tablet
- Release type: Immediate-release (also available as controlled-release and chewable forms)
🔬 3. Nature / Class:
- Pharmacologic Class: Anticonvulsant, Mood Stabilizer
- Mechanism of Action: Blocks voltage-gated sodium channels in neurons, stabilizing hyperexcitable nerve membranes and reducing synaptic transmission.
🌟 4. Advantages:
- Effective long-term seizure control
- Reduces neuropathic pain
- Used as a first-line drug for trigeminal neuralgia
- Helps in stabilizing mood in bipolar affective disorders
- Available in various formulations (IR, CR, suspension)
📦 5. Common Packaging:
| Form | Typical Pack Sizes |
|---|---|
| Tablet 200 mg | Strips of 10 tablets; Boxes of 100 tablets |
| Chewable / CR tablets | 100 mg / 200 mg / 400 mg |
| Oral suspension | 100 mg/5 mL |
🧊 6. Storage:
- Store below 25°C
- Keep in a dry place, away from moisture and light
- Keep out of reach of children
👩⚕️ 7. Patient Advice:
- Take with food to reduce stomach upset.
- Do not stop suddenly—can trigger seizures or relapse.
- May cause drowsiness, dizziness, or blurred vision—avoid driving initially.
- Regular blood tests may be required (for liver function, sodium levels, and blood counts).
- Report symptoms like skin rash, yellowing of eyes, severe fatigue, or sore throat.
- Avoid alcohol and grapefruit juice.
- Interactions with other antiepileptics, oral contraceptives, and many drugs—always inform your doctor.
🎯 8. Purpose / Uses:
- Control of epilepsy (especially partial seizures with complex symptoms)
- Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia
- Management of bipolar mania
- May be used off-label for schizoaffective disorder, alcohol withdrawal, or chronic pain
⚠️ 9. Precautions & Warnings:
- Contraindicated in bone marrow depression and known hypersensitivity
- May cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome (especially in Asian populations with HLA-B*1502)
- Use cautiously in liver or kidney impairment
- Can lower serum sodium (hyponatremia)
- Not recommended in pregnancy unless benefits outweigh risks (teratogenic potential)