💊 Carbamazepine Tablet 400 mg
📌 1. Prescription / Indication:
Carbamazepine 400 mg tablets are prescribed for the management and control of:
- Epilepsy (partial seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures)
- Trigeminal neuralgia (severe, stabbing facial pain)
- Bipolar disorder (especially acute manic or mixed episodes)
- Neuropathic pain (off-label uses)
📄 2. Description:
- Form: Oral tablet, typically white or off-white, round or oval
- Strength: Contains 400 mg of carbamazepine
- Release type: Available in immediate-release and controlled-release (CR/ER) forms depending on the brand
🔬 3. Nature / Pharmacological Class:
- Drug class: Anticonvulsant, mood stabilizer
- Mechanism of action:
- Blocks voltage-gated sodium channels
- Stabilizes hyperexcited neurons
- Decreases synaptic transmission
- Modulates neurotransmitters (e.g., glutamate)
🌟 4. Advantages:
- Long-established and effective anticonvulsant
- Useful for multiple neurological and psychiatric disorders
- CR formulation provides better steady blood levels and fewer side effects
- Effective in reducing nerve pain without needing opioids
- Widely available and cost-effective
📦 5. Common Packaging:
| Formulation | Common Packs |
|---|---|
| Tablet 400 mg (IR/CR) | Strips of 10 tablets; Box of 100 |
| CR/ER Tablets | Often scored for dose division |
🧊 6. Storage Instructions:
- Store at room temperature (below 25°C)
- Keep in a dry place, protected from light and moisture
- Keep out of reach of children
👩⚕️ 7. Patient Advice:
- Take with food or milk to minimize stomach upset
- Do not stop abruptly – can provoke seizures
- Swallow CR tablets whole; don’t crush unless directed
- May cause drowsiness or dizziness—avoid driving if affected
- Regular blood monitoring is advised:
- Liver function
- Blood counts
- Serum sodium levels
- Avoid alcohol, grapefruit juice, and enzyme-inducing drugs
- Notify your doctor if you experience:
- Rash or skin peeling
- Jaundice (yellowing of eyes/skin)
- Unusual bleeding or bruising
- Sore throat or fever
🎯 8. Purpose / Medical Uses:
- Epilepsy:
- Focal (partial) seizures
- Generalized tonic-clonic seizures
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Bipolar affective disorder (acute mania and prevention of mood swings)
- Diabetic neuropathy and phantom limb pain (off-label)
⚠️ 9. Precautions & Warnings:
- Contraindicated in:
- Hypersensitivity to carbamazepine or tricyclics
- Bone marrow suppression
- May cause:
- Hyponatremia
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (especially in patients with HLA-B*1502 allele)
- Hepatotoxicity and blood dyscrasias
- Use in pregnancy only when essential (risk of fetal abnormalities)
- Adjust dose in elderly or renal/hepatic impairment