Your doctor should know
You need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you take carbamazepine if you think you may be allergic to carbamazepine (or similar medicines like oxcarbazepine (Trileptal™)), tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline, or an epilepsy medicine called phenytoin.
You also need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment with carbamazepine if any of the following apply to you:
- you have any heart or liver problems
- you have ever had problems with your bone marrow
- you have a blood problem called porphyria
- you are from a Han Chinese or Thai family background (certain reactions to this medicine are more likely in people of these origins – your doctor will want to check if you’re at risk of this problem by doing a blood test)
- you have taken drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), used to treat depression, within the last 14 days - MAOI drugs include moclobemide, isocarboxazid, phenelzine and tranylcypromine
- you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- you are breastfeeding
- you have epilepsy where you get mixed types of seizures (fits) which include absences
- you have any eye problems such as glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye)