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Oxcarbazepine
from eMedTV.comWhat Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking this medication if you have:- Anemia or other blood disorders
- Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
Also let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant (see Trileptal and Pregnancy)
- Breastfeeding (see Trileptal and Breastfeeding).
You should also make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
(Click Precautions and Warnings With Oxcarbazepine to learn more, including information on who should not take the drug.)
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that occurs when there are recurring, brief changes in how the brain's electrical system works. These changes in brain activity can lead to a seizure (see Epilepsy Symptoms).
It is not known exactly how oxcarbazepine works to prevent partial seizures in people with epilepsy. It may work by blocking sodium channels in the brain. By blocking sodium channels, oxcarbazepine may decrease the activity of nerve cells, preventing them from firing abnormally.
Several studies have shown that oxcarbazepine is effective for treating partial seizures in adults and children as young as two years old. In these studies, people taking oxcarbazepine had fewer partial seizures, compared to those not taking it. Oxcarbazepine was effective when used alone or in combination with other seizure medications.
While oxcarbazepine can be effective at controlling seizures, it is not an epilepsy cure.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD