Carbamazepine - (Carbatrol®)

This drug is commonly used to treat epilepsy, chronic pain and certain psychiatric disorders. Carbamazepine belongs to the group of drugs called anti-convulsants.

Your Results

Low risk of side effects

Based on your genetic markers, you have a low risk of potentially life-threatening dermatological side effects should you need to take this medication. These side effects include fever, body aches, a rash, blisters on mucous membranes, and small areas or large areas of peeling skin.

Drug and side effects facts

Generic name: carbamazepine (kar-ba-MAZ-e-peen)

Brand names: Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol XR®

Primary uses: Carbamazepine, an anti-convulsant, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of epilepsy, pain, and certain psychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Secondary uses: Carbamazepine is also prescribed by doctors for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), due to its sedative properties.

Side effects: Based on their genetic makeup, some people are at increased risk for potentially life-threatening dermatological side effects with this drug. Side effects include serious conditions called Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). SJS and TEN symptoms include fever, body aches, a rash, blisters on mucous membranes, and small areas of peeling skin (SJS) or large areas of peeling skin (TEN). Severe cases carry a 30 percent chance of death.

Learn more about how this drug affects you

What you can do

This information may be important for your health:

Let your doctor(s) know about this genetic result.
Carry this information with you should it be needed in a medical consultation or emergency.
Consider sharing this information with your family.

If you require treatment for epilepsy, nerve pain, or certain psychiatric conditions, carbamazepine may be a good option for you.

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How common are these side effects?

Serious skin reactions occur in one to six out of every 10,000 new patients taking carbamazepine in the United States. In countries with a larger Asian population, that risk can be up to ten times higher. (This estimate reflects past occurrences of this side effect in the general population, not your personal genetic risk.)

Genetics is only part of the story. Other factors, such as gender, allergies to other drugs, and health status contribute to your risk of serious carbamazepine side effects.

Learn more about side effects