Levetiracetam vs Carbamazepine: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Levetiracetam | Carbamazepine | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | Mood Stabilizer |
| Brand names | – | – |
| FAERS reports | 132,782 | 66,609 |
| Serious | 83% | 86% |
| Death outcome | 11,940 | 5,605 |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes SERIOUS DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS AND HLA-B*1502 ALLELE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS, INCLUDING TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) AND STEVENS- |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Levetiracetam | Carbamazepine | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partial seizures | 1,437 · PRR 60.9 | 390 · PRR 25.7 | Labeled adverse reaction / Likely indication confounding |
| Petit mal epilepsy | 1,047 · PRR 40.8 | 431 · PRR 29.1 | Labeled (related wording) / Likely indication confounding |
| Complex partial seizures | 249 · PRR 44.6 | 160 · PRR 52.0 | Labeled (related wording) / Likely indication confounding |
| Simple partial seizures | 178 · PRR 43.9 | 65 · PRR 27.2 | Labeled (related wording) / Likely indication confounding |
| Partial seizures with secondary generalisation | 148 · PRR 72.7 | 46 · PRR 34.2 | Labeled (related wording) / Likely indication confounding |
| Epilepsy | 4,134 · PRR 24.6 | 2,022 · PRR 22.3 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Myoclonic epilepsy | 422 · PRR 63.3 | 125 · PRR 29.1 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Aura | 369 · PRR 38.9 | 135 · PRR 24.6 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Focal dyscognitive seizures | 388 · PRR 81.2 | 102 · PRR 30.8 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Psychogenic seizure | 283 · PRR 69.8 | 87 · PRR 32.7 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Tonic convulsion | 247 · PRR 33.6 | 93 · PRR 22.3 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Change in seizure presentation | 233 · PRR 86.9 | 47 · PRR 24.2 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy | 185 · PRR 82.1 | 78 · PRR 53.0 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Atonic seizures | 191 · PRR 49.6 | 58 · PRR 24.6 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Temporal lobe epilepsy | 86 · PRR 38.1 | 61 · PRR 50.5 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
Labeled signals distinctive to Levetiracetam
- Status epilepticus — n=2,923, PRR 54.9 Labeled adverse reaction
Labeled signals distinctive to Carbamazepine
- Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms — n=446, PRR 49.3 Labeled (related wording)
- Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome — n=101, PRR 75.7 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Levetiracetam or Carbamazepine?
Levetiracetam has 132,782 FAERS reports and Carbamazepine 66,609. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (83% vs 86%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Levetiracetam and Carbamazepine share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for partial seizures, petit mal epilepsy, complex partial seizures, simple partial seizures, partial seizures with secondary generalisation. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Levetiracetam or Carbamazepine safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.