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Carbamazepine side effects: what 66,609 FDA adverse event reports show

Carbamazepine · 1,256 reaction terms · 267,747 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Mood Stabilizer

FDA label (Established Pharmacologic Class)

Who reports

66,609 reports · 86% serious · 5,605 with death outcome · 58% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Epilepsy Carbamazepine is indicated for use as an anticonvulsant drug. Evidence supporting efficacy of carbamazepine as an anticonvulsant was derived from active drug-controlled studies that enrolled patients with the following seizure types: 1. Partial seizures with complex symptomatology (psychomotor, temporal lobe). Patients with these seizures appear to show greater improvement than those with other types. 2.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

DESCRIPTION Carbamazepine Tablets, carbamazepine USP, is an anticonvulsant and specific analgesic for trigeminal neuralgia, available for oral administration as tablets of 100 mg and 200 mg.

FDA label, Description section

Boxed warning

SERIOUS DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS AND HLA-B*1502 ALLELE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS, INCLUDING TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) AND STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS), HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING TREATMENT WITH CARBAMAZEPINE.

FDA label
How to read this page. FAERS is a spontaneous-reporting system: counts are not incidence rates and a signal is not proof of causation. Each reaction below is run through an automated screen — is the term in the FDA label (known), in the indications (the disease being treated), an administrative/coding term, or none of these (unlabeled)? That screen is mechanical text matching, not a causality assessment. The 30 hand-written Bradford Hill assessments are on the causality assessment page. Not medical advice.

Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals

Labeled (related wording) 2Likely indication confounding 16Reporting / coding artifact 3Lab value / disease marker 9Not in label — unassessed 10
What the badges mean

Strongest disproportionality signals

Flagged terms (PRR ≥ 2, χ² ≥ 4, n ≥ 10), ranked by PRR; infinite PRRs (no comparator reports) excluded. The EBGM column is a second, shrinkage-based estimate (MGPS) with its 5th percentile EB05 and the BCPNN IC025; a pair flagged by PRR alone is marked PRR-only and should be read as fragile. The strata column recomputes the PRR on serious reports only and flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers rather than clinicians. 1,216 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.

Show:
ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Amyloid arthropathy593,653.8
1,466.5–9,103.5ROR 3,657.1 · χ² 16,548 / p <1e-300
262.1 EB05 210.6 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=59 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Total lung capacity increased101185.1
144.6–236.8ROR 185.3 · χ² 11,458 / p <1e-300
113.8 EB05 96.3 · IC025 +5.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=101 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Human herpes virus 6 serology positive80178.2
135.4–234.6ROR 178.4 · χ² 8,835 / p <1e-300
110.5 EB05 91.7 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=80 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Sedation complication58696.4
87.9–105.7ROR 97.3 · χ² 42,127 / p <1e-300
73.6 EB05 68.7 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=580 · ♀ 95% (drug 58%)not reported in cached trials
Anticonvulsant drug level above therapeutic14590.0
74.8–108.2ROR 90.2 · χ² 9,817 / p <1e-300
69.3 EB05 60.4 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=137not reported in cached trials
Anticonvulsant drug level increased33982.8
73.5–93.4ROR 83.3 · χ² 21,563 / p <1e-300
65.3 EB05 59.7 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious n=326not reported in cached trials
Capillaritis4766.8
48.7–91.5ROR 66.8 · χ² 2,450 / p <1e-300
54.0 EB05 42.2 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=46 · ♀ 0% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy7853.0
41.7–67.3ROR 53.0 · χ² 3,352 / p <1e-300
44.9 EB05 37.2 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=78 · ♀ 33% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Complex partial seizures16052.0
44.0–61.5ROR 52.1 · χ² 6,807 / p <1e-300
44.4 EB05 39.0 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=157NCT01243177: 2/444 (0.5%) on Carbamazepine; 1/442 (0.2%) control (serious AE)
Creatinine renal clearance decreased55950.6
46.3–55.4ROR 51.1 · χ² 23,340 / p <1e-300
43.6 EB05 40.7 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=559 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%)not reported in cached trials
Temporal lobe epilepsy6150.5
38.5–66.2ROR 50.5 · χ² 2,502 / p <1e-300
43.0 EB05 34.7 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=61 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Trigeminal neuralgia53147.8
43.6–52.3ROR 48.1 · χ² 21,028 / p <1e-300
41.5 EB05 38.6 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=441not reported in cached trials
Lymphocyte morphology abnormal7445.6
35.8–58.3ROR 45.7 · χ² 2,777 / p <1e-300
39.5 EB05 32.5 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=74 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Lymphocyte stimulation test positive10245.2
36.7–55.6ROR 45.3 · χ² 3,807 / p <1e-300
39.3 EB05 33.3 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=102 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Multiple drug therapy8744.7
35.7–56.0ROR 44.8 · χ² 3,213 / p <1e-300
38.9 EB05 32.5 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=86 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%)not reported in cached trials
Total lung capacity abnormal4744.2
32.6–60.0ROR 44.3 · χ² 1,700 / p <1e-300
38.3 EB05 29.9 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=47 · ♀ 0% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Multiple-drug resistance36141.5
37.2–46.3ROR 41.7 · χ² 12,550 / p <1e-300
36.7 EB05 33.6 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=312 · 92% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Anticonvulsant drug level below therapeutic8539.5
31.5–49.4ROR 39.5 · χ² 2,792 / p <1e-300
34.9 EB05 29.1 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=77not reported in cached trials
Partial seizures with secondary generalisation4634.2
25.2–46.3ROR 34.2 · χ² 1,304 / p 9e-286
30.5 EB05 23.8 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=46 · 100% clinicianNCT01243177: 3/442 (0.7%) control (serious AE)
Psychogenic seizure8732.7
26.2–40.8ROR 32.7 · χ² 2,389 / p <1e-300
29.5 EB05 24.7 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=84 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Pulmonary vasculitis4932.1
23.9–43.0ROR 32.1 · χ² 1,309 / p 7e-287
28.9 EB05 22.7 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=49 · ♀ 0% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Anticonvulsant drug level decreased12830.9
25.8–37.1ROR 31.0 · χ² 3,345 / p <1e-300
28.1 EB05 24.3 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious n=121not reported in cached trials
Focal dyscognitive seizures10230.8
25.1–37.7ROR 30.8 · χ² 2,646 / p <1e-300
28.0 EB05 23.7 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=101not reported in cached trials
Lip erosion6429.9
23.1–38.6ROR 29.9 · χ² 1,604 / p <1e-300
27.2 EB05 22.0 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=64not reported in cached trials
Myoclonic epilepsy12529.1
24.2–35.0ROR 29.2 · χ² 3,077 / p <1e-300
26.6 EB05 22.9 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=125not reported in cached trials
Petit mal epilepsy43129.1
26.4–32.1ROR 29.3 · χ² 10,663 / p <1e-300
26.6 EB05 24.6 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=422not reported in cached trials
Meningomyelocele5028.2
21.1–37.7ROR 28.2 · χ² 1,177 / p 2e-258
25.7 EB05 20.3 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=49 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Spirometry abnormal4827.9
20.8–37.5ROR 28.0 · χ² 1,119 / p 1e-245
25.5 EB05 20.0 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=48 · ♀ 0% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Simple partial seizures6527.2
21.1–35.0ROR 27.2 · χ² 1,482 / p <1e-300
24.9 EB05 20.2 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=65not reported in cached trials
Partial seizures39025.7
23.2–28.5ROR 25.8 · χ² 8,524 / p <1e-300
23.8 EB05 21.9 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious n=377NCT01243177: 2/444 (0.5%) on Carbamazepine; 1/442 (0.2%) control (serious AE)
Creatinine renal clearance increased5524.8
18.8–32.6ROR 24.8 · χ² 1,141 / p 2e-250
22.9 EB05 18.2 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=55 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Atonic seizures5824.6
18.9–32.2ROR 24.7 · χ² 1,196 / p 2e-262
22.7 EB05 18.2 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=52not reported in cached trials
Aura13524.6
20.6–29.3ROR 24.6 · χ² 2,807 / p <1e-300
22.8 EB05 19.7 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=115not reported in cached trials
Change in seizure presentation4724.2
18.0–32.6ROR 24.2 · χ² 949 / p 1e-208
22.4 EB05 17.5 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=46 · ♀ 100% (drug 58%)not reported in cached trials
Electroencephalogram abnormal22023.5
20.5–27.0ROR 23.6 · χ² 4,391 / p <1e-300
21.9 EB05 19.6 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=215not reported in cached trials
Dysmorphism16122.8
19.4–26.7ROR 22.8 · χ² 3,102 / p <1e-300
21.2 EB05 18.6 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=161not reported in cached trials
Tonic convulsion9322.3
18.1–27.5ROR 22.3 · χ² 1,746 / p <1e-300
20.8 EB05 17.5 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=92not reported in cached trials
Epilepsy2,02222.3
21.3–23.3ROR 23.0 · χ² 38,385 / p <1e-300
20.9 EB05 20.1 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 14.0NCT01243177: 2/444 (0.5%) on Carbamazepine (serious AE)

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

✓ Trial adverse-event data found on ClinicalTrials.gov

Largest completed trials with posted results that list Carbamazepine as a study intervention. The right-hand column of the signal table shows whether each FAERS term was also recorded in these trials, with a real denominator (4 of 40 signal terms matched).

Caveats: trial populations, doses and follow-up differ from the reporting population; AE terms are sponsor-coded and matched here by wording; absence from a trial list means the term was not reported above the sponsor's frequency threshold, not that it cannot occur.

Most frequently reported reactions

By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.

ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)5,0291.2
1.2–1.2ROR 1.2 · χ² 183 / p 5e-42
1.2 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.2Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 1.8not reported in cached trials
Seizure3,71410.5
10.2–10.8ROR 11.1 · χ² 31,031 / p <1e-300
10.2 EB05 9.9 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 6.9NCT01243177: 2/444 (0.5%) on Carbamazepine; 1/442 (0.2%) control (serious AE)
Drug interaction3,4627.0
6.8–7.2ROR 7.3 · χ² 17,541 / p <1e-300
6.9 EB05 6.7 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 4.9not reported in cached trials
Fall3,0732.9
2.8–3.0ROR 3.0 · χ² 3,924 / p <1e-300
2.9 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.2NCT01243177: 1/444 (0.2%) on Carbamazepine; 1/442 (0.2%) control (serious AE)
Dizziness2,9101.8
1.8–1.9ROR 1.9 · χ² 1,146 / p 2e-251
1.8 EB05 1.8 · IC025 +0.8Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.8NCT01243177: 53/444 (11.9%) on Carbamazepine; 41/442 (9.3%) control
Off label use (used outside approved label)2,7521.0
1.0–1.0ROR 1.0 · χ² 0 / p 0.467
1.0 EB05 1.0 · IC025 -0.1
PRR-only: not supported by EBGM or IC
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 1.1not reported in cached trials
Nausea2,6931.1
1.0–1.1ROR 1.1 · χ² 14 / p 7e-5
1.1 EB05 1.0 · IC025 +0.0Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.2NCT01243177: 26/444 (5.9%) on Carbamazepine; 23/442 (5.2%) control
Vomiting2,5691.7
1.7–1.8ROR 1.8 · χ² 802 / p 8e-177
1.7 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.7Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.6not reported in cached trials
Fatigue (tiredness)2,5231.0
1.0–1.1ROR 1.0 · χ² 1 / p 0.130
1.0 EB05 1.0 · IC025 -0.0
PRR-only: not supported by EBGM or IC
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.0NCT01243177: 1/444 (0.2%) on Carbamazepine (serious AE)
Convulsion (seizure)2,49814.1
13.6–14.7ROR 14.6 · χ² 29,216 / p <1e-300
13.6 EB05 13.1 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 8.9NCT01243177: 4/444 (0.9%) on Carbamazepine; 2/442 (0.5%) control (serious AE)
Rash2,3591.7
1.6–1.8ROR 1.7 · χ² 716 / p 5e-158
1.7 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.7Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.2NCT01243177: 1/444 (0.2%) on Carbamazepine (serious AE)
Pain2,3321.2
1.1–1.2ROR 1.2 · χ² 75 / p 2e-18
1.2 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.2Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 1.1NCT00477295: 1/281 (0.4%) on Carbamazepine (serious AE)

Unlabeled candidate signals

These flagged terms were not found in the FDA label text and do not match an artifact pattern. They are the pairs that would merit a structured assessment (temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across databases, trial or cohort evidence). The screen has not done that; string-matching misses label wording, and a strong PRR can still be stimulated reporting, co-medication, or the disease itself.

✓ A hand-written Bradford Hill causality assessment exists for this drug: Carbamazepine ↔ Hyponatraemia.

Want to assess one of these properly? The runbook describes the Bradford Hill / trial-evidence workflow used on the assessment page, and handoff_top1000_signals.csv lists the strongest unassessed pairs across all drugs.

Common questions

What are the most reported side effects of Carbamazepine?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Carbamazepine are seizure, fall, dizziness, pyrexia, nausea, toxicity to various agents. These are report counts, not rates: FAERS has no denominator, reporting is voluntary and uneven, and a term can be reported because of the illness being treated rather than the drug.

Does Carbamazepine have an FDA boxed warning?

Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: SERIOUS DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS AND HLA-B*1502 ALLELE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS, INCLUDING TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) AND STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS), HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING TREATMENT WITH CARBAMAZEPINE.

Do FAERS signals prove that Carbamazepine causes these side effects?

No. A disproportionality signal (PRR, ROR) means a reaction is reported more often with this drug than with others in the database. That can reflect a real effect, but also the disease being treated, stimulated reporting after news or litigation, co-medications, or how reports are coded. Causality needs temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across data sources and, ideally, trial or cohort evidence. This page screens each term against the FDA label and ClinicalTrials.gov results; it does not establish causation.

Sources & methods

Page generated 2026-10-08. Label and PubChem text are retrieved automatically and may lag the current label; always check the current prescribing information. OpenPV is a beta research tool of the Open Source Medicine Foundation.