Anxiety Zone Forums | Login | Register | Announcements | General Discussion | Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Hypochondria (Health Anxiety) | Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia | Clinical Depression | Specific Phobias | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Social Anxiety Disorder | Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) | Other Mental Health Issues | Medications and Therapy | Addiction and Recovery | The Anxiety Zone Arcade | Conditions Index | Drug Index | Glossary | Symptoms | Therapies | Latest Health News | Chat Rooms | Search | Community Guidelines

Support Forums And Chats For Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Hypochondria, Panic Disorder, Clinical Depression, Specific Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
- Click on the banner above to visit the Anxiety Zone forums -

Oxcarbazepine

Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) is an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizing drug, used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

Oxcarbazepine is structurally a derivative of carbamazepine, adding a extra oxygen atom to the benzylcarboxamide group. This difference helps reduce the impact on the liver of metabolizing the drug, and also prevents the serious forms of anemia occasionally associated with carbamazepine. Aside from this reduction in side effects, it is thought to have the same mechanism as carbamazepine - sodium channel inhibition - and is generally used to treat the same conditions.

Side effects

Oxcarbazepine occasionally causes fatigue, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and blurred or double vision. It can cause hyponatremia, so blood sodium levels should be tested if the patient complains of severe fatigue.

The information above is not intended for and should not be used as a substitute for the diagnosis and/or treatment by a licensed, qualified, health-care professional. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It incorporates material originating from the Wikipedia article "Oxcarbazepine".

Copyright © 2008 Anxiety Zone - Anxiety Disorders Forum. All Rights Reserved.