Sometimes one kind of medicine changes the way another kind of medicine works in the body. This is true not only for prescription medicines, but also for medicines you just pick up off the shelf at the store. It’s also true for herbal products, vitamins, a few kinds of food, and even cigarettes!

Any time a doctor suggests a new prescription, be sure to talk about what other medicines are already in use. If two kinds of medicine affect each other, the doctor may want to prescribe something else or change the amount to be taken.

How does Carbatrol affect other medicines?
Carbatrol makes birth control pills less effective, so the chances of becoming pregnant are greater. Women who use pills for birth control should talk to the doctor who prescribed them right away if they start taking Carbatrol. The same is true for some other forms of birth control such as Depo-Provera and implants. Birth control methods like condoms, IUDs, and diaphragms are not affected by Carbatrol.

Carbatrol also affects the way the body handles many other seizure medicines. Some of these are:

• Depakote (valproic acid)
• Dilantin or Phenytek (phenytoin)
• Klonopin (clonazepam)
• Topamax (topiramate)

How do other medicines affect Carbatrol?
Some medicines can cause carbamazepine (the medicine in Carbatrol) to build up in the blood. Having too much carbamazepine in the blood makes people feel dizzy, unsteady, or sleepy. Some of the medicines and other things that may do this include:

• Depakote and seizure medicines closely related to it
• some medicines for high blood pressure, including Cardizem (diltiazem) and verapamil
• Prozac (fluoxetine)
• certain antibiotics, including erythromycin
• cimetidine (Tagamet, also available without a prescription)
• painkillers Darvon and Darvocet
• several medicines used to treat fungus infections
• grapefruit juice

On the other hand, some medicines reduce the amount of carbamazepine in the blood. More seizures may occur unless more Carbatrol is taken. Medicines that may have this effect include:

• Dilantin or Phenytek (phenytoin)
• Felbatol (felbamate)
• Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
• phenobarbital
• Mysoline (primidone)