Because the tablets of Tegretol-XR must be swallowed whole, very small children generally cannot use it.

For older children who can swallow the pills, however, Tegretol-XR may be better than regular forms of carbamazepine. Children’s bodies digest carbamazepine faster than adults’ bodies do. Because they absorb it so quickly, side effects like sleepiness, double vision, or dizziness can be a problem for children. This kind of effect should be reduced if they take Tegretol-XR, because the level of medicine in their blood will be more even.

Parents and doctors also need to watch for problems with thinking or behavior. These problems are uncommon, but if they occur they can interfere with the child’s development and school performance.

As mentioned, children’s bodies break down the medicine in Tegretol-XR, carbamazepine, faster than adults’ bodies do. This means that young children need to take a larger amount, pound for pound, than adults, and they may need to take the medicine more often. By the time children reach their early teens, however, their bodies absorb, digest, and excrete medicines more like adults do, so they may need to take less than before.

Tegretol-XR is useful in treating many kinds of seizures that occur in children. But other types that are also common can be made worse, so a correct diagnosis is very important.