Often doctors find that medicines are useful for more than one purpose. Carbamazepine has been used successfully for many years to treat a type of facial pain called trigeminal neuralgia. Studies have shown that it is effective, so it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose.

It is also legal to prescribe medicines for "off-label uses" even though the FDA has not formally approved such use. Common off-label uses of carbamazepine include:

1. Treatment of other types of chronic nerve pain, similar to trigeminal neuralgia


2. Treatment of a few types of psychiatric disorders. It appears to be helpful for long-term use in preventing episodes of depression and mania in bipolar disorder, at least for certain people. Many studies also have found it effective in treating episodes of mania when they occur.