Sometimes one kind of medicine changes the way another kind of medicine works in the body. If two kinds of medicine affect each other, the doctor may prescribe something else or change the amount to be taken.

Oxcarbazepine has very few problems of this kind. The way oxcarbazepine works is not affected by other medicines and oxcarbazepine does not affect most other medicines. (See below for some exceptions.) This means that oxcarbazepine can be taken with most other medicines without difficulty.

One exception is that oxcarbazepine can make oral contraceptives and Depo-Provera less effective. To prevent pregnancy, you may need to use a different type of birth control or raise the dosage of the contraceptive. Talk to your doctor about this problem. Oxcarbazepine does not affect barrier types of birth control, like condoms, IUDs, and diaphragms.

Oxcarbazepine can cause the level of the seizure medicines Dilantin or Phenytek (phenytoin) to go higher, so adjustments may be necessary if these medicines are used together.

Reviewed by Steven C. Schachter, MD
Submitted: 01/03/08