amitriptyline vs carbamazepine
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Side-by-side comparison of amitriptyline and carbamazepine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
In addition, carbamazepine causes, or would be expected to cause, decreased levels of the following drugs, for which monitoring of concentrations or dosage adjustment may be necessary: acetaminophen, albendazole, alprazolam, aprepitant, buprenorphone, bupropion, citalopram, clonazepam, clozapine, corticosteroids (e.g., prednisolone, dexamethasone), cyclosporine, dicumarol, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (e.g., felodipine), doxycycline, ethosuximide, everolimus, haloperidol, imatinib, itraconazole, lamotrigine, levothyroxine, methadone, methsuximide, mianserin, midazolam,...
Elavil
Tegretol
Amitriptyline is a medicine used to treat depression. It may take up to 30 days to feel the full effect.
Carbamazepine is a medicine used to control seizures and treat nerve pain. It works by reducing abnormal electrical activity in the brain and calming nerve signals.
Amitriptyline is used to relieve the symptoms of depression. It works best for a type of depression called endogenous depression. This is depression that comes from within, rather than being caused by outside events.
Carbamazepine is used to treat certain types of seizures, including partial seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. It can also treat mixed seizure patterns. Carbamazepine also treats the pain from trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve disorder that causes intense facial pain. It is also sometimes used for glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
Amitriptyline belongs to a class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). It works by increasing the levels of certain chemicals in your brain. These chemicals help improve your mood.
Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant. It works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain. It also stabilizes nerve impulses to reduce pain.
- • Drowsiness
- • Dizziness
- • Weakness
- • Fatigue
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Drowsiness
- • Unsteadiness
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- Pain 1,565
- Nausea 1,434
- Headache 1,381
- Fatigue 1,371
- Dyspnoea 1,340
- Seizure 3,609
- Drug Interaction 3,369
- Fall 3,044
- Dizziness 2,862
- Pyrexia 2,689
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in children, teens, and young adults. Your doctor should closely monitor you for worsening depression or unusual changes in behavior. Amitriptyline is not approved for use in children.
Carbamazepine can cause severe skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which can be fatal. If you are of Asian descent, you may need a blood test before starting this medicine. Carbamazepine can also cause serious blood problems like aplastic anemia and agranulocytosis. Contact your doctor right away if you develop a fever, sore throat, rash, or unusual bleeding or bruising.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if amitriptyline will harm your unborn baby. Amitriptyline can pass into breast milk.
Carbamazepine may harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if carbamazepine passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about breastfeeding.
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How to Read This amitriptyline vs carbamazepine Comparison
amitriptyline is classified in the Tricyclic Antidepressant (TCA) drug class, while carbamazepine sits within the Anticonvulsant class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amitriptyline has 7,091 submissions while carbamazepine has 15,573. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to carbamazepine speeds up the way your body clears amitriptyline, which can make the antidepressant less effective.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for amitriptyline or carbamazepine.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.