carbamazepine vs chlorpromazine
Side-by-side comparison of carbamazepine and chlorpromazine. 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
Drug Interactions There has been a report of a patient who passed an orange rubbery precipitate in his stool the day after ingesting carbamazepine suspension immediately followed by Thorazine solution. Subsequent testing has shown that mixing carbamazepine suspension and chlorpromazine solution (both generic and brand name) as well as carbamazepine suspension and liquid Mellaril, resulted in the occurrence of this precipitate.
Recommendation: Do not take these liquid medications at the same time; talk to your doctor about how to space them out.
Tegretol
Thorazine
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.
Chlorpromazine is a medicine that belongs to a class of drugs called phenothiazine antipsychotics. It can help manage symptoms of certain mental disorders by affecting chemical messengers in the brain.
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.
Chlorpromazine can treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. It can also control nausea and vomiting. Additionally, it can help with restlessness before surgery, acute intermittent porphyria, tetanus, manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and intractable hiccups. In children, it can treat severe behavioral problems and hyperactivity.
Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant. It works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain. It also stabilizes nerve impulses to reduce pain.
Chlorpromazine works by changing the effect of certain natural chemicals in the brain. It blocks dopamine receptors, which helps to reduce psychotic symptoms. It also affects other neurotransmitters, such as histamine and acetylcholine.
- • Dizziness
- • Drowsiness
- • Unsteadiness
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Drowsiness
- Seizure 3,609
- Interaction with another medicine 3,369
- Fall 3,044
- Dizziness 2,860
- Fever 2,690
- Harmful effects from different substances 426
- Taking too much medicine 345
- Medicines affecting each other 322
- A severe reaction to antipsychotic drugs causing fever, muscle stiffness, and altered mental status 280
- Feeling sick to your stomach 272
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.
Antipsychotic medicines like chlorpromazine can increase the risk of death in elderly patients who have dementia-related psychosis. Chlorpromazine is not approved for treating this condition.
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.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if chlorpromazine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Also Compare, Nearby Drugs
Compare carbamazepine with
Compare chlorpromazine with
How to Read This carbamazepine vs chlorpromazine Comparison
carbamazepine is classified in the Anticonvulsant drug class, while chlorpromazine sits within the Typical Antipsychotic (Phenothiazine) 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, carbamazepine has 15,572 submissions while chlorpromazine has 1,645. 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 mixing these two liquid medicines together creates a solid, rubbery substance that the body cannot use.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between carbamazepine and chlorpromazine - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.