Two medicines, side by side
Carbamazepine vs gabapentin
Carbamazepine and gabapentin are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of carbamazepine since 1968 and of gabapentin since 1993. Pharmacies paid $0.119 per carbamazepine 200 mg tablet and $0.0218 per gabapentin 100 mg capsule (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, carbamazepine is a mood stabilizer and gabapentin an anti-epileptic agent.
Check it at the source: the carbamazepine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 20, 2026); the gabapentin FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 12, 2026).
Highlights of the carbamazepine record
Carbamazepine (Tegretol) · label of August 20, 2026
SERIOUS DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS AND HLA-B*1502 ALLELE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS, INCLUDING TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) AND STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS), HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING TREATMENT WITH TEGRETOL. THESE REACTIONS ARE ESTIMATED TO OCCUR IN 1 TO 6 PER 10,000 NEW USERS IN COUNTRIES WITH MAINLY CAUCASIAN POPULATIONS, BUT THE RISK IN SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES IS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 10 TIMES HIGHER.
Used for
From the label: indicationsEpilepsy Tegretol is indicated for use as an anticonvulsant drug. Evidence supporting efficacy of Tegretol as an anticonvulsant was derived from active drug-controlled studies that enrolled patients with the following seizure types: Partial seizures with complex symptomatology (psychomotor, temporal lobe). Patients with these seizures appear to show greater improvement than those with other types. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- March 11, 1968
- Generic labelers
- 42 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.119 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 11
Highlights of the gabapentin record
Gabapentin (Neurontin) · label of May 12, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsNEURONTIN ® is indicated for: • Management of postherpetic neuralgia in adults • Adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures, with and without secondary generalization, in adults and pediatric patients 3 years and older with epilepsy NEURONTIN is indicated for: • Postherpetic neuralgia in adults ( 1 ) • Adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures, with and without secondary generalization, in adults and pediatric patients 3 years and older with epilepsy […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 30, 1993
- Generic labelers
- 85 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0218 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 22
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Carbamazepine label of August 20, 2026, Gabapentin label of May 12, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do carbamazepine and gabapentin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, carbamazepine is a mood stabilizer and gabapentin an anti-epileptic agent.
How each works, in its label's words: Carbamazepine, “It appears to act by reducing polysynaptic responses and blocking the post-tetanic potentiation.”; Gabapentin, “The precise mechanisms by which gabapentin produces its analgesic and antiepileptic actions are unknown.”
Half-life, in each label's words: Carbamazepine, “Initial half-life values range from 25 to 65 hours, decreasing to 12 to 17 hours on repeated doses.”; Gabapentin, “Gabapentin elimination half-life is 5 to 7 hours and is unaltered by dose or following multiple dosing.”
Only the carbamazepine label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: carbamazepine since 1986; gabapentin since 2003 (Drugs@FDA).
| Carbamazepine | Gabapentin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bipolar disorder, Seizures and epilepsy | Nerve pain and fibromyalgia, Seizures and epilepsy |
| Pharmacologic class | Mood Stabilizer | Anti-epileptic Agent |
| How it works (label) | Mechanism of Action Tegretol has demonstrated anticonvulsant properties in rats and mice with electrically and chemically induced seizures. It appears to act by reducing polysynaptic responses and blocking the post-tetanic potentiation. | The precise mechanisms by which gabapentin produces its analgesic and antiepileptic actions are unknown. |
| Half-life (label) | Initial half-life values range from 25 to 65 hours, decreasing to 12 to 17 hours on repeated doses. | Gabapentin elimination half-life is 5 to 7 hours and is unaltered by dose or following multiple dosing. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | March 11, 1968 | December 30, 1993 |
| First generic approved | August 14, 1986 | September 12, 2003 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 42 labelers | 85 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.119 per tablet (Carbamazepine 200 mg tablet) | $0.0218 per capsule (Gabapentin 100 mg capsule) |
| 12-month price change | +0.6% | +0.9% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 11 | 22 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 66,615 | 362,654 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Gabapentin label, drug interactionsCarbamazepine Steady-state trough plasma carbamazepine and carbamazepine 10, 11 epoxide concentrations were not affected by concomitant gabapentin (400 mg three times a day;
Gabapentin label, drug interactionsCarbamazepine Steady-state trough plasma carbamazepine and carbamazepine 10, 11 epoxide concentrations were not affected by concomitant gabapentin immediate release (400 mg three times daily;
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to carbamazepine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions