carbamazepine vs midazolam

PlainMeds reviewed this comparison against our methodology in August 2026. It places FDA and CMS record fields side by side, without recommending either medication.

Side-by-side comparison of carbamazepine and midazolam. 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,...

Drug Class
carbamazepine Anticonvulsant
midazolam Benzodiazepine
Type
carbamazepine Prescription
midazolam Prescription
Summary
carbamazepine

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.

midazolam

Midazolam is a medicine that makes you feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy. It can also cause you to forget things that happen while you are taking it.

What It Treats
carbamazepine

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.

midazolam

Midazolam is used to sedate you before a surgery or procedure to help you relax and feel less anxious. It can also be used to help you feel calm during procedures like bronchoscopies or endoscopies. Midazolam can also be used to start general anesthesia before you get other medicines.

How It Works
carbamazepine

Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant. It works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain. It also stabilizes nerve impulses to reduce pain.

midazolam

Midazolam belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. It works by slowing down activity in your brain and nervous system. This helps to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, and cause sleepiness.

Common Side Effects
carbamazepine
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Unsteadiness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
midazolam
  • Decreased breathing rate
  • Tenderness at the injection site
  • Pain during injection
FAERS Reports
carbamazepine
  • Seizure 3,609
  • Drug Interaction 3,369
  • Fall 3,044
  • Dizziness 2,862
  • Pyrexia 2,689
midazolam
  • Seizure 1,373
  • Hypotension 1,296
  • Drug Interaction 1,088
  • Toxicity To Various Agents 846
  • Acute Kidney Injury 845
Serious Warnings
carbamazepine

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.

midazolam

Midazolam can cause serious breathing problems, including slowed or stopped breathing. This is more likely to happen if you are also taking opioid pain medicines. You must be closely monitored by trained medical staff while receiving midazolam. Make sure the facility has the equipment and medicines needed to treat breathing problems immediately.

Pregnancy
carbamazepine

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.

midazolam

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Midazolam may harm an unborn baby. It is not known if midazolam passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medicine while breastfeeding.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This carbamazepine vs midazolam Comparison

carbamazepine is classified in the Anticonvulsant drug class, while midazolam sits within the Benzodiazepine 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 15,573 submissions while midazolam has 5,448. 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 makes your body break down midazolam faster, which lowers the amount of medicine in your blood.. 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 carbamazepine or midazolam.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.