carbamazepine vs suvorexant

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Side-by-side comparison of carbamazepine and suvorexant. 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

CYP3A Inducers Suvorexant exposure can be substantially decreased when co-administered with strong CYP3A inducers (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine and phenytoin).

Drug Class
carbamazepine Anticonvulsant
suvorexant Orexin Receptor Antagonist
Type
carbamazepine Prescription
suvorexant 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.

suvorexant

Belsomra is a prescription medicine used to treat insomnia. It helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

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.

suvorexant

Belsomra is used to treat insomnia in adults. Insomnia means you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. This medicine can help you sleep better.

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.

suvorexant

Belsomra works by blocking orexin, a chemical in your brain that keeps you awake. By blocking orexin, Belsomra helps to reduce wakefulness and allows you to fall asleep.

Common Side Effects
carbamazepine
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Unsteadiness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
suvorexant
  • Sleepiness
FAERS Reports
carbamazepine
  • Seizure 3,609
  • Drug Interaction 3,369
  • Fall 3,044
  • Dizziness 2,862
  • Pyrexia 2,689
suvorexant
  • Nightmare 736
  • Somnolence 726
  • Insomnia 674
  • Abnormal Dreams 599
  • Headache 535
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.

suvorexant

Belsomra can cause you to feel sleepy during the day and can impair your ability to drive. Do not drive or do other activities that require you to be fully alert, especially if you take the 20 mg dose. Belsomra may also worsen depression or cause suicidal thoughts. Tell your doctor right away if you have any new or worsening mood changes. Complex sleep behaviors like sleepwalking have also been reported. Stop taking Belsomra and tell your doctor if this happens.

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.

suvorexant

It is not known if Belsomra can harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known if Belsomra passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take Belsomra.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This carbamazepine vs suvorexant Comparison

carbamazepine is classified in the Anticonvulsant drug class, while suvorexant sits within the Orexin Receptor Antagonist 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 suvorexant has 3,270. 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 how quickly your body gets rid of suvorexant, which can significantly lower 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 suvorexant.

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