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carbamazepine vs vilazodone

Side-by-side comparison of carbamazepine and vilazodone. 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

Strong CYP3A4 Inducers (e.g., carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampin) The concomitant use of vilazodone hydrochloride tablets and strong CYP3A4 inducers decreased the exposure of vilazodone compared to the use of vilazodone hydrochloride tablets alone [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

Recommendation: Your doctor may need to increase your dose of vilazodone. Monitor for a decrease in the drug's effectiveness.

Drug Class
carbamazepine Anticonvulsant
vilazodone SSRI / 5-HT1A Partial Agonist
Type
carbamazepine Prescription
vilazodone 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.

vilazodone

Vilazodone (Viibryd) is a medicine used to treat depression in adults. It helps to improve your mood.

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.

vilazodone

Vilazodone is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. MDD can cause you to feel sad, lose interest in activities, and have trouble with daily life. This medicine can help improve these symptoms.

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.

vilazodone

Vilazodone works by affecting certain chemicals in the brain. It increases the amount of serotonin available. Serotonin helps to regulate mood and emotions.

Common Side Effects
carbamazepine
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Unsteadiness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
vilazodone
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
FAERS Reports
carbamazepine
  • Seizure 3,609
  • Interaction with another medicine 3,369
  • Fall 3,044
  • Dizziness 2,860
  • Fever 2,690
vilazodone
  • Diarrhea 808
  • Nausea 808
  • Anxiety 662
  • Trouble sleeping 634
  • Headache 565
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.

vilazodone

Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young adults. Your doctor should closely monitor you for worsening depression or suicidal thoughts, especially when you first start taking this medicine or when your dose is changed. Vilazodone is not approved for use in children.

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.

vilazodone

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Taking vilazodone late in pregnancy may cause problems for the newborn. There is a pregnancy registry to monitor outcomes in women exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. You can call 1-844-405-6185 to register.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This carbamazepine vs vilazodone Comparison

carbamazepine is classified in the Anticonvulsant drug class, while vilazodone sits within the SSRI / 5-HT1A Partial Agonist 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 vilazodone has 3,477. 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 process of your body breaking down vilazodone. this leads to lower levels of vilazodone in your system, which might make it less effective.. 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 vilazodone - 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.