Prescription medication · Anticonvulsant
oxcarbazepine
Also sold as Trileptal. Oxcarbazepine is used to treat partial-onset seizures.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 31,347
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 18
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- 98% less
- Generic vs brandHuge savings
- $5.46
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) is a prescription Anticonvulsant, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (31,347 FDA reports), whose generic costs a fraction of the brand (about 98% less).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) is a prescription Anticonvulsant. Oxcarbazepine is used to treat partial-onset seizures.
Oxcarbazepine is a medicine used to treat seizures. It helps to control seizures in adults and children.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$5.46/unit
Generic Price
$0.12/unit
Generic Savings
98%
Generic Available
Yes (22 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: OXCARBAZEPINE 150 MG TABLET
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (2 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: +10.2% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2024 | $0.1077/EA | - | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.1187/EA | +10.2% | 14 |
What it does
Oxcarbazepine is used to treat partial-onset seizures.
Common side effects
Dizziness, Sleepiness, Double vision
Key warnings
This medicine can cause low sodium levels in your blood.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from oxcarbazepine's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Oxcarbazepine works by reducing the electrical activity in the brain. This helps to prevent seizures. It stabilizes overexcited nerve cells.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 31,347 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for oxcarbazepine, by number of reports
- Seizure
Seizure
2,805 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
1,607 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
1,519 reports
- Convulsion
Convulsion
1,463 reports
- Headache
Headache
1,434 reports
- Somnolence
Somnolence
1,410 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
1,299 reports
- Hyponatraemia
Hyponatraemia
1,274 reports
- Fall
Fall
1,183 reports
- Vomiting 1,120
Vomiting
1,120 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for oxcarbazepine each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where oxcarbazepine sits
oxcarbazepine has more FDA adverse-event reports than 65% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is oxcarbazepine; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 31,347 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2001–2025.
Total Reports
31,347
Reports Mentioning Death
2,109
6.7% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
9,541
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | SEIZURE | 2,805 |
| 4 | FATIGUE | 1,607 |
| 5 | DIZZINESS | 1,519 |
| 6 | CONVULSION | 1,463 |
| 7 | HEADACHE | 1,434 |
| 8 | SOMNOLENCE | 1,410 |
| 9 | NAUSEA | 1,299 |
| 10 | HYPONATRAEMIA | 1,274 |
| 11 | FALL | 1,183 |
| 12 | VOMITING | 1,120 |
| 13 | DRUG INTERACTION | 1,027 |
| 14 | RASH | 985 |
| 15 | ANXIETY | 967 |
| 16 | DEPRESSION | 939 |
| 17 | ASTHENIA | 929 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
This medicine can cause low sodium levels in your blood. Your doctor should check your sodium levels, especially if you take other medicines that can also lower sodium. This medicine may cause suicidal thoughts or actions. Contact your doctor right away if you have any sudden changes in mood, thoughts, or feelings.
Known Drug Interactions
Anticonvulsants: Oxcarbazepine Phenytoin Phenobarbital ↓Dolutegravir Avoid coadministration with DOVATO because there are insufficient data to make dosing recommendations.
Mechanism: Oxcarbazepine lowers the amount of dolutegravir in your body, which could make your HIV treatment less effective.
Product Clinical Comment on Concomitant Use [See Contraindications (4.1)] ; Predominant Effect/Risk [Hypertensive Reaction (HR) [See Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] ; or Serotonin Syndrome (SS) [See Warnings and Precautions (5.7)] ] Altretamine Use with caution If not otherwise specified in this table, consider avoiding concomitant use (see also information on medication-free intervals , use agent at the lowest appropriate dose, monitor for effects of the interaction, advise the patient to report potential effects, and be prepared to discontinue the agent and treat effects of the...
Mechanism: Taking these medicines together can cause a risky increase in serotonin levels or a sudden, severe rise in blood pressure. This happens because both drugs interfere with how the body processes certain brain chemicals.
7.2 Effect of Other Drugs on Oxcarbazepine Strong inducers of cytochrome P450 enzymes and/or inducers of UGT (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, phenytoin and phenobarbital) have been shown to decrease the plasma/serum levels of MHD, the active metabolite of oxcarbazepine (25% to 49%) [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Mechanism: Rifampin speeds up the way your body breaks down oxcarbazepine, which can lower the amount of active medicine in your blood by nearly half.
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS • Phenytoin: Increased phenytoin levels. Reduced dose of phenytoin may be required ( 7.1 ) • Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, and Phenobarbital: Decreased plasma levels of MHD (the active metabolite). Dose adjustments may be necessary ( 7.1 ) • Oral Contraceptive: Oxcarbazepine may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Effect of Oxcarbazepine on Other Drugs Phenytoin levels have been shown to increase with concomitant use of oxcarbazepine at doses greater than 1200 mg/day [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Mechanism: Oxcarbazepine can slow down how your body gets rid of phenytoin, which may cause phenytoin to build up to high levels.
Reduced dose of phenytoin may be required ( 7.1 ) • Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, and Phenobarbital: Decreased plasma levels of MHD (the active metabolite). 7.2 Effect of Other Drugs on Oxcarbazepine Strong inducers of cytochrome P450 enzymes and/or inducers of UGT (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, phenytoin and phenobarbital) have been shown to decrease the plasma/serum levels of MHD, the active metabolite of oxcarbazepine (25% to 49%) [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Mechanism: Phenobarbital causes your body to process and remove the active part of oxcarbazepine more quickly than usual.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I stop taking oxcarbazepine suddenly?
Will oxcarbazepine interact with my birth control?
Can oxcarbazepine cause allergic reactions?
Will this medicine make me sleepy?
How often will my sodium levels be checked?
Can children take this medicine?
What should I do if I experience side effects?
Can I drink alcohol while taking oxcarbazepine?
How long does it take for oxcarbazepine to start working?
Does this medication have a generic version?
What are the common side effects of oxcarbazepine?
Does oxcarbazepine interact with other medications?
What drug class is oxcarbazepine?
Is there a generic version of oxcarbazepine?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for oxcarbazepine?
Related Medications in Anticonvulsant
Other drugs grouped near oxcarbazepine - same-class peers and common alternatives.
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alprazolam
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Alprazolam (Xanax) is a medication that can help you with anxiety and panic disorders.
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amitriptyline
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amphetamine/dextroamphetamine
Adderall, Adderall XR
Adderall XR is a stimulant medicine.
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aripiprazole
Abilify
Aripiprazole (Abilify) is a medicine used to treat certain mental disorders and mood problems.
Compare with oxcarbazepine →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for oxcarbazepine: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 31,347.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 6.73%.
- raloxifene Δ 0.02 pts · 2,311 reports · Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) 6.71%death share
- ziprasidone Δ 0.03 pts · 17,328 reports · Atypical Antipsychotic 6.76%death share
- anastrozole Δ 0.05 pts · 35,161 reports · Aromatase Inhibitor 6.78%death share
- buspirone Δ 0.06 pts · 10,228 reports · Azapirone Anxiolytic 6.79%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for oxcarbazepine
The FDA label for oxcarbazepine (sold under brand names such as Trileptal) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Anticonvulsant class. Oxcarbazepine is used to treat partial-onset seizures. Official labeling lists 12 commonly reported side effects, including Dizziness, Sleepiness, Double vision.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 31,347 voluntary reports. The database also lists 18 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.12 versus $5.46 for the brand - a 98% generic savings.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: May 29, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages