What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Carbamazepine and rufinamide
Rufinamide's FDA label of December 15, 2022 names carbamazepine in its drug interactions section; the carbamazepine labels PlainMeds reads (3) do not name rufinamide. The rufinamide label: “AED Co-administered: Carbamazepine; Influence of Rufinamide on AED concentration a): Decrease by 7 to 13% b); Influence of AED on Rufinamide concentration: Decrease by 19 to 26% Dependent on dose of carbamazepine”
Check it at the source: the carbamazepine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 20, 2026, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation); the rufinamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 15, 2022, Eisai Inc.).
What does the carbamazepine label say about rufinamide?
Carbamazepine's label (effective August 20, 2026) and its 2 other brand-application labels do not name rufinamide in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Tegretol), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, effective August 20, 2026 (SPL set 8d409411-aa9f-4f3a-a52c-fbcb0c3ec053), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the rufinamide label say about carbamazepine?
Rufinamide label, drug interactionsAED Co-administered: Carbamazepine; Influence of Rufinamide on AED concentration a): Decrease by 7 to 13% b); Influence of AED on Rufinamide concentration: Decrease by 19 to 26% Dependent on dose of carbamazepine
Source: FDA drug label (Banzel), Eisai Inc., effective December 15, 2022 (SPL set 0a3fa925-1abd-458a-bd57-4ae780a1ef2d), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Carbamazepine | Rufinamide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bipolar disorder, Seizures and epilepsy | n/a |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.119 per tablet 200 mg tablet | $0.203 per mL 40 mg/mL suspension |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once