Carbamazepine/Cimetidine
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Moderate. These medicines may cause some risk when taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When these two medicines are taken together, cimetidine decreases your ability to process carbamazepine.
What might happen:
The effects of carbamazepine may increase.
What you should do about this interaction:
If you experience bloating or swelling of the ankles, fainting or dizziness, headache, weakness, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, difficulty speaking, double vision, stomach pain, changes in the frequency of bowel movements, persistent sore throat or fever, joint pain or leg cramps, fever, yellowing of the skin, or dark urine, contact your doctor. The dose of your medicine may need adjusting.Your healthcare professionals (e.g., doctor or pharmacist) may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
References:
1.Telerman-Toppet N, Duret ME, Coers C. Cimetidine interaction with carbamazepine. Ann Intern Med 1981 Apr;94(4 pt 1):544.
2.Sonne J, Luhdorf K, Larsen NE, Andreasen PB. Lack of interaction between cimetidine and carbamazepine. Acta Neurol Scand 1983 Oct;68(4):253-6.
3.Macphee GJ, Thompson GG, Scobie G, Agnew E, Park BK, Murray T, McColl KE, Brodie MJ. Effects of cimetidine on carbamazepine auto- and hetero-induction in man. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1984 Sep;18(3):411-9.
4.Webster LK, Mihaly GW, Jones DB, Smallwood RA, Phillips JA, Vajda FJ. Effect of cimetidine and ranitidine on carbamazepine and sodium valproate pharmacokinetics. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1984;27(3):341-3.
5.Dalton MJ, Powell JR, Messenheimer JA. The influence of cimetidine on single dose carbamazepine pharmacokinetics. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1984 Fe; 35(2):233.
6.Dalton MJ, Powell JR, Messenheimer JA Jr. The influence of cimetidine on single-dose carbamazepine pharmacokinetics. Epilepsia 1985 Mar-Apr; 26(2):127-30.
7.Levine M, Jones MW, Sheppard I. Differential effect of cimetidine on serum concentrations of carbamazepine and phenytoin. Neurology 1985 Apr; 35(4):562-5.
8.Dalton MJ, Powell JR, Messenheimer JA Jr. Ranitidine does not alter single-dose carbamazepine pharmacokinetics in healthy adults. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1985 Dec;19(12):941-4.
9.Dalton MJ, Powell JR, Messenheimer JA Jr, Clark J. Cimetidine and carbamazepine: a complex drug interaction. Epilepsia 1986 Sep-Oct; 27(5):553-8.
