Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Carbamazepine

“Both PB and CZ significantly reduced the ethanol withdrawal reaction compared to controls, and PB was significantly more effective than CZ.”

“Despite similar carbamazepine levels, side effects occurred in all volunteers but in none of the alcoholics, indicating that long-term ethanol exposure may promote central nervous adaptation to the acute untoward effects of carbamazepine.”

“The difference may have been due to inhibition of carbamazepine metabolism by ethanol at the high levels attained in alcoholics but not in volunteers.”

“A 28 year old patient developed a severe bullous exanthem and enanthem combined with hepatitis, fever and blood count abnormalities after taking carbamazepine and consumption of heroin and alcohol.”

“A case is reported of a 20-year-old female student who had been abusing carbamazepine with alcohol and described a resulting sense of euphoria.”

“Furthermore, in the hippocampal afterdischarge model in rats, ethanol dose-dependently raised the focal stimulation threshold and significantly increased the anticonvulsant efficacy of co-administered carbamazepine after acute application.”

“In co-medication with valproate and carbamazepine, ethanol significantly increased the anticonvulsant effectiveness of both antiepileptic drugs.”

“Subchronic premedication of ethanol did not reveal marked decrease of its additive anticonvulsant action and only tended to reduce the effectiveness of valproate and carbamazepine.”

“ Carbamazepine clearly reduced preference to ethanol (significantly vs. the control group and vs. the baseline values).”

“Clonazepam did not prevent the development of tolerance to sleep-inducing and hypothermal action of ethanol, while carbamazepine prevented the development of tolerance to hypnotic effect of ethanol.”

“We verified whether CBZ could potentiate ethanol stimulatory effects in animals.”

“The results of the investigation showed that carbamazepine significantly potentiated the motor incoordinating effect of ethanol in a dose-dependent fashion.”

“The impairment of learning rate caused by repeated application of ethanol was prevented by carbamazepine (5 mg/kg i.p.),”

“ Carbamazepine , 50 mg/kg, IP, caused aversion to ethanol drinking.”

“The moderate induction of the latter by prolonged ethanol consumption was antagonized by a single dose of carbamazepine (50 mg/kg).”

“The reduction of voluntary drinking of ethanol by carbamazepine may have clinical implications, e.g., the extension of its use in alcohol withdrawal phase to alcohol abstinence.”