Carbamazepine is one of the oldest and most widely used antiepileptic medicines, and in Nigeria it is often the first drug a person with focal epilepsy is given. It works by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cells, which stops them firing in the rapid, repetitive bursts that produce a seizure. The same mechanism makes it strikingly effective for trigeminal neuralgia, a facial pain so severe it has been called the suicide disease, where carbamazepine remains the treatment of first choice worldwide.
In the NAFDAC register
23 registered products
from 20 registration holders
What it costs online
Price varies — check with a pharmacy. This drug has not yet appeared in our fortnightly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies.
Brands of Carbamazepine in Nigeria
Comes as
- Tablet200 mg· 10 makers
Those 23 products from 20 registration holders include combination products and older listings; below are the most common brands.
| Brand Name | Manufacturer | Strength | Form | NAFDAC Reg. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tegretol Tablets 200mg | Novartis Nigeria Limited | 200mg | Tablet | 04-0024 |
| Tegretol CR Tablets | Novartis Nigeria Limited | 200mg | Controlled-release tablet | 04-0037 |
| Maopin Tablets | Pharmexco Pharmaceuticals Limited | 200mg | Tablet | A4-9213 |
| Tenzeltol 200 Tablet | Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited | 200mg | Tablet | 04-8649 |
| Carbamazepine 200 mg Tablets | Mankind Life-Sciences Limited | 200mg | Tablet | B4-5055 |
Carbamazepine Price in Nigeria
Carbamazepine prices in Nigeria vary by brand, strength, and where you buy it. Confirm the current price with a licensed pharmacy, and always check the product is NAFDAC-registered before you pay.
We show a price here once it appears in our monthly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies (MedPlus, HealthPlus), or when we have a reliable market figure. For now, confirm the current price directly with a licensed pharmacy.
How to Verify Your Carbamazepine is Genuine
- 1Check the NAFDAC number on the pack — Tegretol 200mg carries 04-0024 and Tegretol CR carries 04-0037 in our copy of the register.
- 2Nigerian-market generics include Maopin (A4-9213), Tenzeltol 200 (04-8649) and Mankind's Carbamazepine 200mg (B4-5055).
- 3Confirm the number with our NAFDAC checker before paying, and be wary of loose tablets sold without a pack — an antiepileptic identified only by its colour is not identified at all.
- 4Buy from a registered pharmacy. Carbamazepine is taken daily for years, and a substandard batch shows up as breakthrough seizures, not as an obvious fault.
- 5Note whether you are given the standard or the CR (controlled-release) tablet — they are not interchangeable dose for dose without medical advice.
Where to Buy
Buying Carbamazepine by the carton
Cartons are bought at Nigeria's four open drug markets. Each guide names the sellers there you can contact, and how to buy safely:
No shop we list has Carbamazepine on its confirmed product list yet — the market guides still tell you where the trade happens and how to buy there safely.
Wherever you buy, buy only from licensed pharmacies and verified distributors — not roadside vendors — and verify the pack's NAFDAC registration before you pay. Buying Carbamazepine in bulk or for resale? See how to buy medicines in bulk in Nigeria safely.
Need Carbamazepine in bulk, or can't find it near you?
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What is Carbamazepine?
Our copy of the NAFDAC register shows fourteen active carbamazepine registrations from twelve companies, including the original brand Tegretol from Novartis — both the standard 200mg tablet and the controlled-release CR version — alongside Indian-made generics such as Maopin, Tenzeltol and plain-labelled carbamazepine. That depth of supply is one of carbamazepine's practical advantages in Nigeria: it is generally available and generally affordable, which matters for a medicine somebody may take for decades.
Its drawback is interactions. Carbamazepine is a powerful inducer of liver enzymes, meaning it speeds up the breakdown of many other medicines — and of itself. This is not a footnote: it is the single most important thing to know about the drug, and the reason a doctor needs to see your full medicine list before prescribing it.
What is Carbamazepine used for?
In Nigeria, Carbamazepine is commonly used for:
- Focal (partial-onset) seizures, with or without secondary generalisation — its main use
- Generalised tonic-clonic seizures
- Trigeminal neuralgia — the first-line treatment, often dramatically effective
- Bipolar disorder, particularly for preventing manic episodes where lithium is unsuitable
- Some neuropathic pain syndromes, including glossopharyngeal neuralgia
- Alcohol withdrawal in specific supervised settings
Dosage
IMPORTANT
Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. The information below is for general reference only.
Adults
Carbamazepine is always started low and built up slowly, because starting at a full dose causes dizziness and double vision. For epilepsy a typical start is 100mg to 200mg once or twice daily, increased in steps of 200mg at weekly intervals to a usual maintenance dose of 800mg to 1200mg per day in divided doses. For trigeminal neuralgia the starting dose is lower, often 100mg twice daily, increased until the pain stops. Controlled-release tablets are taken twice daily and give steadier blood levels with fewer peak-related side effects.
Children
Children are dosed by weight, generally starting around 5mg per kg per day and increasing gradually toward 10 to 20mg per kg per day in divided doses, under specialist supervision. Because carbamazepine induces its own metabolism, the dose that worked in the first month often needs raising by the second — this is expected, not treatment failure, and is a reason children on carbamazepine need regular review.
Elderly
Older adults are more sensitive to the dizziness, unsteadiness and low-sodium effects of carbamazepine, and are more likely to be taking other medicines it interacts with. Doses are started lower and increased more slowly, and sodium levels are worth checking.
CARBAMAZEPINE INDUCES ITS OWN BREAKDOWN. Blood levels fall over the first few weeks even on an unchanged dose, so a dose that worked initially may need increasing — your doctor plans for this. Never stop carbamazepine suddenly: abrupt withdrawal of any antiepileptic can trigger severe seizures. And be aware that a fever with mouth ulcers, sore throat, bruising or a rash in the first months is not an ordinary illness on this drug — it needs a blood count the same day.
Side Effects
Common side effects
- •Dizziness and unsteadiness, especially when the dose goes up
- •Double or blurred vision
- •Drowsiness and fatigue
- •Nausea, vomiting and dry mouth
- •Mild rash — which still needs reporting, because rashes on carbamazepine are not all mild
Serious side effects — seek medical help immediately
- Severe skin reactions — Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, which can be fatal
- DRESS syndrome — rash with fever, swollen glands and organ involvement
- Aplastic anaemia and agranulocytosis — a dangerous fall in blood cells
- Hyponatraemia (low blood sodium), causing confusion, headache and in severe cases seizures
- Liver injury and, rarely, heart rhythm disturbance
When to see a doctor
ANY rash on carbamazepine should be reported the same day, because the difference between a harmless rash and the start of Stevens-Johnson syndrome cannot be judged at home. Seek urgent care for a blistering rash, mouth or eye ulcers, or a rash with fever. See a doctor promptly for unexplained fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, easy bruising or bleeding — all possible signs of a falling blood count — and for confusion, severe headache or new unsteadiness.
Warnings & Precautions
Do not take Carbamazepine if you have:
- Known hypersensitivity to carbamazepine or to tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline — the structures are related
- Atrioventricular heart block or a history of bone-marrow depression
- Use with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), or within 14 days of stopping one
- Acute intermittent porphyria
- Carbamazepine can worsen absence and myoclonic seizures — it is the wrong drug for those seizure types
Drug interactions
- •HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES — carbamazepine speeds their breakdown and can cause the pill, implant or patch to fail; an alternative or additional method is needed
- •Warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants — levels fall, reducing protection against clots
- •Antiretrovirals for HIV, and rifampicin for tuberculosis — significant two-way interactions requiring specialist advice
- •Other antiepileptics including sodium valproate, phenytoin and lamotrigine — levels shift in both directions
- •Erythromycin, clarithromycin, fluconazole and grapefruit juice — these RAISE carbamazepine levels and can cause toxicity
- •Paracetamol taken long-term — carbamazepine increases the liver-toxic metabolite
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Carbamazepine crosses the placenta and carries a recognised risk of birth defects, including neural tube defects such as spina bifida — lower than the risk with sodium valproate, but real. Any woman of childbearing age taking carbamazepine should be on folic acid supplementation and should plan pregnancy with her doctor rather than discovering it. Do not stop the medicine on finding out you are pregnant: uncontrolled seizures are dangerous to both mother and baby, and the decision needs a doctor within days, not a unilateral stop. Carbamazepine passes into breast milk in small amounts and breastfeeding is usually considered compatible, with the infant watched for drowsiness and poor feeding.
Related Resources for Carbamazepine
Guides, articles, and tools related to Carbamazepine and other epilepsy medicines in Nigeria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- •NAFDAC Greenbook — the official database of all products registered with Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. Brand-level NAFDAC numbers for Carbamazepine on this page were cross-referenced against the Greenbook.
- •WHO Model List of Essential Medicines — Carbamazepine is included in the WHO's list of essential medicines, meaning it is considered essential for basic healthcare needs.
- •British National Formulary (BNF) dosing and interaction guidance for Carbamazepine.
- •Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines (Federal Ministry of Health).
Daily puzzle: Meddle — pair five brands with their medicines. New game at midnight.