The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7198 p694-696
18 May 2002

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European Society of Clinical Pharmacy summary

First report of new antiepileptic drugs interaction

A pharmacokinetic interaction was reported between lamotrigine (Lamictal) and oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) by PASCAL ODOU, department of biopharmacy and clinical pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lille, France.

A trial of 15 patients demonstrated that co-administration of lamotrigine increased plasma levels of oxcarbazepine, particularly at higher doses of oxcarbazepine. The effect was proportional to the dose of lamotrigine: a linear relationship was observed.

One of the major metabolic pathways for both drugs is glucuronidation so competition between the drugs is anticipated, or saturation in the presence of lamotrigine, he explained. "There is a need for careful monitoring and dose adjustment of oxcarbazepine in patients on lamotrigine," he concluded.