Is Folate Safe with Carbamazepine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Discuss folic acid supplementation (400–1000 mcg/day) with your physician, particularly women of childbearing age. Monitor serum folate and homocysteine levels periodically.
Why this interaction occurs
Carbamazepine induces hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP2C9, CYP3A4) and increases folate catabolism, reducing serum and red blood cell folate concentrations. Deficiency raises homocysteine, increasing cardiovascular and teratogenic risk.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 37,681 reports mentioning Carbamazepine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Carbamazepine + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Folate interactions → · All Carbamazepine interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.