Reactions 441 - 6 Mar 1993

Oxcarbazepine

Skin eruption with cross-sensitivity tocarbamazepine: 3 case reports

A serious skin reaction occurred in 3 men (aged 68, 21 and24 years, respectively) after receiving 2-3 doses of oraloxcarbazepine 300mg for epilepsy; no other signs ofhypersensitivity were present. The patients had all experienceda serious skin reaction to carbamazepine approximately 6-10years prior to this episode. Oxcarbazepine was discontinued inall patients with a subsequent resolution of the skin reaction.The 68-year-old man was treated with antihistamines andAlpha-Keri (Rm) lotion. Oxcarbazepine, believed to causefewer adverse effects than carbamazepine, had been initiatedin the patients on an individual patient usage (IPU) provisionbecause of inadequate seizure control with otheranticonvulsants.

Author comment: ‘Physicians should use caution whenchoosing to use OCBZ (oxcarbazepine) as a CBZ(carbamazepine) substitute in patients with a previous historyof serious skin reaction to CBZ.’Beran RG. Cross-reactive skin eruption with both carbamazepine andoxcarbazepine. Epilepsia 34: 163-165, Jan-Feb 1993 - Australia 800183468

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Reactions 6 Mar 1993 No. 4410114-9954/10/0441-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved