Reported Reactions

Drugs › Anti-epileptic agent

Generic name

Oxcarbazepine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

8,078 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Anti-epileptic agent. Also reported as Oxcarbazepine 600mg, Oxcarbazepine 300mg, Oxcarbazepine Tablets.

8,078
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 359 a year
715
reports, 12 months to June 2026
714 in the 12 months before
87.7%
marked serious by the reporter
78.1% across the class
12.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
989 reports · not verified by FDA

8,078 adverse event reports received by FDA list oxcarbazepine, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 7,367 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 715 reports listed it, close to the 714 of the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 359 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 3% of the reports for the anti-epileptic agent class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The MedDRA terms listed most often are drug ineffective (15.5%), seizure (7.5%) and off label use (7.1%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 1,135 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 15.5% of these reports, a larger share than in the median anti-epileptic agent drug (11.3%).

87.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (78.1% across the class); 12.2% record death among the outcomes and 33.6% record hospitalisation, as reported. 45.7% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (25.6%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

066132Jul 2021: 69Aug 2021: 53Sep 2021: 45Oct 2021: 51Nov 2021: 61Dec 2021: 602022Jan 2022: 49Feb 2022: 33Mar 2022: 41Apr 2022: 42May 2022: 61Jun 2022: 88Jul 2022: 39Aug 2022: 53Sep 2022: 39Oct 2022: 44Nov 2022: 76Dec 2022: 672023Jan 2023: 87Feb 2023: 48Mar 2023: 35Apr 2023: 50May 2023: 60Jun 2023: 43Jul 2023: 38Aug 2023: 38Sep 2023: 37Oct 2023: 57Nov 2023: 106Dec 2023: 1322024Jan 2024: 63Feb 2024: 42Mar 2024: 69Apr 2024: 62May 2024: 50Jun 2024: 65Jul 2024: 62Aug 2024: 62Sep 2024: 57Oct 2024: 72Nov 2024: 42Dec 2024: 662025Jan 2025: 65Feb 2025: 69Mar 2025: 72Apr 2025: 52May 2025: 42Jun 2025: 53Jul 2025: 61Aug 2025: 38Sep 2025: 47Oct 2025: 53Nov 2025: 71Dec 2025: 562026Jan 2026: 78Feb 2026: 54Mar 2026: 64Apr 2026: 79May 2026: 65Jun 2026: 49

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

03667312004: 4920042005: 622006: 532007: 6020072008: 1522009: 2372010: 18520102011: 2292012: 2772013: 19720132014: 2002015: 2662016: 37520162017: 4002018: 4292019: 49620192020: 5932021: 6732022: 63220222023: 7312024: 7122025: 67920252026: 389

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Oxcarbazepine reports recording the termmedian drug in anti-epileptic agent

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected15.5%1,254
  2. Seizurea fit or convulsion7.5%603
  3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label7.1%571
  4. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines6.5%525
  5. Hyponatraemialow blood sodium6.4%518
  6. Completed suicidedeath by suicide6.1%495
  7. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances5.1%411
  8. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness4.5%365
  9. Epilepsy4.1%332
  10. Convulsion3.9%314
  11. Somnolencedrowsiness3.9%313
  12. Rashskin rash3.6%287
  13. Multiple-drug resistance3.4%277
  14. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse3.4%275
  15. Falla fall3.1%251
  16. Fatiguetiredness2.9%236
  17. Nauseafeeling sick2.9%236
  18. Balance disorderproblems with balance2.9%231
  19. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.6%213
  20. Headachehead pain2.5%201
  21. Vomitingbeing sick2.5%199
  22. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount2.4%196
  23. Product substitution issuea problem after switching products2.3%186
  24. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine2.3%183
  25. Treatment failurethe treatment did not work2.2%176
  26. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.2%175
  27. Sedationdrowsiness from a medicine2.2%174
  28. Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptomsDRESS, a severe reaction with rash, fever and organ involvement2.1%168
  29. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy2.1%166
  30. Tremorshaking2%162

Top 30 of 1,135 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 23 drugs in the anti-epileptic agent class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death12.2%989
Life-threatening7.2%582
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)33.6%2,712
Disability1.7%140
Congenital anomaly2.3%189
Other serious62.1%5,015
Not serious12.3%992

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 269,757 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 22.6%208
2 to 119.5%764
12 to 175.7%464
18 to 4425.6%2,066
45 to 6416.5%1,332
65 to 745.2%419
75 and over5%400
Age not given30%2,425

Patient sex

Female48.1%3,889
Male37.5%3,027
Not given14.4%1,162

Who reported

Physician29.4%2,371
Pharmacist6.6%532
Other health professional45.7%3,694
Lawyer0%4
Consumer or non-health professional13.9%1,121
Not given4.4%356

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 47.7% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Epilepsy1,45818%
Seizure6648.2%
Partial seizures4495.6%
Trigeminal neuralgia2372.9%
Convulsion1602%
Status epilepticus1091.3%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 8,078 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Oxcarbazepine reports
Levetiracetam2,03425.2%
Lamotrigine1,28315.9%
Topiramate1,20514.9%
Carbamazepine1,01612.6%
Lacosamide92311.4%
Clobazam90011.1%
Valproic acid89911.1%
Clonazepam6968.6%
Gabapentin6728.3%
Phenobarbital6027.5%

Other products listed in reports where Oxcarbazepine is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureOxcarbazepineAnti-epileptic agentAll reports
Reports as suspect product8,078269,75720,646,523
Share of that pool—3%0%
Reports, latest 12 months715—1,332,454
Marked serious87.7%78.1%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports12212691
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports336314213
Consumer-filed share13.9%30.1%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 15.5%median 11.3%6.3%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the anti-epileptic agent class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Gabapentingeneric74,3164,44768.7%
Lamotriginegeneric44,5202,80688%
Lamictalbrand32,36899665.4%
Valproic acidgeneric21,1771,03196.7%
Depakotebrand14,21929765.4%
Phenytoingeneric12,61846492.9%
Valproate sodiumgeneric11,58870897.5%
Sabrilbrand10,90913963.5%
Dilantinbrand8,0117871.7%
Trileptalbrand7,66415785.7%
Zonisamidegeneric4,88536387.3%
Divalproex sodiumgeneric4,07139982.4%
Vigabatringeneric3,66426380.6%
Phenytoin sodiumgeneric2,9746884.4%
Primidonegeneric1,76910477.3%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Oxcarbazepine reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Oxcarbazepine?

8,078 reports list Oxcarbazepine as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 715 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 7,367 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Oxcarbazepine reports?

drug ineffective (15.5%), seizure (7.5%), off label use (7.1%), drug interaction (6.5%) and hyponatraemia (6.4%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Oxcarbazepine was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

87.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 12.2% of reports include death and 33.6% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

other health professional (45.7%), physician (29.4%) and consumer or non-health professional (13.9%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Oxcarbazepine rising?

715 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 714 of the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Oxcarbazepine was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Oxcarbazepine?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Oxcarbazepine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (7,367) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.