Baby Safety / Compounds / Carbamazepine

Is Carbamazepine safe for babies and kids?

Very high risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Carbamazepine, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

What is carbamazepine?

The IUPAC name is benzo[b][1]benzazepine-11-carboxamide.

Also known as: benzo[b][1]benzazepine-11-carboxamide, Tegretol, 5H-Dibenz[b,f]azepine-5-carboxamide, Finlepsin.

IUPAC name
benzo[b][1]benzazepine-11-carboxamide
CAS number
298-46-4
Molecular formula
C15H12N2O
Molecular weight
236.27 g/mol
SMILES
NC(=O)N1C2=CC=CC=C2C=CC2=CC=CC=C12
PubChem CID
2554

Risk for babies

Very high risk

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Carbamazepine, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Very high risk

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Carbamazepine, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Carbamazepine. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
GHS—Skin hazard
GHS—Inhalation hazard

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter carbamazepine

  • Environmental — Municipal wastewater, Drinking water, Surface water, Pharmaceutical waste

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Carbamazepine:

  • Therapeutic alternatives (consult prescriber)
    Trade-offs: Drug-specific. Cannot substitute without medical guidance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain carbamazepine?

Carbamazepine appears in: Municipal wastewater (Environmental); Drinking water (Environmental).

See Carbamazepine in the baby app

Look up products containing carbamazepine, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 2554 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID4022731 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 298-46-4 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →