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Iminostilbene Anticonvulsants: Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazine

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Critical Care Toxicology
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Abstract

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a carbamylated derivative of iminostilbene and is related structurally to the cyclic antidepressants [1]. It is currently considered the drug of first choice for treatment of focal epilepsy [2, 3] and is also effective in the treatment of partial seizures (simple and complex) with and without secondary generalization, generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal), and combinations of these seizure types [2]. Carbamazepine is also used to treat many other medical conditions (Table 1).

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Correspondence to Hwee Min Lee or Andis Graudins .

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Grading System for Levels of Evidence Supporting Recommendations in Critical Care Toxicology, 2nd Edition

  1. I

    Evidence obtained from at least one properly randomized controlled trial.

  2. II-1

    Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.

  3. II-2

    Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies, preferably from more than one center or research group.

  4. II-3

    Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention. Dramatic results in uncontrolled experiments (such as the results of the introduction of penicillin treatment in the 1940s) could also be regarded as this type of evidence.

  5. III

    Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies and case reports, or reports of expert committees.

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Lee, H.M., Graudins, A. (2017). Iminostilbene Anticonvulsants: Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazine. In: Brent, J., et al. Critical Care Toxicology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17900-1_37

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