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Meds & supplements  ›  Felbamate

Medicine · Anti-epileptic Agent

Felbamate

Felbamate oral suspension, USP is not indicated as a first line antiepileptic treatment (see Warnings ).

Medication guideLabel updated 2026-07-14

Selected manufacturer label information, organised into consistent sections by Sofidex. Read the full label at DailyMed ↗

Boxed warning

WARNING 1. APLASTIC ANEMIA THE USE OF FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION, USP IS ASSOCIATED WITH A MARKED INCREASE IN THE INCIDENCE OF APLASTIC ANEMIA. ACCORDINGLY, FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION SHOULD ONLY BE USED IN PATIENTS WHOSE EPILEPSY IS SO SEVERE THAT THE RISK OF APLASTIC ANEMIA IS DEEMED ACCEPTABLE IN LIGHT OF THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY ITS USE (SEE INDICATIONS ). ORDINARILY, A PATIENT SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON AND/OR CONTINUED ON FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF APPROPRIATE EXPERT HEMATOLOGIC CONSULTATION. AMONG FELBAMATE TREATED PATIENTS, APLASTIC ANEMIA (PANCYTOPENIA IN THE PRESENCE OF A BONE MARROW LARGELY DEPLETED OF HEMATOPOIETIC PRECURSORS) OCCURS AT AN INCIDENCE THAT MAY BE MORE THAN A 100 FOLD GREATER THAN THAT SEEN IN THE UNTREATED POPULATION (I.E., 2 TO 5 PER MILLION PERSONS PER YEAR). THE RISK OF DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH APLASTIC ANEMIA GENERALLY VARIES AS A FUNCTION OF ITS SEVERITY AND ETIOLOGY; CURRENT ESTIMATES OF THE OVERALL CASE FATALITY RATE ARE IN THE RANGE OF 20 TO 30%, BUT RATES AS HIGH AS 70% HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE PAST. THERE ARE TOO FEW FELBAMATE ASSOCIATED CASES, AND TOO LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT THEM TO PROVIDE A RELIABLE ESTIMATE OF THE SYNDROME'S INCIDENCE OR ITS CASE FATALITY RATE OR TO IDENTIFY THE FACTORS, IF ANY, THAT MIGHT CONCEIVABLY BE USED TO PREDICT WHO IS AT GREATER OR LESSER RISK. IN MANAGING PATIENTS ON FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION, IT SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND THAT THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATION OF APLASTIC ANEMIA MAY NOT BE SEEN UNTIL AFTER A PATIENT HAS BEEN ON FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION FOR SEVERAL MONTHS (E.G., ONSET OF APLASTIC ANEMIA AMONG FELBAMATE EXPOSED PATIENTS FOR WHOM DATA ARE AVAILABLE HAS RANGED FROM 5 TO 30 WEEKS). HOWEVER, THE INJURY TO BONE MARROW STEM CELLS THAT IS HELD TO BE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ANEMIA MAY OCCUR WEEKS TO MONTHS EARLIER. ACCORDINGLY, PATIENTS WHO ARE DISCONTINUED FROM FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION REMAIN AT RISK FOR DEVELOPING ANEMIA FOR A VARIABLE, AND UNKNOWN, PERIOD AFTERWARDS. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER OR NOT THE RISK OF DEVELOPING APLASTIC ANEMIA CHANGES WITH DURATION OF EXPOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, IT IS NOT SAFE TO ASSUME THAT A PATIENT WHO HAS BEEN ON FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION WITHOUT SIGNS OF HEMATOLOGIC ABNORMALITY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IS WITHOUT RISK. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER OR NOT THE DOSE OF FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION AFFECTS THE INCIDENCE OF APLASTIC ANEMIA. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER OR NOT CONCOMITANT USE OF ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS AND/OR OTHER DRUGS AFFECTS THE INCIDENCE OF APLASTIC ANEMIA. APLASTIC ANEMIA TYPICALLY DEVELOPS WITHOUT PREMONITORY CLINICAL OR LABORATORY SIGNS, THE FULL BLOWN SYNDROME PRESENTING WITH SIGNS OF INFECTION, BLEEDING, OR ANEMIA. ACCORDINGLY, ROUTINE BLOOD TESTING CANNOT BE RELIABLY USED TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF APLASTIC ANEMIA, BUT, IT WILL, IN SOME CASES, ALLOW THE DETECTION OF THE HEMATOLOGIC CHANGES BEFORE THE SYNDROME DECLARES ITSELF CLINICALLY. FELBAMATE ORAL SUSPENSION SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED IF ANY EVIDENCE OF BONE MARROW DEPRESSIO

Drug facts

Used for
  • adults alone or with other medicines to treat:
  • partial seizures with and without generalization
  • children with other medicines to treat:
How to take it
  • Take felbamate oral suspension exactly as your healthcare provider tells you.
  • Your healthcare provider may change your dose of felbamate oral suspension.
  • Because of the risk of serious blood and liver problems, your healthcare provider may do blood tests before you start and while…
Do not take if
  • are allergic to felbamate, carbamates or any of the ingredients in felbamate oral suspension. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in felbamate oral suspension.
  • have or have had blood problems
  • have or have had liver problems

What it is used for

Felbamate oral suspension is a prescription medicine used when other treatments have failed in:

  • adults alone or with other medicines to treat:
    • partial seizures with and without generalization
  • children with other medicines to treat:
    • seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

The most important thing to know

Do not stop taking felbamate oral suspension without first talking to your healthcare provider.

Stopping felbamate oral suspension suddenly can cause serious problems.

Felbamate oral suspension can cause serious side effects, including:

1. Felbamate oral suspension may cause serious blood problems that may be life-threatening.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Fever, sore throat or other infections that come and go or do not go away
  • Frequent infections or an infection that does not go away
  • Easy bruising
  • Red or purple spots on your body
  • Bleeding gums or nose bleeds
  • Severe fatigue or weakness

2. Liver problems that may be life-threatening. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:

  • yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
  • dark urine
  • nausea or vomiting
  • loss of appetite
  • pain on the right side of your stomach (abdomen)

3. Like other antiepileptic drugs, felbamate oral suspension may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:

  • thoughts about suicide or dying
  • attempts to commit suicide
  • new or worse depression
  • new or worse anxiety
  • feeling agitated or restless
  • panic attacks
  • trouble sleeping (insomnia)
  • new or worse irritability
  • acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
  • acting on dangerous impulses
  • an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
  • other unusual changes in behavior or mood

How to take it

  • Take felbamate oral suspension exactly as your healthcare provider tells you. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much felbamate oral suspension to take and when to take it.
  • Your healthcare provider may change your dose of felbamate oral suspension. Do not change your dose of felbamate oral suspension without talking to your healthcare provider.
  • Because of the risk of serious blood and liver problems, your healthcare provider may do blood tests before you start and while you take felbamate oral suspension.
  • If you take too much felbamate oral suspension, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center right away.
  • Do not stop felbamate oral suspension without first talking to your healthcare provider.

Side effects, and when to stop

Felbamate oral suspension may cause serious side effects including:

The most common side effects of felbamate oral suspension include:

  • weight loss
  • vomiting
  • trouble sleeping
  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • sleepiness
  • headache
  • double-vision
  • changes in the way that food tastes

These are not all the possible side effects of felbamate oral suspension. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Who should not take it

Do not take felbamate oral suspension if you:

  • are allergic to felbamate, carbamates or any of the ingredients in felbamate oral suspension. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in felbamate oral suspension.
  • have or have had blood problems
  • have or have had liver problems

What to say before you start

Before you take felbamate oral suspension, tell your healthcare provider if you:

  • have kidney problems
  • have or have had depression, mood problems, or suicidal thoughts or behavior
  • have any other medical conditions
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if felbamate oral suspension can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking felbamate oral suspension. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take felbamate oral suspension while you are pregnant.
    • If you become pregnant while taking felbamate oral suspension, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Felbamate oral suspension may pass into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you should take felbamate oral suspension while you breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Taking felbamate oral suspension with certain other medicines can cause side effects or affect how well they work. Do not start or stop other medicines without talking to your healthcare provider.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

What to avoid

  • Felbamate oral suspension can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy while taking felbamate oral suspension, until you talk with your doctor. Taking felbamate oral suspension with alcohol or drugs that cause sleepiness or dizziness may make your sleepiness or dizziness worse.

Storing it

  • Store felbamate oral suspension at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).

Keep felbamate oral suspension and all medicines out of the reach of children.

General information about felbamate oral suspension.

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not use felbamate oral suspension for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give felbamate oral suspension to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them.

This Medication Guide summarizes the most important information about felbamate oral suspension. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for information about felbamate oral suspension that is written for health professionals.

For more information call Taro at 1-866-923-4914.

How can I watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions?

  • Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.
  • Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled.

Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms.

Do not stop felbamate oral suspension without first talking to a healthcare provider.

Stopping felbamate oral suspension suddenly can cause serious problems. You should talk to your health care provider before stopping. Stopping a seizure medicine suddenly in a patient who has epilepsy can cause seizures.

Suicidal thoughts or actions can be caused by things other than medicines. If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, your healthcare provider may check for other causes.

Cite this page

NLM

sofidex [Internet]. Daloreum; c2026. Felbamate; [reviewed 2026 Aug 2; cited 2026 Nov 10]. Available from: https://sofidex.com/patients/medicines/felbamate

APA 7th

sofidex. (2026, August 2). Felbamate. Daloreum. Retrieved November 10, 2026, from https://sofidex.com/patients/medicines/felbamate

AMA 11th

Felbamate. sofidex. Reviewed August 2, 2026. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://sofidex.com/patients/medicines/felbamate

The cited date is today’s, because a citation records when you read the page. The reviewed date is when a clinician last checked it.