An overview of the use of Carbamazepine at PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Yogyakarta

Carbamazepine is often used for indications other than epilepsy. In Indonesia, carbamazepine is registered for prophylaxis for lithium-responsive manic depressive disease, antiepilepsy, epilepsy of all types (except petit mal), and trigeminal neuralgia. This research aimed to describe the use of carbamazepine at PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Yogyakarta. This was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. The data were taken retrospectively from the medical records of patients who received carbamazepine during 2014. The use of carbamazepine included 494 prescriptions given to 117 patients. The physician who most prescribed carbamazepine was a neurologist (63.04%). The most appropriate use of carbamazepine following the National Agency for Drugs And Foods Controls of Republic of Indonesia (NA-DFC) was for epilepsy (34.19%), followed by trigeminal neuralgia (6.84%) and bipolar disorder (4.27%). The most off-label use was in cases of stroke (7.69%), followed by diabetic neuropathic pain, herniated nucleus pulposus, and cephalgia (all 3.42%). Evidence found for the off-label use of carbamazepine was in diabetic neuropathic pain and neuropathic pain post-stroke (24.53%). The use of carbamazepine at PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta hospital is mostly on-label, with some off-label use. The off-label use of carbamazepine (24.53%) has strong evidence, while some use has a lack of scientific support or no evidence at all.