For the love of all that is holy, stop prescribing sodium valproate and carbamazepine together

Sodium valproate and carbamazepine are two time-tested drugs for treatment of epilepsy. Individually, they are usually excellent choices in treating a broad spectrum of epileptic seizures. They are, however, not friendly with each other. Their co-administration affects the drug levels of each other by influencing the action of hepatic enzymes. This write up attempts to give an overview of the mechanism of this drug interaction, and informs readers why this combination is a bad choice. The author hopes that this will help in raising awareness among the physicians regarding the dangers of this prescription, and in putting a full stop to this practice.