MONDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Withdrawal of carbamazepine led to significant increases in serum testosterone concentrations and free androgen index in men and women, and significant increases in estradiol/sex hormone binding globulin ratio in women, according to research presented in the October issue of Epilepsia.
Morten I. Lossius, M.D., of Akershus University Hospital in Lorenskog, Norway, and colleagues analyzed data from 150 patients taking monotherapy for epilepsy, mostly carbamazepine. They were randomly assigned to gradually go through withdrawal from their antiepileptic drug or continue their medication. The study lasted 12 months, and a variety of hormones were measured during visits through its course.
The mean difference in change in free androgen index between the withdrawal and non-withdrawal groups was 17.49 in men and 1.61 in women. The increase in free androgen index in men suggests that withdrawal of carbamazepine could improve their sexual function. The increase in estradiol/ sex hormone binding globulin ratio in women may be linked to the menstrual disorders reported in some subjects after long-term treatment, the report indicates.
"Our findings provide further evidence of the potentially negative effects of carbamazepine treatment on reproductive endocrine functions in men and women, but they also show that some of these changes may be reversible, even after years on treatment," the authors conclude.
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