Table 5.

Frequency of clinically important adverse events

	Carbamazepine	Gabapentin	Lamotrigine	Oxcarbazepine	Topiramate	Total
Number randomised	378	377	378	210	378	1721
Total number (%) of patients with at least one adverse event	183 (48%)	178 (47%)	169 (45%)	100 (48%)	200 (53%)	830 (48%)
Tiredness/drowsiness/fatigue/lethargy	48 [36]	46 [34]	31 [17]	22 [16]	43 [33]	190 [136]
Depression	14 [8]	18 [10]	20 [13]	7 [5]	29 [24]	88 [60]
Headache	21 [9]	20 [15]	21 [13]	9 [6]	17 [11]	88 [54]
Allergic rash	38 [32]	13 [4]	17 [15]	20 [16]	17 [8]	105 [75]
Memory problems	20 [12]	22 [19]	13 [10]	13 [8]	26 [19]	94 [68]
Dizziness/vertigo	14 [10]	23 [15]	15 [9]	13 [12]	15 [8]	80 [54]
Other psychiatric	16 [7]	17 [9]	11 [7]	7 [5]	37 [31]	88 [59]
Worsening of seizures	17 [5]	22 [13]	17 [12]	3 [1]	17 [8]	76 [39]
Other neurological	9 [6]	21 [14]	15 [9]	8 [5]	18 [12]	71 [46]
Other general	13 [6]	19 [11]	19 [13]	9 [6]	16 [12]	76 [48]
Behaviour/personality change/aggression	12 [4]	9 [6]	12 [7]	2 [1]	24 [19]	59 [37]
Ataxia	9 [6]	24 [12]	14 [9]	8 [6]	9 [3]	64 [36]
Confusion/difficulty thinking/disoriented	9 [9]	16 [15]	8 [4]	8 [6]	22 [19]	63 [53]
Anxiety/agitation/nervousness	7 [7]	15 [11]	8 [5]	7 [6]	15 [12]	52 [41]
Weight loss	2 [1]	4 [2]	4 [2]	3 [1]	29 [27]	42 [33]
Diplopia	5 [2]	11 [4]	4 [2]	8 [6]	6 [3]	34 [17]
Nausea	9 [6]	7 [3]	9 [6]	15 [13]	4 [4]	44 [32]
Weight gain	9 [7]	15 [12]	4 [1]	1 [0]	5 [4]	34 [24]
Accidental injury	7 [2]	11 [6]	12 [8]	3 [1]	8 [3]	41 [20]
Pins and needles/dysaesthesia	4 [1]	5 [1]	3 [1]	0 [0]	26 [24]	38 [27]
Sleep disturbance	5 [2]	4 [4]	9 [8]	4 [2]	9 [8]	31 [24]
Other events*	108 [71]	113 [73]	110 [70]	46 [38]	103 [64]	480 [316]

For adverse events, data outside brackets are intention to treat and inside brackets are per protocol.

^*Sorted by descending total frequency: other cardiac or vascular; other skin and appendages; abdominal pain, dyspepsia; other gastrointestinal; other visual disturbance; other renal tract or genital; diarrhoea; tremor; aches and pains; constipation; infection; mouth or gum problem; other respiratory or pulmonary; ischaemic heart disease or myocardial infarct; other haematological; other musculoskeletal; vomiting; impotence or libido problems; alopecia; word finding difficulty; status epilepticus; stroke—infarction; diabetes mellitus; hearing problem or tinnitus; hypertension; anorexia; bruising; flu like symptoms; haemorrhage; malignancy; short of breath; vaginal bleeding; arthritis; eczema; peptic ulceration; asthma; other hepatobiliary; urinary retention; abnormal liver function tests; anaemia; child birth; myalgia; other endochrine; psoriasis; upper respiratory tract infection, catarrh, sinusitis, rhinorrhoea; urinary tract infection; faints; hallucinations; hepatitis; pancreatitis; psychosis; transient ischaemic attack; tachycardia; thyroid disease; venous thrombosis.