The hematological effects of carbamazepine, a drug effective in the
acute and prophylactic treatment of manic-depressive disorder, were
assessed in 43 subjects with affective disorder. Carbamazepine was found to
cause statistically significant, but clinically insubstantial, decreases in
white blood cell indexes. The consistent decreases in white cell counts
observed with carbamazepine should be differentiated from the extremely
rare, idiosyncratic blood dyscrasias reported in the literature.
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