Licarbazepine is a
voltage-gated sodium channel
Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through a cell's membrane. They belong to the superfamily of cation channels and can be classified according to the trigger that opens the channel ...
blocker with
anticonvulsant and
mood-stabilizing effects that is related to
oxcarbazepine
Oxcarbazepine, sold under the brand name Trileptal among others, is a medication used to treat epilepsy. For epilepsy it is used for both focal seizures and generalized seizures. It has been used both alone and as add-on therapy in people with ...
.
It is an
active metabolite An active metabolite is an active form of a drug after it has been processed by the body.
Metabolites of drugs
An active metabolite results when a drug is metabolized by the body into a modified form which continues to produce effects in the body ...
of
oxcarbazepine
Oxcarbazepine, sold under the brand name Trileptal among others, is a medication used to treat epilepsy. For epilepsy it is used for both focal seizures and generalized seizures. It has been used both alone and as add-on therapy in people with ...
.
In addition, an
enantiomer of licarbazepine, eslicarbazepine ((''S'')-(+)-licarbazepine), is an active metabolite of
eslicarbazepine acetate
Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), sold under the brand names Aptiom and Zebinix among others, is an anticonvulsant medication approved for use in Europe and the United States as monotherapy or as additional therapy for partial-onset seizures epileps ...
.
Oxcarbazepine and eslicarbazepine acetate are inactive on their own, and behave instead as
prodrugs to licarbazepine and eslicarbazepine, respectively, to produce their therapeutic effects.
References
Secondary alcohols
Anticonvulsants
Dibenzazepines
Human drug metabolites
Mood stabilizers
Ureas
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