Prolonged therapy with the anticonvulsant carbamazepine leads to increased plasma clearance of fentanyl

Abstract

Fentanyl is a potent analgesic that accounts for an increasing number of overdose deaths in the United States. This study tested whether altered pharmacokinetics plays a pivotal role in the increased fentanyl dose requirements in patients receiving the enzyme‐inducing anticonvulsant, carbamazepine.