Pharmacokinetic interactions between antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs

The use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) for the treatment of psychiatric disorders has reached a new phase of clinical interest. They are commonly used in the therapy of psychoses, mood disorders, aggression and eating disorders. Pharmacotherapy combinations involving AEDs and antidepressant drugs are used to treat co-morbid psychiatric and neurological disorders, to reduce or control the adverse effects of a medication or to increase a medication effect. Therefore, the impact of pharmacokinetic interactions of this class of drugs is quite relevant. In this paper, the available data about the mechanisms of metabolic kinetic interactions between antidepressant and antiepileptic drugs, as well as their clinical significance, has been reviewed.