Drug & supplement interaction

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) + Carbamazepine

Carbamazepine brand names: Tegretol, Tegretol XR, Equetro, Carbatrol, Carnexiv.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Carbamazepine and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) at all — not against Carbamazepine, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) safety at a glance

Butylated Hydroxyt... overall Use caution Approved as a food preservative in small amounts, but using concentrated BHT as a supplement is not well studied and may be harmful.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally as a food additive. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally as a food additive. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Carbamazepine and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. 2 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Fainting / Confusion Worth acting on Additional detail

    Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)

    “Orally, BHT can cause severe gastritis characterized by severe epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms may progress to weakness, dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, unsteady gait, and loss of consciousness. BHT is highly lipid soluble. It may cross the blood brain barrier, causing psychotropic symptoms. BHT has been associated with development of cancer;”

    Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cancer.

    5 sources cited
    1. 10303. Shlian DM, Goldstone J. Toxicity of butylated hydroxytoluene. N Engl J Med 1986;314:648-9. DOI
    2. 10698. Grogan MW. Toxicity from BHT ingestion. West J Med 1986;145:245-6.
    3. 10699. Shlian DM, Goldstone J. More on BHT toxicity. West J Med 1986;145:699.
    4. 10292. Williams GM, Iatropoulos MJ, Whysner J. Safety assessment of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene as antioxidant food additives. Food Chem Toxicol 1999;37:1027-38.. PubMed
    5. 10293. Botterweck AA, Verhagen H, Goldbohm RA, et al. Intake of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene and stomach cancer risk: results from analyses in the Netherlands Cohort Study. Food Chem Toxicol 2000;38:599-605.. PubMed

    Carbamazepine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Carbamazepine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dizziness / Vomiting / Nausea reported in 4.2% of FDA reports for Carbamazepine Additional detail

    Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)

    Recorded for Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Fainting / Confusion above.

    Carbamazepine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Carbamazepine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) but not commonly for Carbamazepine: stomach upset.

Effects for Carbamazepine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 38,334 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Carbamazepine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally as a food additive.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) or Carbamazepine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) or Carbamazepine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Carbamazepine

This page covers Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Carbamazepine page lists 284 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major).

By severity: 12 major · 235 moderate · 37 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Carbamazepine page

“Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol, Equetro) only controls seizures and mood episodes when its blood level stays inside a tight window, and 284 supplement and herbal ingredients on file can disturb that balance, 12 of them rated major. Grapefruit can push carbamazepine levels up, St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Carbamazepine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)
Steady interest

#1,322 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Carbamazepine
Top 25%

#520 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)

What is Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)?

  • Antioxidant supplement
  • Antiviral (popular self-treatment for herpes-type viruses)
  • Food and supplement preservative
  • General 'anti-aging' use

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a man-made antioxidant used mainly as a preservative in foods, cosmetics, and supplements. Some people take it as a supplement hoping for antiviral or anti-aging effects, but human evidence for these uses is very weak, and taking concentrated BHT carries real safety concerns. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it as a supplement.

Synthetic compound (not from a plant) · Capsules, tablets, liquid drops, powder

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) record says about it on its own.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht): dosing

There is no established or proven safe supplement dose of BHT. It is not a standardized medical treatment, and doses found in supplements vary widely.If you choose to use a BHT product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

From our Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Carbamazepine

What Is Carbamazepine Used For?

Brand names: Tegretol, Tegretol XR, Equetro, Carbatrol, Carnexiv

Carbamazepine is used to treat certain types of seizures — including partial seizures, generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures, and mixed seizure patterns. It works best for those specific seizure types; it does not appear to control absence (petit mal) seizures.

It is also prescribed to relieve the intense facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia — a nerve condition that causes sudden, severe pain along the face. It is not a general painkiller and shouldn't be used for ordinary aches and pains.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Carbamazepine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (38,334 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Toxicity to various agents 2,300 reports
Seizure 2,093 reports
Fall 1,963 reports
Dizziness 1,610 reports
Fatigue 1,525 reports
See full Carbamazepine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) list.

See the full Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) interactions page
See every supplement checked against Carbamazepine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) References

The 6 references that drive our Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Williams GM, Iatropoulos MJ, Whysner J. Safety assessment of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene as antioxidant food additives. Food Chem Toxicol 1999;37:1027-38.. PubMed
  2. Botterweck AA, Verhagen H, Goldbohm RA, et al. Intake of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene and stomach cancer risk: results from analyses in the Netherlands Cohort Study. Food Chem Toxicol 2000;38:599-605.. PubMed
  3. Freeman DJ, Wenerstrom G, Spruance SL. Treatment of recurrent herpes simplex labialis with topical butylated hydroxytoluene. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1985;38:56-9.. PubMed
  4. Shlian DM, Goldstone J. Toxicity of butylated hydroxytoluene. N Engl J Med 1986;314:648-9. DOI
  5. Grogan MW. Toxicity from BHT ingestion. West J Med 1986;145:245-6.
  6. Shlian DM, Goldstone J. More on BHT toxicity. West J Med 1986;145:699.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) with Carbamazepine?
We do not list a known interaction between Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) and Carbamazepine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Does Carbamazepine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Carbamazepine has documented interactions with 284 supplements in our database — Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) is not one of them. The Carbamazepine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht) monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Carbamazepine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Carbamazepine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Carbamazepine, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 6 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Carbamazepine and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (bht)?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.