Phenytoin

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Phenytoin or Dilantin, drug used to treat the seizures, or violent muscle contractions, caused by epilepsy. The drug can also control seizures associated with surgery of the brain or spinal cord. Phenytoin influences the movement of sodium along nerve fibers, preventing or minimizing the abnormal electrical impulses that cause seizures.

Phenytoin is available by prescription in tablet, capsule, and liquid form. Taken orally, except for one liquid form made for injection, the drug is usually prescribed in 100-mg doses taken once a day. The maximum recommended daily dosage is 600 mg. To avoid stomach irritation, oral phenytoin should be taken with food. The drug’s effectiveness is usually apparent after two to three weeks of treatment.

Patients with impaired liver function, diabetes, or heart disease should use this drug with caution. Although long-term use of phenytoin is common, it may be associated with the development of cancers in the lymphatic system or the bone marrow (leukemia). Pregnant women or those nursing an infant should not take this drug. Children who take it should be monitored with particular care.

Possible side effects include decreased coordination, mental confusion, or slurred speech. Other observed side effects include nausea, headache, fever, dizziness, twitching, involuntary eye movement, joint pain, insomnia, impotence, bedwetting, abnormal hair growth, skin rash, or change in urine color. An overdose of phenytoin can be fatal. Abruptly stopping treatment can cause uninterrupted seizures that may also be fatal.

Phenytoin may interact adversely with a variety of medications. These include, but are not limited to, aspirin, certain tranquilizers, steroids, blood thinners, ulcer medications, oral contraceptives, estrogens, and antacids. Also included are the drugs felbamate, furosemide, methylphenidate, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, diazepam, doxycycline, sodium valproate, theophylline, and valproic acid. Users of phenytoin should not drink alcoholic beverages.

Brand Name:Dilantin

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