DILANTIN Reviews (PHENYTOIN SODIUM)Average Rating: 3.5 (185 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DILANTIN with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on DILANTIN: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DILANTIN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | skull fracture at age 10 | At age 66 I only have a very small amount of memory loss, names and this just may be old age. | At age 10 the specialist put me on 400 mg/day dialntin & 60 mg/ day phenobarbatol, 1/2 morning and 1/2 at bed time. He also told me that I would have to avoid cafine, nicotine,alcohol, & later I found aspertaine to be included. Very important. | M | 66 | 55 years | 11/22/2008 | 5 | epileptic seizures | My gums have receded. I have experienced no recent, significant side effects besides. | Dilantin has kept my seizures well under control. I have been seizure free since 1996. Compared to the benefits, I find that, compared to the benefits, the side effects are minimal. | M | 62 | 53 years 100 mg 4X day | 3/2/2010 | 5 | epileptic-grand mall | nothing noticable until doctor recently said I had bone loss, but I have been taking dilantin for 50 years. only 200mg a day This drug stopped my seizures for the last 40 years except when I went off the drug as a test, I had a seizure in about 3 weeks. | This drug gave me a life that I thought I was loosing at age 13. | M | 65 | 50 years | 7/13/2006 | 4 | Tonic-cloinic seizures | Sometimes side effects are difficult to assign to just long term Dilantin alone. I'm 59 years old with neuronal damage to my brain's left temperal lobe. In the past,I have also taken phenobarbital (over 40 years)with Dilantin but have switched to Mysoline (which is metabolized to phenobarbital and another anticonvulsant drug). My current side effects are: 1)increased hepatic enzymes, and 2)osteopenia. I have a slight memory loss but nothing preventing me from becoming a research scientist and making the best out of life. Also have something unique called plantar fibromytosis(build up of tissue along foot ligaments) making it hard to walk at times. Occurs in 0.05% of the males taking Dilantin. I've had most of the side effects noted on this webpage, but as long as you can remember you spouse's (and your)name, the memory lapses may be due to other factors (eg alcohol intoxication thus killing neurons) No gingivitis, just the opposite, which I believe is due to overzealous tooth brushing. | Take 400 mg Dilantin and 750 mg Mysoline daily in 2 divided doses: 200 mg Dilantin at bedtime and 200 mg in the AM. I've noted that ageing will limit (eliminate?) seizures probably due to you settling into a daily routine. Stay alway from alcohol and get plenty of sleep. Focus on the chores at hand. Train your mind so that you don't forget the major(and not the minor) life events . Prevent stressing yourself at work or play and keep your self esteem high! | M | 59 | 50 years | 5/25/2006 | 4 | GRAND MAL EPILEPSY | INSOMNIA(1-3 HRS ON GOOD NITE)SEVERE CONSTIPATION (GOT WORSE OVER YRS), DIZZINESS & FEELING OF PASSING OUT(DR'S SAY CAUSE LEVELS ARE LOW), SORES IN MOUTH & BLEEDING, NUMBNESS & TINGLING OF FEET, PAINS IN STOMACH-DRS JUST THROW HANDS IN AIR WHEN I COMPLAIN | BEEN TAKING DILANTIN FOR OVER 50 YRS, NEVER KNEW TIL RECENTLY ABOUT HAVING LEVELS CHECKED ATLEAST EVERY 6 MONTHS. HAVE HAD APPROX. 2-3 SEIZURES SINCE TAKING DILANTIN. AT MY AGE I WISH I COULD JUST KNOW WHAT HEALTHY FEELS LIKE AGAIN BEFORE I PASS!! | M | 91 | 50 years | 8/21/2006 | 4 | Seizure | Twitching, head fog, fatigue | I had a febrile seizure with high fever, another after a burn, and one after surgery. Every few years I have an EEG which has always shown some abnormal activity so Drs have kept me on Dilantin since I was about 17. Twice over the years I've come up toxic on blood work and had levels temporarily decreased. I've always considered the side effects worth being seizure free until this year. For the past several months I've been having trouble with being able to concentrate on things that require hand/eye coordination...like typing or sewing.. without developing a jerky muscle spasm. It also happens sometimes when the sun's extremely bright. It doesn't last long but when it does I have to stop what I'm doing and live in fear that it's a seizure coming on. I'm wondering if anyone else has this and possibly tried another med. | F | 66 | 50 years 100 mg 3X day | 10/14/2013 | 5 | grand mal seizures | I was put on 300 mg of Dilantin at age 16 for seizures but after a week or so, it was reduced to 200 mg when I exhibited toxicity to it. I have osteopenia but so did my mother, and two of my sisters so I can not say that Dilantin has caused it. According to an MRI done at Mayo in Rochester, I have moderate cerebral shrinkage. This accounts for some of my unsteadiness at times and I realize this is a side effect of Dilantin. However at age 65, many people have an unsteady gait so I again can not say that Dilantin did that to me. I do not have any gum overgrowth. I have some elevation in my ALK Phosphatase count but not enough that my neuro is concerned about it. | At the age of 16, I felt my life was over when I started having seizures. Dilantin gave me my life back so that I could function normally and I married and had two sons. No one ever told me of the side effects until after my second son was born and thank God that both of them were spared any birth defects. I do seem to metabolize Dilantin differently and need to keep my levels up above 20 to avoid a seizure. Just this week I learned that Dilantin is also measured in "free" levels and that as long as they are between 1 and 2, I am in the normal range. That is still confusing to me as my last reading was 32.2 with free level at 1.7. Along with the knowledge of my neuro, I have lowered my dosage from 260 to 230. He hates Dilantin because it is so hard to keep a balance on levels especially as we age. For now, I have no plans to switch to another drug because Dilantin has kept me safe from seizures and all drugs have side effects. In a perfect world, I would not have to take any drugs at all. | F | 65 | 49 years 230 1X day | 2/26/2016 | 4 | Epilepsy | Osteopenia and recent broke patella from fall. Dr said I have osteoporosis in knee. Seeing dentist twice a year and taking care of teeth help gums not to swell. | Have become concerned about cerebral shrinkage. Have been seizure free for 36 years. So can't complain. | F | 65 | 49 years 130 2x day | 7/4/2017 | 3 | epilepsy | Experiencing dizziness, fatigue, and short of breath. No seizures. | Took dilantin for 48 years with no side effects except soft gums and no seizures. Stopped taking dilantin and took Keppra. After taking Keppra for one year switch back to dilantin. Now experiencing dizziness, fatigue, and short of breath. | M | 67 | 48 years 200 mg 2X day | 7/4/2022 | 5 | Epilepsy (Tonic Clonic) | Tingling and numbness (Paresthesia) in my hands occurred in the last year. | Two NHS Neurologists were convinced Phenytoin should be withdrawn as it was causing the Paresthesia. I had deep reservations so paid privately for a Parasitology test that revealed H-Pylori that causes a mayhem of symptoms including Tingling, Numbness, Reflux, indigestion, Irritable Bowel Disease and Ulcers. Dilantin/Phenytoin is well medically documented to deplete our body's stores of Vitamins B (especially B12) & D, Calcium and Magnesium. I implore patients with Paresthesia to insist their Doctors test them for vitamins and minerals deficiency before considering changing any anticonvulsant regimen. | M | 55 | 45 years 100 mg 3X day | 3/24/2014 | 5 | Epilipse | I was diagnosed with epilipse in 1965 at the age of 18. The only side effect at that time was swollen gums in the mouth. Quite common as I understand. This subsided soon. | I have taken Dilantin since 1965. I have been taking this once a day 3 100mg tablets before bed. I have had no side effects and my life was as normal as if I never had epilipse until June 2006 when I had a seizure. My doctor increased the dosage to 4 100mg tables , 2 taken at 11 am and 2 at 11 pm. I thought that was it for another 40 years until Thanksgiving 2009 when I had 2 seizures within 8 hours. My doctor added 2 500mg Keppra to the Dilantin. Then in Sept. 2010 , I had a mini mal seizure where I was out for maybe a minute. What is happenning to me. Is it just because I'm getting older or because I have been taking the medication for so long ? Also , my feet have become dumb over the last few years, like pins and nettles. | M | 63 | 45 years 2 100mg 2X day | 10/27/2010 | 5 | Temporal Lobe Epilepsy | Vertigo, numbness in feet, memory loss, depression, bad gums,ticks, hands shake, lack of concentration. | Dilantin with phenobarbital has kept me virtually seizure free. I have been able to lead a completely normal life. The only time the medicine didn't work was while I was pregnant, so I had a tubal ligation to prevent harm to my son. In recent months the side effects started to show up and a blood level test showed that I had overdosed on Dilantin. Until now, I did not know of any side effects except for the gum problem. | F | 57 | 43 years | 8/30/2006 | 5 | epliepsy | some light headedness | Stay with the original brand. After being stabilized on Dilantin for 43 years, a change to the generic brand, Mylan, 2 years ago caused seizures to re-occur. There is a lot of information about Mylan not providing the same blood levels - mine were 1/2 what they should be. So be careful if your Dr. (or Insurance Co.) tries to change you to the generic form, Mylan. | M | 57 | 43 years | 3/11/2007 | 5 | grand-mal seizure | Totally lost my sense of balance, slow growths in mouth may eventually take over where my tongue is supposed to be, bone density is "compromised." | Only had two break-through seizures -- once when I forgot medicine for three days (teenager!) and once during reduced dose after pregnancy. Yes, I went through two pregnancies and nursing for months afterward while on 2mg of dilantin. Hard to attribute some things to side-effect of medicine -- but very easy to note that seizures are gone! | F | 60 | 43 years | 9/14/2008 | 5 | Epilepsy | At first I couldn't take it, it was making me sick and feeling funny. After a couple of months it worked perfect. | If your doctor tells you to take Dilantin, no matter how you feel, continue. Don't forget to take this medication, take it daily. The good news is once your used to it you should be able to take it once a day, in the morning. I went from a failure at high school to becoming a dispatcher for a huge company. i also wrote programs for the company. This is all due to the help of dilantin. Once your on your level you will find that if something very important is about to come up such as a meeting, one extra pill will zoom you in and focus you. Agree with this medication and you may be seizure free for years. | M | 59 | 40 years 400mg 1X day | 5/5/2016 | 5 | Seizure disorder | Osteopenia | In 40 years never had a seizure while on Dilantin. Docs tried two other medications; had seizures soon after both times. | M | 66 | 40 years 100 mg 4X day | 4/17/2021 | 4 | M | 65 | 40 years | 7/25/2017 | 4 | Grand Mal Nocturnal Seizures | Tiredness or drowsiness, My gums are a bit swollen, have had periods where my speach was a bit slurred, itching of the face and neck may be an allergic reaction from dilantin or something else and peripheral neuropathy in both feet and lower legs | Its good to have something that will control your seizures. The only thing I find a bit difficult to handle is the peripheral neuropathy, because I don't know how far it will advance. I am currently taking 600mg of dilantin one day and 500mg the following day. | M | 59 | 40 years | 2/20/2009 | 4 | gran mal epilepsy | I have begun to experience peripheral neuropathy, and combined with menopause, memory problems. Lipitor use brought on a seizure and so did use of generic medication. | This medication has been good to me,controlling my seizures, but I wish the discussion of the side effects and what to watch for was done up front by the drs. The gp. does not know what to look for as a side effect and the neurologist sees me extremely infrequently. | F | 56 | 40 years | 7/30/2005 | 1 | Epilepsy | It is a good medicine for seizure control. BUT, I have been taking it for 40 years and stopped it three years ago because I had heard of dilantin related problems especially after long-term use. I switched to LAMICTAL, which is a 3rd generation seizure medication and which is keeping me seizure free. About ten years ago, I began to have issues with balance and my gait. This worsened and a few times I fell while teaching a class. Sometimes carrying chemicals, I felt unsteady and was fortunate not to have an accident. My balance issue has worsened considerably, falls much more frequently and 'almost' falls (where I fell against a wall or counter, etc). By October of this year, I was falling one to three times a day. Some very seious -fell backwards down our stairs, another time fell into our fish pond and was lucky not to drown. I have broken furniture. Apparently, long term dilantin use can damage the cerebellum (Which controls balance and arm use) and also can cause ext | I think Dilantin is a good short term drug but should never, ever be used long term. There are new, anti-seizure medications with fewer side-effects. | M | 60 | 40 years | 4/21/2008 |
DILANTIN (PHENYTOIN SODIUM): Phenytoin is used to prevent and control seizures (also called an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug). It works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain. (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)