The popular anticonvulsant medication Dilantin has been linked with serious side effects, including a condition known as cerebellar ataxia. Awareness of the connection has been strengthened by both reports from patients and a growing number of studies into the issue.

Background of Dilantin

Dilantin is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and is one of the most popular anticonvulsant medications available on the market today. Dilantin is primarily used to treat epilepsy, a neurological disorder that brings along with it epileptic seizures.

The severity of the seizures varies from person to person, but the basis is the same: during a seizure, the rate at which the brain normally fires neurons suddenly increases to a very rapid pace, which can then cause movement that the patient themselves can’t control. Dilantin works to treat these seizures by preventing the neurons from firing at quite so rapid a pace. Slowing this process down can stop seizures in their early stages, making epilepsy much more manageable.

Dilantin, which is also sold under the generic name phenytoin, may be one of the more widely used drugs of its kind currently on the market. But it has actually been linked with some pretty severe side effects, including cerebellar ataxia.

Dilantin Side Effects

Any medication will come with certain side effects, which are generally either mild or rare. Regardless, any side effects linked with a medication should be warned about on the label. But Dilantin users and studies indicate that the risks linked with Dilantin may be far more severe and lasting than patients are warned about.

Dilantin has been linked with the degenerative brain condition cerebellar atrophy and its associated movement problem known as cerebellar ataxia.

Dilantin and Cerebellar Ataxia Problems

The degenerative brain condition cerebellar atrophy is being increasingly tied with Dilantin. Essentially, cerebellar atrophy occurs when a patient’s brain tissue degenerates over time, which can have a number of severe and even permanent effects, such as cerebellar ataxia.

When the cerebellum’s tissue degenerates over time, losing neurons, a patient may become physically impaired. Impaired movement from cerebellar atrophy is known as cerebellar ataxia. Cerebellar ataxia occurs because of the degradation of the cerebellum’s functions, which include speech, coordination, posture, and balance. When the cerebellum loses neurons, a person can develop cerebellar ataxia in response, affecting their ability to go about their daily life.

A study published in the Seizure European Journal of Epilepsy looked at the connection between Dilantin and cerebellar ataxia. The study found that the length of time a patient uses Dilantin will drastically affect how likely they are to develop extreme side effects like cerebellar ataxia. So a long-term Dilantin patient is more likely to develop cerebellar ataxia than a patient who has only used Dilantin for a short time.

Similarly, if a patient takes a higher dosage of Dilantin, they are more likely to develop serious Dilantin side effects. Of course, a patient taking any dosage of Dilantin for any length of time may be at risk of cerebellar ataxia, but the risk is not as high.

For some patients, the treatment for cerebellar atrophy is simply to stop taking Dilantin. Unfortunately, some patients suffering from cerebellar ataxia may be stuck with these symptoms as a permanent part of their lives.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Dilantin Cerebellar Ataxia

If you have taken the anticonvulsant Dilantin and have since begun to suffer from cerebellar ataxia or other serious symptoms, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cerebellar ataxia or other serious side effects, it may be able to help compensate for the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.