Research has shown a link between the anticonvulsant medication Dilantin and cerebellar atrophy, also known as atrophy of the brain.

Epileptic patients take Dilantin to control seizures. The drug works by interrupting the neurons in the brain, slowing the electrical impulses that cause seizures.

Unfortunately, Dilantin allegedly also has been linked to a deterioration of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. The cerebellum is located above and behind the brainstem.

What Are Symptoms of Cerebellar Atrophy?

Cerebellar atrophy can cause a person to walk with a jerky or unsteady gait, almost as if they are highly intoxicated. Sometimes, a person with cerebellar atrophy cannot even be steady enough to sit on the edge of a bed, or might experience a bobbing motion of the trunk or head. Slow but jerking movements of the arms or legs might occur.

A person suffering from cerebellar atrophy could also exhibit slurred speech and an optical condition called nystagmus, which causes rapid eye movements.

Acute Dilantin Toxicity and Cerebellar Atrophy

Thomas Kuruvilla and N.E. Bharuca of Bombay Hospital in Bombay, India wrote of a 38-year-old patient that developed cerebellar atrophy after acute Dilantin intoxication. That is, the patient took an increased dosage of Dilantin for a short period of time and developed cerebellar atrophy.

When admitted to the hospital, the patient exhibited confusion, agitation, urine incontinence, impaired speech and decreased motor skills. After a month of hospitalization, the patient continued to have difficulty with memory and calculation, but his overall thought processes had improved.

Unfortunately, cerebellar atrophy still was most evident because his speech was still slow and slurred and his motor skills were poor.

Six months after his release from the hospital, the patient’s follow-up MRI showed the cerebellar atrophy had become severe. Even though he could walk a few steps without support, his motor skills continued to be quite diminished. His speech continued to be poor.

While there had already been some evidence that long-term Dilantin use could cause irreversible cerebellar atrophy, this Bombay case was one of the first to show that acute Dilantin intoxication could cause similar irreversible damage.

Cerebellar Atrophy and Dilantin

Research shows that strokes are the most common way the cerebellum suffers injury. Multiple sclerosis, tumors, cysts and toxins can cause cerebellar atrophy as well. Studies have shown that Dilantin can be a toxin to the cerebellum.

Even though seizures themselves also can cause brain atrophy, a 1994 study allowed for this fact in looking at patients who took Dilantin and those who did not. The cerebelli of those treated with Dilantin were substantially smaller than that portion of the brain in non-treated patients.

Help for Sufferers

While cerebellar atrophy is rare, it is a serious condition that may or may not be reversible.

If you or a loved one have experienced cerebellar atrophy after taking Dilantin even for a short period of time, you could be eligible for compensation for your suffering, hospitalization, missed work hours and other results of the debilitation.