Have you or a loved one suffered from Dilantin brain atrophy after taking the anti-seizure medication?

Long-term or high doses of Dilantin (phenytoin) have been linked to a reduction in the size of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls movement, speech, and coordination.

Discovered to control seizures in the early 1900s, Dilantin remains one of the most popular medications prescribed to treat patients with epilepsy and other seizures. The medication works by slowing the electric impulses inside the brain that tend to trigger seizures.

The Epilepsy Foundation indicates that brain cells fire “at a certain rate to function normally. During a seizure, brain cells are forced to work much more rapidly than normal.” Dilantin brain atrophy is a serious medical condition reported by some users.

While Dilantin keeps the brain cells from firing at the speed needed to induce a seizure, the medication also might slow certain cell functions too much. Dilantin brain atrophy occurs when brain cells lose neurons that connect the cells to each other. This loss of neural connectivity leads to brain tissue degeneration.

Dilantin brain atrophy is generally seen in the area of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that sits under the cerebrum and behind the brain stem. The cerebellum is divided into two hemispheres that regulate movement and enable smooth, precise motion.

Dilantin Brain Atrophy Causes Movement Issues

Patients are unable to control many types of motions when they suffer from Dilantin brain atrophy. Slow movements, tremors, lack of balance, and rapid eye movements are among the symptoms indicative of cerebellar damage.

Other symptoms of Dilantin brain atrophy are:

• A lurching-type walk
• Unsteady, stumbling gait
• Slow or unsteady jerking movements of the arms or legs
• Small, rapid movements of the eyes
• Memory loss
• Clumsiness with daily activities such as brushing teeth, buttoning clothing
• Changes in the tone, pitch or volume of speech
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Personality changes

While doctors recognize that years of seizures also can induce cerebellar atrophy, studies show that long-term use of Dilantin can independently cause cerebellar deterioration.

A 1994 study looked at the MRI results of phenytoin patients compared to those who had not received the drug. The cerebelli of the Dilantin users were remarkably smaller than those of the non-treated patients.

The Annals of Neurology published another study of five epileptic patients diagnosed with Dilantin brain atrophy. None of them had suffered recent seizures, but all of them had particularly high levels of Dilantin toxicity. The researchers concluded Dilantin itself and not the seizures led to the cerebellar atrophy.

In 2003, another study found that moderate to severe cerebellar atrophy occurred with long-term use of Dilantin.

In some cases, certain symptoms of Dilantin brain atrophy can be reversed when a doctor monitors the proper withdrawal of the medication. The side effect that is most difficult to overcome is the lack of muscle coordination.

If you or a loved one have suffered from Dilantin brain atrophy, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.