Dilantin brain atrophy has been reported in some patients who suffer movement-related difficulty after long-term use of Dilantin.

Dilantin, originally known by its generic name phenytoin, was originally developed in 1908 by a German chemist. Parke-Davis bought the rights to phenytoin but didn’t immediately realize the drug’s usefulness.

Dilantin’s potential for treating epileptic seizures wasn’t discovered until the 1930s.

Researchers found Dilantin could keep seizures under control without the sedating side effects associated with other anti-seizure drugs.

Dilantin finally got FDA approval as a seizure treatment in 1953.

Today, Dilantin is one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. It’s mainly used to treat tonic-clonic seizures, focal seizures, and absence seizures.

Doctors can also prescribe Dilantin on a case-by-case use for certain off-label uses like controlling irregular heartbeat or psychiatric symptoms.

Like any drug, Dilantin comes with risks of side effects. Cases have been reported in which patients who took Dilantin for long-term control of seizures ended up suffering from Dilantin brain atrophy.

Research suggests that when taken over a long period of time, Dilantin may be linked to atrophy of parts of the brain. In many cases, Dilantin brain atrophy affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain that exercises a lot of control over voluntary movement.

Living with Dilantin Brain Atrophy

As one might expect, the symptoms of Dilantin brain atrophy tend to show up in a person’s movement. This set of movement symptoms may be referred to as cerebellar ataxia.

Typically, patients with cerebellar ataxia have trouble with posture, balance or walking. Even standing upright can be challenging.

These patients may walk with an awkward or lurching gait. They may not be able to walk without a significant risk of falling, especially on moving surfaces like an elevator floor or the deck of a ship.

Finer motor skills can also be affected, and that can hinder a patient’s ability to perform basic work functions or activities of daily living.

Cerebellar ataxia can make problems out of ordinary tasks like writing, typing, prepping food, or putting on clothes. The patient may also have trouble forming speech or swallowing food.

Visual abnormalities may also set in. The cerebellum has a role in directing a person’s gaze. With atrophy of the cerebellum, a patient may begin to lose control of saccadic movements, the normal back-and-forth movement of the eyeballs.

The result can be blurred vision, double vision, or problems tracking moving objects or reading words on a page.

Symptoms like these can have clear implications for a patient’s ability to work and earn income.

Dilantin patients who have already been living with the problems caused by epilepsy  may then have to face the threat to their job-related skills brought on by cerebellar atrophy.

Treatment is available for patients with Dilantin-related ataxia. But it can be complicated and expensive.

Due to the broad range of different symptoms, treating cerebellar ataxia may require coordination among several different care providers, such as neurologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and mental health specialists.