Patients taking Dilantin (Phenytoin) for their epilepsy conditions may experience a variety of potential side effects which could result in long term complications.

One of these conditions is cerebral atrophy, or shrinking of the brain, which has been linked to Dilantin and other phenytoin based medications.

Many patients now have to contend with epilepsy and Dilantin cerebral atrophy, and a number of patients are filing legal action against the manufacturing company for allegedly failing to warn them of the alleged correlation.

Approved in the 1950s Dilantin is one of the oldest and well known epilepsy medications in the United States and has been prescribed to patients with various epileptic conditions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers Dilantin an essential drug for any basic healthcare system, even though Dilantin has been gaining an increasingly negative reputation for its alleged side effects.

Pfizer Inc. has made the medication for years, but has recently faced increasing pressure due to the allegations of severe Dilantin complications.

Patients could potentially suffer from both epilepsy and Dilantin cerebral atrophy, in which they have to manage their seizures while their brain continues to shrink.

Link Between Epilepsy and Dilantin Cerebral Atrophy

Cerebral atrophy occurs when brain tissue deteriorates and loses neurons and their connectivity, resulting in loss of certain functions of movement and speech.

Brain atrophy can either be generalized or focal, with the condition either affecting only one part of the brain or the entire brain shrinking respectively. Focal cerebral atrophy tends to be more closely associated with Dilantin, with the cerebellum taking the most damage.

There are a number of causes of cerebral atrophy, including physical trauma and long term diseases like Alzheimer’s. However drug toxicity has been exhibited in patients suffering from epilepsy and Dilantin cerebral atrophy, with several studies indicating a similar correlation.

One of the first studies to observe this correlation was in 1994, when experts had noticed a potential correlation in patients allegedly suffering from epilepsy and Dilantin cerebral atrophy.

The study found that patients exposed to phenytoin had significantly smaller cerebelli compared to the control group, leading researchers to believe phenytoin toxicity could potentially result in brain atrophy.

Later studies have reflected those findings, including one from 2003 that had found moderate to severe atrophy was more likely in patients who had undergone long term phenytoin exposure.

The damage induced by cerebral atrophy is permanent, and the treatment options are often limited to medications and physical therapy.

While each case varies between patients, cerebral atrophy often means a patient’s movements and speech are affected. Often patients suffering from cerebral atrophy have unsteady or lurching walking gaits, and slurred or slow speech.

Damage to the cerebellum means damage to the body’s ability to have precise movements and speaking ability. Other symptoms that have been noticed includes nystagmus, or small rapid eye movements, and other symptoms of deteriorating muscle movements.

Patients now suffering from epilepsy and Dilantin cerebral atrophy may be able to file legal action against Pfizer Inc., for failure to warn. Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer to determine if they are eligible.