The anticonvulsant Dilantin has a long history of successful application as a treatment for epileptic seizures.

After several decades of use, it’s still one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in the world.

However there are serious side effects of Dilantin.

Dilantin, known generically as phenytoin, was developed in the early part of the 20th century, but it didn’t find widespread application right away.

In the late 1930s, scientists discovered that Dilantin was effective for controlling epileptic seizures without the sedative effects that came with other drugs like phenobarbital.

Many patients still get good results without suffering serious side effects of Dilantin. The most serious Dilantin side effects tend not to be particularly common. But when they do hit, they can cause life-altering problems for patients who already have epilepsy to deal with.

Movement-Related Serious Side Effects of Dilantin

One of the rarer but more serious side effects of Dilantin is a condition known as cerebellar ataxia. This condition is a set of movement-related problems that results from atrophy of the cerebellum, a part of the brain that exercises a large amount of control over voluntary movement.

A few years ago, scientists weren’t certain whether cerebellar atrophy was one of the serious side effects of Dilantin or whether it was attributable to epileptic seizures themselves. Seizures can cause a lack of oxygen to the brain, which may lead to cerebellar atrophy.

In more recent case studies, however, researchers have concluded that Dilantin can play at least a contributory role in the development of cerebellar atrophy.

Cerebellar Atrophy Symptoms to Watch For

Because these serious side effects of Dilantin can affect the quality of a person’s movement, they can have a detrimental effect on that person’s ability to work at a job or even perform ordinary household tasks.

The trademark symptoms of cerebellar ataxia are problems with posture, balance and walking. Patients are at a heightened risk for tripping and falling, particularly on unstable surfaces like moving platforms.

Cerebellar ataxia can also affect vision because of the way it impairs the small movements of the eyes. Patients may suffer from blurred or double vision. An impaired ability to direct the gaze may make reading more difficult.

Similar impairment may affect the muscles of the mouth and throat, making speech and eating more of a problem. Speech can become slurred, slow or indistinct, or it can take on an awkward rhythm. Swallowing food, especially liquids, can put patients at a higher risk of choking.

Fine motor problems can also manifest elsewhere in the body, making it difficult to perform many everyday tasks. Writing, typing, cutting food, putting on clothes, or inserting a key into a lock all can be much more difficult for a person with cerebellar ataxia.

The effects of cerebellar atrophy are clearly problematic. They can hamper a patient’s ability to conduct ordinary everyday activities, threatening both their personal and professional lives.

Patients who seek only to control epilepsy may end up with serious side effects of Dilantin that are far more serious than they were led to expect from the drug’s labeling.