Use of seizure drug Dilantin may be associated with the development of cerebellar atrophy symptoms including an unsteady gait, tremors, and more.

Dilantin is a medication approved for the treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of grand mal and partial complex seizures. The drug may also be prescribed to patients before or after brain surgery to help mitigate the risk of seizures.

Stimuli such as flashing lights may be a trigger for seizures due to the excessive neurological response prompted by the environmental factors. Dilantin works to prevent seizures by stabilizing the way the brain responds to environmental stimuli.

Seizures must be treated because they pose a variety of short term and long term risks to affected patients. During a seizure, patients are at the short term risk for injury and complications such as choking which could be fatal. Longer term, patients with seizures are at risk of sustaining brain damage.

Although treating seizures is important to avoid these risks, research suggests that Dilantin may not be a safe treatment option due to the potential risk of Dilantin toxicity causing cerebellar atrophy symptoms.

What is Cerebellar Atrophy?

Cerebellar atrophy is a degenerative condition affecting the cerebellum (the area of the brain that controls balance and coordination). When the cerebellum is healthy, it helps to control movement and create smooth, balanced motions.

Cerebellar atrophy causes neurological connections within the cerebellum to deteriorate which can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Cerebellar degeneration symptoms include an unsteady gait, tremors, jerky movements, slowed or slurred speech, rapid and small movements of the eye (nystagmus), and more.

A variety of conditions may cause cerebellar atrophy, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, tumors, and seizures. Ethanol and certain chemotherapy agents have also been reported as potential causes for cerebellar atrophy. However, research suggests that Dilantin may also contribute to the development of cerebellar atrophy.

Scientific evidence has long shown that Dilantin may play a role in the development of cerebellar atrophy. As early as the 1990s, scientists sought to expand the understanding of this relationship.

One study was conducted in 1994 to investigate if Dilantin was independently causing cerebellar atrophy or if seizures, another cerebellar atrophy cause that the drug aims to treat, were to blame for the development of the condition. The researchers found that patients on Dilantin did develop cerebellar atrophy regardless of seizure history and related brain damage, but did not reach a definite conclusion.

“Cerebellar atrophy may be seen in phenytoin-exposed patients with epilepsy in the absence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures or preexistent brain damage. Whether it is the phenytoin or the seizures that play the primary etiologic role remains unanswered. These factors may be synergistic,” the researchers concluded.

Luckily for affected patients, the condition may be reversible when Dilantin treatment is stopped. Although recovery is possible, some symptoms may be permanent. Cerebellar ataxia, which is the persistent lack of muscle coordination, has been reported to continue even after treatment with Dilantin is stopped.

Consumers who are concerned about the connection between Dilantin and cerebellar atrophy should consult their doctor before making changes to their medication.