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Phenytoin is a brand name for Phenytoin. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: 1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Phenytoin chewable tablets are indicated for the treatment of generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) and complex partial (psychomotor, temporal lobe) seizures and prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or following neurosurgery. Phenytoin chewable tablets are indicated for the…
Verbatim from this product's FDA label. Tap a section to expand.
1 ) • Adult starting dose in patients who have received no previous treatment is two phenytoin chewable tablets three times a day, with dose adjustments as necessary. For most adults, the satisfactory maintenance dose will be six to eight phenytoin chewable tablets daily; an increase to twelve phenytoin chewable tablets daily may be made, if necessary.
2 ) • Pediatric starting dose is 5 mg/kg/day in two to three equally divided doses, with dosage adjustments as necessary, up to a maximum of 300 mg daily. Maintenance dosage is 4 mg/kg/day to 8 mg/kg/day. 3 ) • Serum blood level determinations may be necessary for optimal dosage adjustments—the clinically effective serum total concentration is 10 mcg/mL to 20 mcg/mL (unbound phenytoin concentration is 1 mcg/mL to 2 mcg/mL).
1 Important Administration Instructions NOT FOR ONCE-A-DAY DOSING. Phenytoin chewable tablets can be either chewed thoroughly before being swallowed or swallowed whole. 2 Adult Dosage The recommended starting dosage for adult patients who have received no previous treatment is two 50 mg phenytoin chewable tablets by mouth three times daily.
Adjust the dosage to suit individual requirements up to a maximum of twelve phenytoin chewable tablets daily. For most adults, the satisfactory maintenance dosage will be six to eight phenytoin chewable tablets daily. 3 Pediatric Dosage The recommended starting dosage for pediatric patients is 5 mg/kg/day by mouth in two or three equally divided doses, with subsequent dosage individualized to a maximum of 300 mg daily in divided doses.
A recommended daily maintenance dosage is usually 4 mg/kg/day to 8 mg/kg/day in equally divided doses. Children over 6 years and adolescents may require the minimum adult dosage (300 mg/day). If the daily dosage cannot be divided equally, the larger dose should be given before retiring.
4 Dosage Adjustments Dosage should be individualized to provide maximum benefit. In some cases, serum blood level determinations may be necessary for optimal dosage adjustments. Trough levels provide information about clinically effective serum level range and confirm patient compliance, and are obtained just prior to the patient's next scheduled dose.
Peak levels indicate an individual's threshold for emergence of dose-related side effects and are obtained at the time of expected peak concentration. Therapeutic effect without clinical signs of toxicity occurs more often with serum total concentrations between 10 mcg/mL and 20 mcg/mL (unbound phenytoin concentrations of 1 mcg/mL to 2 mcg/mL), although some mild cases of tonic-clonic (grand mal) epilepsy may be controlled with lower serum levels of phenytoin.
14) ] The following adverse reactions associated with the use of phenytoin were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
7) ] . Anaphylaxis has also been reported. There have also been reports of coarsening of facial features, systemic lupus erythematosus, periarteritis nodosa, and immunoglobulin abnormalities.
Digestive System:
Acute hepatic failure, toxic hepatitis, liver damage, nausea, vomiting, constipation, enlargement of the lips, and gingival hyperplasia.
Hematologic and Lymphatic System:
Hematopoietic complications, some fatal, have occasionally been reported in association with administration of phenytoin. These have included thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, agranulocytosis, and pancytopenia with or without bone marrow suppression.
While macrocytosis and megaloblastic anemia have occurred, these conditions usually respond to folic acid therapy. 9) ] . Pure red cell aplasia has also been reported.
Laboratory Test Abnormality:
Phenytoin may decrease serum concentrations of thyroid hormone (T4 and T3), sometimes with an accompanying increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), but usually in the absence of clinical hypothyroidism. Phenytoin may also produce lower than normal values for dexamethasone or metyrapone tests.
14) ], alkaline phosphatase, and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT).
Nervous System:
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Withdrawal Precipitated Seizure: May precipitate status epilepticus. Dose reductions or discontinuation should be done gradually. 1 ) • Suicidal Behavior and Ideation: Monitor patients for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior.
2 ) • Serious Dermatologic Reactions: Discontinue phenytoin chewable tablets at the first sign of a rash, unless the rash is clearly not drug-related. If signs or symptoms suggest SJS/TEN, use of this drug should not be resumed and alternative therapy should be considered.
3 ) • Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS)/Multiorgan Hypersensitivity: If signs or symptoms of hypersensitivity are present, evaluate the patient immediately. Discontinue if an alternative etiology cannot be established.
4 ) • Cardiac Effects: Bradycardia and cardiac arrest have been reported. 6 ) • Angioedema: Discontinue immediately if symptoms of angioedema such as facial, perioral, or upper airway swelling occur. 7 ) • Hepatic Injury: Cases of acute hepatotoxicity have been reported with phenytoin chewable tablets.
If this occurs, immediately discontinue. 8 ) • Hematopoietic Complications: If occurs, follow-up observation is indicated and an alternative antiepileptic treatment should be used. 1 Withdrawal Precipitated Seizure, Status Epilepticus Abrupt withdrawal of phenytoin in epileptic patients may precipitate status epilepticus.
When, in the judgment of the clinician, the need for dosage reduction, discontinuation, or substitution of alternative anticonvulsant medication arises, this should be done gradually. However, in the event of an allergic or hypersensitivity reaction, more rapid substitution of alternative therapy may be necessary.
In this case, alternative therapy should be an anticonvulsant not belonging to the hydantoin chemical class. 2 Suicidal Behavior and Ideation Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including phenytoin chewable tablets, increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in patients taking these drugs for any indication.
5) ] . Reactions have included angioedema. 8) ] . • Coadministration with delavirdine because of the potential for loss of virologic response and possible resistance to delavirdine or to the class of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
8 ) • Coadministration with delavirdine ( 4 )
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
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6) ] . With recommended dosage, a period of seven to ten days may be required to achieve steady-state blood levels with phenytoin and changes in dosage (increase or decrease) should not be carried out at intervals shorter than seven to ten days.
5 Switching Between Phenytoin Formulations The free acid form of phenytoin is used in phenytoin oral suspension and phenytoin chewable tablets. Extended phenytoin sodium capsules and parenteral phenytoin are formulated with the sodium salt of phenytoin.
Because there is approximately an 8% increase in drug content with the free acid form over that of the sodium salt, dosage adjustments and serum level monitoring may be necessary when switching from a product formulated with the free acid to a product formulated with the sodium salt and vice versa.
6) ] . 3) ] . 8 Dosing during Pregnancy Decreased serum concentrations of phenytoin may occur during pregnancy because of altered phenytoin pharmacokinetics. Periodic measurement of serum phenytoin concentrations should be performed during pregnancy, and the phenytoin chewable tablets dosage should be adjusted as necessary.
1) ] . Because of potential changes in protein binding during pregnancy, the monitoring of phenytoin serum levels should be based on the unbound fraction.
The most common adverse reactions encountered with phenytoin therapy are nervous system reactions and are usually dose-related. Reactions include nystagmus, ataxia, slurred speech, decreased coordination, somnolence, and mental confusion.
Dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, transient nervousness, motor twitchings, paresthesias, and headaches have also been observed. There have also been rare reports of phenytoin-induced dyskinesias, including chorea, dystonia, tremor and asterixis, similar to those induced by phenothiazine and other neuroleptic drugs.
15) ] . A predominantly sensory peripheral polyneuropathy has been observed in patients receiving long-term phenytoin therapy.
Skin and Appendages:
Dermatological manifestations sometimes accompanied by fever have included scarlatiniform or morbilliform rashes. A morbilliform rash (measles-like) is the most common; other types of dermatitis are seen more rarely. 3) ] . There have also been reports of hypertrichosis and urticaria.
Special Senses:
Altered taste sensation including metallic taste.
Urogenital:
Peyronie's disease The most common adverse reactions are nervous system reactions, including nystagmus, ataxia, slurred speech, decreased coordination, somnolence, and mental confusion. gov/medwatch.
Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior. 7) of suicidal thinking or behavior compared to patients randomized to placebo.
24% among 16,029 placebo-treated patients, representing an increase of approximately one case of suicidal thinking or behavior for every 530 patients treated. There were four suicides in drug-treated patients in the trials and none in placebo-treated patients, but the number is too small to allow any conclusion about drug effect on suicide.
The increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with AEDs was observed as early as one week after starting drug treatment with AEDs and persisted for the duration of treatment assessed. Because most trials included in the analysis did not extend beyond 24 weeks, the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior beyond 24 weeks could not be assessed.
The risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior was generally consistent among drugs in the data analyzed. The finding of increased risk with AEDs of varying mechanisms of action and across a range of indications suggests that the risk applies to all AEDs used for any indication.
The risk did not vary substantially by age (5 to 100 years) in the clinical trials analyzed. Table 1 shows absolute and relative risk by indication for all evaluated AEDs. 9 The relative risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior was higher in clinical trials for epilepsy than in clinical trials for psychiatric or other conditions, but the absolute risk differences were similar for the epilepsy and psychiatric indications.
Anyone considering prescribing phenytoin chewable tablets or any other AED must balance the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with the risk of untreated illness. Epilepsy and many other illnesses for which AEDs are prescribed are themselves associated with morbidity and mortality and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.
Should suicidal thoughts and behavior emerge during treatment, the prescriber needs to consider whether the emergence of these symptoms in any given patient may be related to the illness being treated. Patients, their caregivers, and families should be informed that AEDs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior and should be advised of the need to be alert for the emergence or worsening of the signs and symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or the emergence of suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self-harm.
Behaviors of concern should be reported immediately to healthcare providers. 3 Serious Dermatologic Reactions Phenytoin can cause severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), which may be fatal. 4) ]. The onset of symptoms is usually within 28 days, but can occur later.
Phenytoin should be discontinued at the first sign of a rash, unless the rash is clearly not drug-related. If signs or symptoms suggest a severe cutaneous adverse reaction, use of this drug should not be resumed and alternative therapy should be considered.
If a rash occurs, the patient should be evaluated for signs and symptoms of SCARs. Studies in patients of Chinese ancestry have found a strong association between the risk of developing SJS/TEN and the presence of HLA-B*1502, an inherited allelic variant of the HLA B gene, in patients using carbamazepine.
Limited evidence suggests that HLA-B*1502 may be a risk factor for the development of SJS/TEN in patients of Asian ancestry taking other antiepileptic drugs associated with SJS/TEN, including phenytoin. In addition, retrospective, case-control, genome-wide association studies in patients of southeast Asian ancestry have also identified an increased risk of SCARs in carriers of the decreased function CYP2C9*3 variant, which has also been associated with decreased clearance of phenytoin.
5) ] . The use of HLA-B*1502 or CYP2C9 genotyping has important limitations and must never substitute for appropriate clinical vigilance and patient management. The role of other possible factors in the development of, and morbidity from, SJS/TEN, such as antiepileptic drug (AED) dose, compliance, concomitant medications, comorbidities, and the level of dermatologic monitoring have not been studied.
4 Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS)/Multiorgan Hypersensitivity Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS), also known as Multiorgan hypersensitivity, has been reported in patients taking antiepileptic drugs, including phenytoin.
Some of these events have been fatal or life-threatening. DRESS typically, although not exclusively, presents with fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, and/or facial swelling, in association with other organ system involvement, such as hepatitis, nephritis, hematological abnormalities, myocarditis, or myositis sometimes resembling an acute viral infection.
Eosinophilia is often present. Because this disorder is variable in its expression, other organ systems not noted here may be involved. It is important to note that early manifestations of hypersensitivity, such as fever or lymphadenopathy, may be present even though rash is not evident.
If such signs or symptoms are present, the patient should be evaluated immediately. Phenytoin should be discontinued if an alternative etiology for the signs or symptoms cannot be established. 7) ] . , trimethadione) in these same patients.
Similarly, if there is a history of hypersensitivity reactions to these structurally similar drugs in the patient or immediate family members, consider alternatives to phenytoin. 6 Cardiac Effects Cases of bradycardia and cardiac arrest have been reported in phenytoin-treated patients, both at recommended phenytoin doses and levels, and in association with phenytoin toxicity [see Overdosage (10) ].
Most of the reports of cardiac arrest occurred in patients with underlying cardiac disease. 7 Angioedema Angioedema has been reported in patients treated with phenytoin in the postmarketing setting. Phenytoin should be discontinued immediately if symptoms of angioedema, such as facial, perioral, or upper airway swelling occur.
Phenytoin should be discontinued permanently if a clear alternative etiology for the reaction cannot be established. 8 Hepatic Injury Cases of acute hepatotoxicity, including infrequent cases of acute hepatic failure, have been reported with phenytoin.
4) ] . Other common manifestations include jaundice, hepatomegaly, elevated serum transaminase levels, leukocytosis, and eosinophilia. The clinical course of acute phenytoin hepatotoxicity ranges from prompt recovery to fatal outcomes.
In these patients with acute hepatotoxicity, phenytoin should be immediately discontinued and not readministered. 9 Hematopoietic Complications Hematopoietic complications, some fatal, have occasionally been reported in association with administration of phenytoin.
These have included thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, agranulocytosis, and pancytopenia with or without bone marrow suppression. There have been a number of reports suggesting a relationship between phenytoin and the development of lymphadenopathy (local or generalized) including benign lymph node hyperplasia, pseudolymphoma, lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease.
Although a cause and effect relationship has not been established, the occurrence of lymphadenopathy indicates the need to differentiate such a condition from other types of lymph node pathology. 4) ] . In all cases of lymphadenopathy, follow-up observation for an extended period is indicated and every effort should be made to achieve seizure control using alternative antiepileptic drugs.
10 Effects on Vitamin D and Bone The chronic use of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy has been associated with decreased bone mineral density (osteopenia, osteoporosis, and osteomalacia) and bone fractures. Phenytoin induces hepatic metabolizing enzymes.
This may enhance the metabolism of vitamin D and decrease vitamin D levels, which may lead to vitamin D deficiency, hypocalcemia, and hypophosphatemia. Consideration should be given to screening with bone-related laboratory and radiological tests as appropriate and initiating treatment plans according to established guidelines.
11 Renal or Hepatic Impairment or Hypoalbuminemia Because the fraction of unbound phenytoin is increased in patients with renal or hepatic disease, or in those with hypoalbuminemia, the monitoring of phenytoin serum levels should be based on the unbound fraction in those patients.
12 Exacerbation of Porphyria In view of isolated reports associating phenytoin with exacerbation of porphyria, caution should be exercised in using this medication in patients suffering from this disease. 13 Teratogenicity and Other Harm to the Newborn Phenytoin may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman.
1) ] . Increased frequencies of major malformations (such as orofacial clefts and cardiac defects), and abnormalities characteristic of fetal hydantoin syndrome, including dysmorphic skull and facial features, nail and digit hypoplasia, growth abnormalities (including microcephaly), and cognitive deficits, have been reported among children born to epileptic women who took phenytoin alone or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.
There have been several reported cases of malignancies, including neuroblastoma. A potentially life-threatening bleeding disorder related to decreased levels of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors may occur in newborns exposed to phenytoin in utero .
This drug-induced condition can be prevented with vitamin K administration to the mother before delivery and to the neonate after birth. 14 Hyperglycemia Hyperglycemia, resulting from the drug's inhibitory effects on insulin release, has been reported.
Phenytoin may also raise the serum glucose level in diabetic patients. 15 Serum Phenytoin Levels above Therapeutic Range Serum levels of phenytoin sustained above the therapeutic range may produce confusional states referred to as "delirium," "psychosis," or "encephalopathy," or rarely irreversible cerebellar dysfunction and/or cerebellar atrophy.
Accordingly, at the first sign of acute toxicity, serum levels should be immediately checked. Dose reduction of phenytoin therapy is indicated if serum levels are excessive; if symptoms persist, termination is recommended.