My 26 yr daughter started on dilantin 3 times a day 2 weeks ago, she looks drugged up , anyone else?

Hey debbielou,

The common side effects for Dilantin are:

Constipation; dizziness; headache; mild nervousness; nausea; trouble sleeping; vomiting.

The more serious side effects are:

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Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bone pain; butterfly-shaped rash on the face; clumsiness or unsteadiness; confusion; dark urine; delirium; high blood sugar (flushing; fruit-like breath odor; increased thirst, hunger, or urination; rapid breathing); new or worsening mental or mood changes (eg, anxiety, behavior changes, depression, irritability, panic attacks, restlessness, suicidal thoughts or attempts); new or worsening seizures; numbness or tingling of the hands or feet; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; signs of infection (eg, chills, fever, sore throat); slurred speech; stomach pain; swollen lymph nodes; swollen or tender gums; tremor; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual eye movements; unusual muscle movements; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

She is experiencing serious side effects from the Dilantin and this needs to be addressed by the prescribing doctor. I assume she is taking the Dilantin for a seizure disorder? She may need a doage adjustment or be switched to a different antiseizure medication.

Best wishes,

Laurie

I can relate to what your daughter is going through. I went through the same thing when I started taking Dilantin. They gave me 300 mg/day, which is what they start all adults out on (whether they weigh 100 lbs or 250 lbs.) I weigh 90 pounds and when I complained of feeling drugged and having slurred speech and feeling tired, I had to argue with the doctor and he finally decided to weigh me and said that maybe I needed to be on a little bit less since I was so light. I had a seizure a few weeks later and the ER asked me what my Dilantin blood level was and I said the doctor never took levels. It turns out that he didn't know what he was doing. Most of his patients were stroke patients and the practice didn't know why I was assigned to him. After that, I demanded that they take blood levels every few weeks to get me on a level that would protect me from seizures without giving me terrible side effects. Then they did level checks monthly for about 6 months.

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I now have been on Dilantin for 8 years without any seizures. When I feel dizzy or my lymph nodes feel swollen, I ask for a level check and to review my dosage. If you have side effects or seizures, demand level checks before they put you on more meds. Doctors are in too much of a hurry to prescribe more meds, when all they need to do is adjust the level on the one med. I have not had to take any other meds in all this time and I keep after them to make sure I have a good level, so I minimize the side effects. God Bless.