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Dilantin

Generic Name:phenytoin

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Overview

Side Effects and Interactions

Taking the Medicine

Special Precautions

Overview

Dilantin is one of the oldest and best studied anti-seizure medications on the market. Although it was first developed in 1908, the drug's ability to prevent epilepsy wasn't discovered until 1938.

Dilantin works in part by stabilizing nerve cells and making them less excitable.

It also exerts a similar action in the heart and is sometimes prescribed for irregular rhythms or a painful nerve condition that affects the face called trigeminal neuralgia.

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