Phenytoin Other names: Phenytoin sodium Diphenylhydantoin

Chemical formula: C₁₅H₁₂N₂O₂ Molecular mass: 252.268 g/mol PubChem compound: 1775

Therapeutic indications

Phenytoin is indicated for:

Tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal epilepsy), partial seizures

Population group: only adults (18 years old or older)

Control of tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal epilepsy), partial seizures (focal including temporal lobe) or a combination of these, and for the prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or following neurosurgery and/or severe head injury.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments (click for details):

3-4 mg/kg in 2 divided doses daily

Tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal epilepsy), partial seizures

Population group: only infants (40 days - 1 year old) , children (1 year - 12 years old) , adolescents (12 years - 18 years old)

Control of tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal epilepsy), partial seizures (focal including temporal lobe) or a combination of these, and for the prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or following neurosurgery and/or severe head injury.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments (click for details):

4-8 mg/kg in 2 divided doses daily

4-8 mg/kg in 2 divided doses daily

Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, arrhythmias secondary to digitalis intoxication

Population group: only infants (40 days - 1 year old) , children (1 year - 12 years old) , adolescents (12 years - 18 years old) , adults (18 years old or older)

Phenytoin is indicated for the treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias or arrhythmias secondary to digitalis intoxication, when these have not responded to other available antiarrhythmic treatments or when other antiarrhythmic agents cannot be used.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments (click for details):

3.5-5 mg/kg

Trigeminal neuralgia

Population group: only adults (18 years old or older)

Phenytoin has also been employed in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia but it should only be used as second line therapy if carbamazepine is ineffective or patients are intolerant to carbamazepine.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments (click for details):

300-500 mg in 2 divided doses daily

Status epilepticus, severe head injury

Population group: only infants (40 days - 1 year old) , children (1 year - 12 years old) , adolescents (12 years - 18 years old) , adults (18 years old or older)

Parenteral phenytoin is indicated for the control of status epilepticus of the tonic-clonic (grand mal) type and for the prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or following neurosurgery and/or severe head injury.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments (click for details):

10-15 mg/kg

Contraindications

Phenytoin is contraindicated in the following cases:

Delavirdine

Delavirdine

Sinus bradycardia, sino-atrial block, second and third degree AV block, Adams-Stokes syndrome

at least one of

Sinus bradycardia
Sinoatrial block
Second degree atrioventricular block
Complete atrioventricular block
Stokes-Adams attack

< Previous: Overview

Next: Precautions >

© All content on this website, including data entry, data processing, decision support tools, "RxReasoner" logo and graphics, is the intellectual property of RxReasoner and is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of any part of this content without explicit written permission from RxReasoner is strictly prohibited. Any third-party content used on this site is acknowledged and utilized under fair use principles.

⇈