Dilantin
Generic phenytoin 100mg tablets, listed as Dilantin, an anticonvulsant used to control epilepsy and certain seizures, in packs of 100 or 200.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100mg | 100 tablets | $51.00 | $0.51 |
| 100mg | 200 tablets | $86.00 | $0.43 |
Details
- Therapeutic Class
- Anticonvulsant
- Pharmacological Class
- Hydantoin
- Minor Side Effects
- Gingival overgrowth, Dizziness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Tremor, Confusion
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet, Capsule, Suspension
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Pfizer
- Duration
- 12–24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
- Drug Interactions
- Warfarin, Oral contraceptives
- Age Restrictions
- All ages
What you will receive
Dilantin is the originator brand name, made by Pfizer. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Dilantin.
- The same active ingredient (Phenytoin) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Dilantin strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Dilantin comes as 100mg tablets in packs of 100 or 200. This is generic phenytoin, not the original Dilantin. The larger pack lowers the price per tablet.
How is Dilantin delivered to Hong Kong?
Dilantin parcels to Hong Kong travel by tracked courier in 5 to 9 business days with online tracking. The packaging is plain and unbranded, with nothing outside about the contents. If a parcel does not arrive within the delivery window or arrives damaged, it is sent again free or refunded.
What other names is phenytoin sold under?
Dilantin is a brand name of phenytoin, which is also sold as Epanutin and Eptoin. Here, phenytoin can be bought online as generic Dilantin. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Dilantin the same as phenytoin?
Yes. Dilantin is the brand name that phenytoin is best known by, while the 100mg tablets sold here are generic phenytoin. Phenytoin is also sold as chewable tablets, long-acting capsules and a liquid, and those forms are taken more than once a day.
Can I drink alcohol with Dilantin?
Alcohol interferes with the way the liver handles phenytoin, so the amount in your blood can swing: a heavy session can push the level up, while regular heavy drinking tends to push it down. Either way, seizures and side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness become harder to predict.
Does Dilantin make the pill less effective?
Yes. Phenytoin speeds up the breakdown of the hormones in the combined pill, the mini-pill, the patch and the ring, so those methods become less reliable while you take it. The contraceptive injection and the coil are not weakened by phenytoin.
Why do I need blood tests with phenytoin?
The amount of phenytoin in the blood does not rise neatly with the dose — a small increase in tablets can send the level much higher than expected. Blood tests show whether you are in the range that keeps seizures controlled without causing unsteadiness or slurred speech, and they are repeated whenever the dose or other medicines change.
What happens if I stop Dilantin suddenly?
Seizures can come back more often or more strongly, so phenytoin is reduced in steps rather than stopped between one day and the next. Running out counts as stopping suddenly, which is why it is best to order the next pack before the current one is finished.
About Dilantin
Seizures, and cover for brain surgery
Phenytoin is an anticonvulsant — it calms the bursts of electrical activity in the brain that set off a seizure. It is used to control certain types of seizure, such as generalised tonic-clonic seizures (the body stiffens and jerks) and partial seizures (awareness or movement changes on one side), and to prevent seizures that can start during or after an operation on the brain or nervous system. The 100mg tablets sold here are generic phenytoin, in packs of 100 or 200.
How it settles the brain's signals
Every nerve cell fires when sodium rushes in through tiny channels in its surface. After each signal, phenytoin holds those channels closed a little longer, so a cell needs a bigger nudge to fire again and a run of abnormal activity has a harder time spreading. That protection lasts only as long as the drug is in the blood. A tablet will not halt a seizure that has started, and that is why a dose goes in at a regular time each day.
Keeping the level right
Phenytoin is unusual in that the amount in your blood does not rise neatly with the dose: a small increase in tablets can send the level much higher, so blood tests are used to check where it sits. Tablets go down with water, with or without food. If phenytoin is given through a feeding tube, feeds need to be spaced away from the dose.
Side effects to expect, and ones to act on
Dizziness, drowsiness, unsteadiness and blurred vision are common at the start and usually settle. Longer term, phenytoin can make the gums tender and swollen and can increase hair growth on the face, arms and body. Slurred speech, clumsiness or confusion can mean the level has climbed too high. A rash with fever, mouth sores, easy bruising or yellowing of the skin or eyes needs urgent attention — a feverish rash can be the start of a serious skin reaction.
Medicines, alcohol and stopping
Phenytoin is cleared by the liver, and plenty of things change the speed of that: other anticonvulsants, some antibiotics, heart medicines, antacids and St John's wort among them. Alcohol makes the level swing. Phenytoin also makes the pill, patch and ring less reliable. Coming off it is done in steps, because stopping all at once can bring seizures back harder. Keep the tablets cool and dry, away from light, in their original pack.
Sources
- Phenytoin: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Epilepsy and Seizures | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke — NINDS / NIH