Phenytoin chewable tablets-oral

Read the Medication Guide provided by your pharmacist before you start taking phenytoin and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.The tablets may be chewed thoroughly before swallowing or swallowed whole.Take this medication by mouth usually 2 or 3 times a day, or as directed by your doctor. This product is not recommended for use once a day. You may take it with food if stomach upset occurs. Take this medication with a full glass (8 ounces or 240 milliliters) of water unless your doctor directs you otherwise.Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. It is important to take all doses on time to keep the amount of medicine in your body at a constant level. Remember to use it at the same times each day. Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to therapy.Products that contain calcium (e.g., antacids, calcium supplements) and nutritional tube-feeding (enteral) products may decrease the absorption of phenytoin. Do not take these products at the same time as your phenytoin dose. Separate liquid nutritional products at least 1 hour before and 1 hour after your phenytoin dose, or as directed by your doctor.Do not stop taking this medication without consulting your doctor. Seizures may become worse when the drug is suddenly stopped. Your dose may need to be gradually decreased.Inform your doctor if your condition does not improve or worsens.

Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor or pharmacist first.See also How to Use section.This drug should not be used with the following medications because very serious interactions may occur: azapropazone, delavirdine, dofetilide, etravirine, nisoldipine, rilpivirine.If you are currently using any of these medications, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting phenytoin.Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of: colesevelam, molindone, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), sucralfate, sulfa drugs, telithromycin, drugs affecting liver enzymes that remove phenytoin from your body (such as amiodarone, azole antifungals including itraconazole, cimetidine, macrolide antibiotics including erythromycin, estrogens, isoniazid, rifamycins including rifabutin, St. John's wort, other anti-seizure medicines including carbamazepine/phenobarbital/valproic acid).Phenytoin can speed up the removal of many other drugs from your body by affecting certain liver enzymes. This can affect how well these other drugs work. These other drugs include: some drugs to treat cancer (e.g., imatinib, irinotecan), corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone), cyclosporine, felodipine, quetiapine, quinidine, theophylline, vitamin D, warfarin. This is not a complete list. Tell your doctor or pharmacist of all other drugs you take.Also report the use of drugs which might increase seizure risk (decrease seizure threshold) such as: phenothiazines (e.g., thioridazine) or tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline), among others. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details.This medication may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control such as pills, patch, or ring. This could cause pregnancy. Discuss with your doctor or pharmacist if you should use additional reliable birth control methods while using this medication. Also tell your doctor if you have any new spotting or breakthrough bleeding, because these may be signs that your birth control is not working well.This product can affect the results of certain lab tests. Make sure laboratory personnel and your doctors know you use this drug.This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.

Do not share this medication with others.Laboratory and/or medical tests (e.g., phenytoin blood levels, liver function tests) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.Do not change from one brand of this product to another, or to another dose form of this drug (e.g., capsules) without consulting your doctor or pharmacist. Your dosage may have to be adjusted.

If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you remember unless it is within 4 hours of the next dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and resume your usual schedule. Check with your doctor if you miss doses for more than 2 days in a row. Do not double the dose to catch up.