Phenytoin sodium capsules-oral

Phenytoin is used to prevent and control seizures (also called an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug). It works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain.OTHER This section contains uses of this drug that are not listed in the approved professional labeling for the drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional. Use this drug for a condition that is listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional.This drug may also be used to treat certain types of irregular heartbeats.

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., extended release capsule, liquid suspension, or chewable tablet) without consulting your doctor or pharmacist. Your dosage may have to be adjusted.

Store at room temperature between 59-86 degrees F (15-30 degrees C) away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medicines away from children and pets.Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.MEDICAL ALERT: Your condition can cause complications in a medical emergency. For information about enrolling in MedicAlert, call 1-888-633-4298 (US) or 1-800-668-1507 (Canada).

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Reviewed on 4/16/2014 References