Dilantin and Cerebellar atrophy - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Cerebellar atrophy is reported as a side effect among people who take Dilantin (phenytoin sodium), especially for people who are female, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for 10+ years also take Celexa, and have Partial seizures.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Cerebellar atrophy when taking Dilantin. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 19,857 people who have side effects when taking Dilantin from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Dilantin?

Dilantin has active ingredients of phenytoin sodium. It is often used in epilepsy. eHealthMe is studying from 20,858 Dilantin users. Check the latest studies of Dilantin.

What is Cerebellar atrophy?

Cerebellar atrophy (degeneration of the section of the brain responsible for balance, voluntary muscle movements) is found to be associated with 260 drugs and 102 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Cerebellar atrophy.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.



On Aug, 30, 2026

19,857 people reported to have side effects when taking Dilantin.
Among them, 45 people (0.23%) have Cerebellar atrophy.

Could Dilantin cause Cerebellar atrophy?

Among these 45 people:

How long have people been on Dilantin when they have Cerebellar atrophy? *

  • < 1 month: 0.0 %
  • 1 - 6 months: 0.0 %
  • 6 - 12 months: 0.0 %
  • 1 - 2 years: 0.0 %
  • 2 - 5 years: 0.0 %
  • 5 - 10 years: 0.0 %
  • 10+ years: 100 %

What is the gender of people who have Cerebellar atrophy when taking Dilantin? *

  • female: 52.78 %
  • male: 47.22 %

What is the age of people who have Cerebellar atrophy when taking Dilantin? *

  • 0-1: 0.0 %
  • 2-9: 3.57 %
  • 10-19: 3.57 %
  • 20-29: 0.0 %
  • 30-39: 3.57 %
  • 40-49: 10.71 %
  • 50-59: 25.0 %
  • 60+: 53.57 %

What are other drugs people take besides Dilantin? *

  1. Topamax: 7 people, 15.56%
  2. Celexa: 7 people, 15.56%
  3. Desyrel: 4 people, 8.89%
  4. Synthroid: 4 people, 8.89%
  5. Tegretol: 4 people, 8.89%
  6. Neurontin: 4 people, 8.89%
  7. Depakote: 3 people, 6.67%
  8. Plavix: 3 people, 6.67%
  9. Lamictal: 3 people, 6.67%
  10. Klonopin: 3 people, 6.67%

What are other side effects people have besides Cerebellar atrophy? *

  1. Confusion: 6 people, 13.33%
  2. Weakness: 4 people, 8.89%
  3. Status Epilepticus (a life-threatening condition in which the brain is in a state of persistent seizure): 4 people, 8.89%
  4. Drug Withdrawal Syndrome (interfere with normal social, occupational, or other functioning. are not due to another medical condition, drug use, or discontinuation): 4 people, 8.89%
  5. Movement - Uncoordinated: 4 people, 8.89%
  6. Muscle Twitching: 4 people, 8.89%
  7. Mydriasis (a dilation of the pupil): 4 people, 8.89%
  8. Gait Disturbance: 4 people, 8.89%
  9. Feeling Abnormal: 4 people, 8.89%
  10. Anticonvulsant Drug Level Increased: 3 people, 6.67%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

  1. Partial Seizures (seizures which affect only a part of the brain at onset): 10 people, 22.22%
  2. Convulsion (muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body): 5 people, 11.11%
  3. Pain: 1 person, 2.22%
  4. Osteopenia (a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal): 1 person, 2.22%
  5. Myoclonus (a brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles): 1 person, 2.22%
  6. Muscle Spasms (muscle contraction): 1 person, 2.22%
  7. Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (childhood epilepsy occurring early in morning affecting 12 to 18 years): 1 person, 2.22%
  8. Herpes Zoster: 1 person, 2.22%
  9. Asthma: 1 person, 2.22%
  10. Aneurysm (enlargement of an artery caused by a weakening of the artery wall): 1 person, 2.22%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Dilantin and have Cerebellar atrophy?

- Check whether Cerebellar atrophy is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously



Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Dilantin:

Cerebellar atrophy treatments and more:

How severe was Cerebellar atrophy and when was it recovered:

Expand to all the drugs that have ingredients of phenytoin sodium:

Sub-studies by gender and age:

Female: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Male: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Browse all side effects of Dilantin:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Cerebellar atrophy:

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Cerebellar atrophy:

Related publications that referenced our studies


How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on phenytoin sodium (the active ingredients of Dilantin) and Dilantin (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.



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