Phenytoin and Clostridium difficile colitis - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Clostridium difficile colitis is reported as a side effect among people who take Phenytoin (phenytoin), especially for people who are male, 40-49 old, also take Acetaminophen, and have Multiple myeloma.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Clostridium difficile colitis when taking Phenytoin. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 15,464 people who have side effects when taking Phenytoin from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Phenytoin?

Phenytoin has active ingredients of phenytoin. It is often used in epilepsy. eHealthMe is studying from 15,753 Phenytoin users. Check the latest studies of Phenytoin.

What is Clostridium difficile colitis?

Clostridium difficile colitis (inflammation of colon by clostridium difficile bacteria infection) is found to be associated with 1,043 drugs and 1,786 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Clostridium difficile colitis.

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 Sep, 02, 2026

15,464 people reported to have side effects when taking Phenytoin.
Among them, 16 people (0.1%) have Clostridium difficile colitis.

Could Phenytoin cause Clostridium difficile colitis?

Among these 16 people:

What is the gender of people who have Clostridium difficile colitis when taking Phenytoin? *

female: 37.5 %
male: 62.5 %

What is the age of people who have Clostridium difficile colitis when taking Phenytoin? *

What are other drugs people take besides Phenytoin? *

What are other side effects people have besides Clostridium difficile colitis? *

Spinal Osteoarthritis (joint cartilage loss in spine): 10 people, 62.50%
Urinary Tract Infection: 10 people, 62.50%
Convulsion (muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body): 10 people, 62.50%
Pneumonia: 9 people, 56.25%
Mental Status Changes (general changes in brain function, such as confusion, amnesia (memory loss), loss of alertness, loss of orientation): 9 people, 56.25%
Thrombocytopenia (decrease of platelets in blood): 9 people, 56.25%
Anaemia (lack of blood): 9 people, 56.25%
Respiratory Distress (difficulty in breathing): 9 people, 56.25%
Bone Disorder: 8 people, 50.00%
Gallstones (stone formation by bile component): 8 people, 50.00%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Multiple Myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells): 8 people, 50.00%
Type 2 Diabetes: 2 people, 12.50%
Hypomagnesaemia (electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of magnesium in the blood): 2 people, 12.50%
Convulsion (muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body): 2 people, 12.50%
Delirium (wild excitement): 2 people, 12.50%
Dyspnea (difficult or laboured breathing): 2 people, 12.50%
Fever: 2 people, 12.50%
Gamma-Glutamyltransferase Increased: 2 people, 12.50%
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar): 2 people, 12.50%
Hypernatraemia (an abnormally high plasma concentration of sodium ions): 2 people, 12.50%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Phenytoin and have Clostridium difficile colitis?

- Check whether Clostridium difficile colitis 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 Phenytoin:

Phenytoin (15,753 reports)

Browse all side effects of Phenytoin:

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 Clostridium difficile colitis:

Clostridium difficile colitis (1,043 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Clostridium difficile colitis:

Clostridium difficile colitis (1,786 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

Wandalkar P, Daswani BR, Pandit PT, Ghongane BB, "A case of Phenytoin toxicity", INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN PHARMACY, BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY, 2014 Jan .
Wandalkar P, Daswani BR, Pandit PT, Ghongane BB, "A case of Phenytoin toxicity", INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN PHARMACY, BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY, 2014 Jan .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on phenytoin (the active ingredients of Phenytoin) and Phenytoin (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.