Posted by BarbaraCat on May 23, 2002, at 22:44:39
In reply to Anyone heard of Dilantin for Depression???????, posted by GreatDaneBoy on May 22, 2002, at 13:27:12
Yes! I heard about phenytoin years ago in a book 'A Remarkable Treatment for Depression has been Overlooked'. Can't remember the author. Basically, dilantin is one of the earliest anti-convulsants, used almost exclusively for epilepsy. One of the major bad side effects is that it can cause nasty gum problems and a tendency to tooth decay - yuck! I think it was overshadowed by some of the newer anti-convulsants/mood stabilizers that have arrived on the scene - neurontin, risperidal, lamictal, etc. It's possible that these newer guys are a more effective morph of this older drug, but who knows? I've never been able to find out anything more about it, such as if anyone was currently using it or not. Let me know if you find out anything. - BarbaraCat
> Hi!
>
> I was surfing the web and found a link (on WebMD) to a page that discussed the use of Dilantin (Phenytoin) to treat depression. Has anyone ever heard of this? I am of course familiar with the use of anti-convulsants such as Depakote and Tegretol as mood stabilizers, but I had no idea that any of them had antidepressant effects.
>
> By the way, that site is http://www.remarkablemedicine.com/
>
> Peace,
> Dane
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:107292
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020517/msgs/107460.html