An anticonvulsant drug. Phenytoin sodium (Dilantin) is used to treat seizures associated with epilepsy and to prevent seizures during neurosurgery. Phenytoin sodium acts on the central nervous system to reduce the number and severity of seizures.
An older drug for the treatment of epilepsy. It is not now widely used as it is difficult to determine the precise dose to avoid ill-effects, and long-term use leads to changes to the facial appearance. However, the drug is still used for the quick control of an apparently uncontrollable epileptic fit, and after head injury or neurosurgery.