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How high can we go with phenytoin?
- Source :
- Therapeutic drug monitoring. 24(3)
- Publication Year :
- 2002
-
Abstract
- Phenytoin is an effective anticonvulsant, but high serum phenytoin concentrations may be associated with serious toxicity. The upper limit for the therapeutic serum concentration of phenytoin is considered to be 80 micromol/L. However, in some situations higher serum concentrations are needed to control seizures. The authors describe a 9-year-old girl who needed concentrations twice the normal amount to control recurrent episodes of decreased levels of consciousness. Except for nystagmus, she had no other signs of phenytoin toxicity. This patient highlights the critical principle in therapeutic drug monitoring of individualizing drug therapy. Although some patients receiving phenytoin may achieve seizure control with "subtherapeutic" levels (i.e.,40 micromol/L), others may need supratherapeutic levels, as was the case with this patient. Clinicians should be careful not to treat "numbers" (i.e., serum concentrations), but rather the patient's clinical condition, with a careful balance between therapeutic advantage and adverse effects.
- Subjects :
- Phenytoin
medicine.medical_treatment
Pharmacology
Pharmacokinetics
Convulsion
Blood plasma
otorhinolaryngologic diseases
medicine
Humans
heterocyclic compounds
Pharmacology (medical)
Glasgow Coma Scale
Child
Epilepsy
business.industry
digestive, oral, and skin physiology
High serum
Serum concentration
nervous system diseases
stomatognathic diseases
Anticonvulsant
Toxicity
Anticonvulsants
Female
medicine.symptom
Drug Monitoring
business
Child, Hospitalized
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01634356
- Volume :
- 24
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Therapeutic drug monitoring
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5aa7bbe0f718f51a96058b70fc2c031d