Has anybody experienced dizzinees or unsteadiness while taking Dilantin? I have been on Dilantin for three years and haven't had any problems until recently. Now, at times, I feel sort of dizzy and unsteady - especially when I am using the computer at work. I am wondering if my levels are too high.

Has anybody experienced dizzinees or unsteadiness while taking Dilantin? I have been on Dilantin for three years and haven't had any problems until recently. Now, at times, I feel sort of dizzy and unsteady - especially when I am using the computer at work. I am wondering if my levels are too high.

I was on dilantin for 23 years, and yes you can experience some dizziness. Especially if your level is too high. Everyone being different, I found that I had to be careful with coffee. Are you spending more time at the computer at work and not realizing yoiu are changing your fluid intake, or your exercize pattern? Sometimes I would notice too when the seasons would change and I just wouldn't treat my body the same that I would notice some adjustments in the way I would react to things. How often do you get a dilantin level check?

Ken

Ken:

Thanks for the reply.

I was having my levels checked every three months, however my Nuero scaled that back to every 6 months after I had been seizure-free for a few years. I have never had dizziness this until recently, but I am on a comnsiderably high dose of Dilantin (500 MG/day) and my levels barely hovered near 9 (10 - 20 being therapudic) and I wonder if it is possible that my levels are going up even though I am taking the same dosage.

hmmm that does sound high compared to the 350 mg I was on but of course we can't just directly compare dosages. My certainly you would want your level to be within the 10-20 range. I always had a reading of around 12 and felt best there. Hopefully you can get some other responses besides mine, but I did get some occasional dizziness. After 23 years, I think it finally ran it's course for me and I've recently switched to topamax.

Ken

Ken:

Did you have dizziness from the get go or did it appear after a while? Did it come and go or was it consistently there? Thanks for your input!

Matt

I've been taking Dilantin for over 30 yrs. When I took it during the day Dilantin made me thick-headed and occasionally dizzy, so I take the entire dose before I go to bed at night.

Check out your blood-sugar level too. Good luck.

I've been taking dilantin for about 4 months now and I hate it! I've had problems with dizziness before I started taking it because I have low blood pressure but it's been regulated with medication. The dilantin makes me feel horrible some days. I can hardly walk because I'm so dizzy! I talked to my doctor and I'm going to start taking something that shouldn't cause dizziness. I also hate that I was have memory and focus problems on the Dilantin!