phnobarbatone - Epilepsy Message Board

Cherooky · 09-25-2002, 11:01 PM

hi..
i was going through most of the messages in the board and i havn't see anyone talking about phenobarbatone.
does anyone tried it? any side effects..?

thanks.

Kokopelli · 09-25-2002, 11:33 PM

Like as in mysoline? I use mysoline I don't have any side effects other then I don't gain alot of weight. It's not really controlling my seizures either anymore. At first I was seizure free a year then I started having them again... pheno also removes the b in your body so need extra Vitamin B...

Koko

Cherooky · 09-26-2002, 12:24 AM

My wife been using phenobarb. for 16 years now and got no problem, well, it did not control the epilepsy that well. She got it maybe once a month for few secs. Few days ago her doctor advise her to change to PHYNETOIN.
we did asked for it and search for more info in the net and found some people had a bad experience with it..
so we are still don't know shall we switch to it or stay on phenobarb.

Tattoo · 09-26-2002, 09:05 AM

Dilantin is a very old drug! I was diagnosed in the 1660's and was put on Dilantin, same chemically as the med the doc suggested for your wife. I do hope you know that meds are very specific to the type of seizures they may help just like not all antibiotics will kill all bacteria. What type of seizures does your wife have and what is her diagnosis? You mentioned that he has them once a month, does this happen to be very near her period? Catamenial Epilepsy is a variation of epilepsy where the person has seizures that are directly affected by hormone levels, Estrogen. Some women take natural Progesterone which helps to protect against the seizure effects of the Estrogen at that time. There are several newer meds than the two you have mentioned. I was put on Mysoline in 1969 when the Dilantin did work at all. Mysoline metabolizes/breaks down into Phenobarb and one other metabolite. Both are very very old drugs. They also are cheaper! That combo of the two didn't work either because neither were for my specific type of seizures. The newer meds are better as far as controlling seizures better and a couple have less side effects. The correct med depends on the correct diagnosis and the type of seizures. Not all are alike by a long shot! What kind of doc is suggesting these very old drugs? Tattoo

Cherooky · 09-26-2002, 04:26 PM

thanks tattoo for the reply.we don't know exactly what type of seizures she has but it's a light one compare to what i read here. she doesn't go unconcouse, she'll just start shaking , drop whatever in her hands, she may falldown somtimes, she knows it's coming to her.
and it has nothing to do with her period.regarding the meds.we asked the doc about TOPAMAX but he did not recommanded it due to being new and nobody knows what side effects it has.