Neuropathy Connection

I'm glad you asked.  I'm not real sure what the exact symptoms are of the neuropathy you describe but I too have wondered if Dilantin could be effecting my peripheral nerves.  I've been on Dilantin most of my life.  Sometimes I took as much as 375 mg but now I'm on 325 mg.  I do a lot of physical work and have noticed that I get this terrible itch in the muscles.  If I'm trimming all day my arm muscles will itch.  In summer I pick fruit which requires I climb ladders for hours a day.  At night my legs itch.  A doctor who remove a varicose vein once told me the itching was due to a reaction to our natural histamines in the blood.  This is probably true but I've wondered if there was more to it.And at night find my finger go numb if I fold my arms too long.  I'm thinking this may be from poor circulation, but still I have wondered if Dilantin could me making it worse.  I plan to ask my doctor about it at my next visit but I too would like to hear if others Dilantin users experience this.Mike

Hi,Thanks for posting. Treatment and how they body may reaction to certain medications varies for each individual. We cannot determine if your increase in Dilantin is contributing to your neuropathy or not. It’s important that you’re following up with your healthcare team to review this further and if you continue to experience any changes in symptoms, side effects, behaviors, moods, or seizure types/ frequency, to help determine what individual treatment plan may be best for you. Many clinics and offices are now offering telehealth options for non-emergencies, or routine check-in appointments. If your symptoms continue or get worse,you may want to call your doctor and if you can schedule a time to talk via phone/ other telehealth resources you can utilize to discuss this further, or if they can make any additional recommendations. You may want to consider keeping a journal or a diary to help keep track or your symptoms and document how you’re feeling. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize your health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more, which can be shared with members of your healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline  .