phenytoin

American  

[fen-i-toh-in, fuh-nit-oh-] / ˌfɛn ɪˈtoʊ ɪn, fəˈnɪt oʊ- /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a barbiturate-related substance, C 1 5 H 1 2 N 2 O 2 , used as an anticonvulsant in the treatment of grand mal epilepsy and in focal seizures.

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phenytoin British  

/ ˌfɛnɪˈtəʊɪn /

noun

1. Also called: diphenylhydantoin sodium.  an anticonvulsant drug used in the management of epilepsy and in the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms. Formula: C 15 H 11 N 2 O 2 Na

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Etymology

Origin of phenytoin

1940–45; (di)pheny(lhydan)toin, its full chemical name; see di- ¹, phenyl, hydantoin

Example Sentences

Conversely, the antiepilepsy drugs phenytoin and carbamazepine can stimulate production of even more metabolic enzymes than usual.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2021

Lamotrigine, which can be marketed as Lamictal, is listed as a possible cause of SJS, along with other medications used to treat seizures such as carbamazepine and phenytoin.

From Fox News • Feb. 12, 2019

But the policy led clinicians to forego prescribing carbamazepine at all and instead they began to prescribe phenytoin.

From Nature • Oct. 13, 2015

And other teams are pursuing different avenues, with a group at University College London studying a drug called phenytoin, which has already been used to treat epilepsy for 60 years.

From Scientific American • Sep. 28, 2015

Analysis of his blood after death showed it contained at least six times the expected level of phenytoin.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2012