How Does Dilantin Work?
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Introduction
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According to the Epilepsy Foundation, approximately 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with epilepsy every year. Epilepsy is a medical condition that causes those that suffer from it to go into seizures. Most people who have been diagnosed with epilepsy are able to lead normal lives as long as they keep the condition under control using prescription medications. One of these prescriptions is Dilantin (phenytoin).
How Epilepsy Occurs
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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the brain. Epilepsy largely targets the sodium channels of the nervous system. In fact, patients with epilepsy can have as many as 150 neuronal sodium channel mutations within the brain. When this happens, the brain increases the amount of electrical signals it is sending per second. A healthy brain sends approximately 80 signals per second. However, when a person is having an epileptic seizure, the brain fires up to 500 signals per second. This causes a loss of control of either part of the brain (complex partial seizures), or the entire brain (generalized tonic-clonic seizures).
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How Dilantin Works
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Dilantin works by targeting the sodium channels directly. Dilantin works by preventing and controlling the sodium channel mutations. By doing this, it keeps the electrical impulses of the brain within a healthy level. As long as the brain impulses stay low, those suffering from epilepsy should be able to stay seizure free.
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