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Dilantin Infatabs: Uses, Side Effects and Dosage

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Status:
Prescription (Rx)
Strength:
50 mg
Active ingredient:
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Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Dilantin Infatabs

What DILANTIN INFATABS is used for:

DILANTIN INFATABS is used to help control certain types of seizures called tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures, and psychomotor (temporal lobe) seizures.

How DILANTIN INFATABS works:

DILANTIN INFATABS belongs to a group of medicines called anti-seizure medicines. It works by slowing down electrical impulses in the brain that cause seizures.

The ingredients in DILANTIN INFATABS are:

Medicinal ingredient(s): phenytoin.

Non-medicinal ingredients: alcohol, magnesium stearate, spearmint oil, sugar, and talc.

DILANTIN INFATABS comes in the following dosage form(s):

Chewable tablets; 50 mg of phenytoin.

Do not use DILANTIN INFATABS if:

  • you are allergic to phenytoin or any of the other ingredients in DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • you are allergic to other seizure medicines called hydantoins. Ask your healthcare professional if you are unsure.
  • you take delavirdine, a medicine used to treat HIV infection.
  • you have a heart rhythm condition, such as slow heart rate (bradycardia), heart block, or certain other heart conditions.

To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take DILANTIN INFATABS. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:

  • are taking any other medications, supplements or other special treatments.

    • they may interact with DILANTIN INFATABS, and this can change how well they or DILANTIN INFATABS work.
    • they include prescription or non-prescription medications, dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins), herbal supplements, nutritional drinks, and enteral feeding preparations.
  • have ever had an allergic rash while taking any medicines used for seizures.
  • have a personal or family history of severe allergic reaction to any medicines used for seizures.

    • symptoms can include fever, rash, swollen lymph gland, and liver problems (seen as yellowing of skin and the whites of the eyes).
  • drink alcohol occasionally or regularly.
  • are 65 years of age or older.
  • are female and:

    • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
    • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
    • are using hormonal birth control, such as the birth control pill.
  • are of Asian and/or Black descent. You may be at a higher risk of developing serious skin reactions during treatment with DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • have or have had any of the following diseases or conditions:

    • depression, mood problems, or suicidal thoughts or behaviours.
    • diabetes.
    • heart problems, including slow or fast heart rate, or past heart attack.
    • liver or kidney problems.
    • low levels of albumin or high levels of bilirubin in the blood.
    • porphyria (a condition that affects the nervous system and skin). DILANTIN INFATABS can worsen your condition.
    • immune system problems, such as immune suppression or compromise.
    • are having radiation therapy for the brain and take corticosteroids (medicines used to treat inflammation).
    • a medical condition (such as surgery) that prevents you from taking DILANTIN INFATABS orally.

Other warnings you should know about:

Do not stop your treatment with DILANTIN INFATABS without first checking with your healthcare professional. This could lead to a sudden worsening of your seizures.

Pregnancy, birth control and breastfeeding:

  • Avoid becoming pregnant while you are on DILANTIN INFATABS. If you become pregnant while taking DILANTIN INFATABS, your seizures may become worse. Your healthcare professional may also change your dose of DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • If you take DILANTIN INFATABS during pregnancy, your baby is at risk for serious birth defects, and cognitive disabilities. Your baby is also at risk for bleeding problems right after birth.
  • If you are pregnant or able to get pregnant, talk to your healthcare professional about using other treatments instead of DILANTIN INFATABS. If the decision is made to use DILANTIN INFATABS , you should use effective birth control (contraception) during your treatment. If you are using hormonal birth control, it might not work with DILANTIN INFATABS. Talk to your

    • healthcare professional about the best kind of birth control to use while you are taking DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • Tell your healthcare professional right away if you become pregnant or think you are pregnant during treatment with DILANTIN INFATABS. You and your healthcare professional should decide if you will continue to take DILANTIN INFATABS while you are pregnant.
  • Pregnancy Registry: If you become pregnant while taking DILANTIN INFATABS, talk to your healthcare professional about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic medicines during pregnancy. Information about the registry can also be found at the website: http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/.
  • DILANTIN INFATABS passes into breast milk and may harm your baby. Do not breastfeed during treatment with DILANTIN INFATABS. Talk to your healthcare professional about the best way to feed your baby during this time.

Driving or using machines: DILANTIN INFATABS may make you feel dizzy, drowsy and affect your coordination. Avoid driving, using machinery, or doing activities that requires you to be alert until you know how DILANTIN INFATABS affect you.

Alcohol: Do not drink alcohol while taking DILANTIN INFATABS without first talking to your healthcare professional. Drinking alcohol while taking DILANTIN INFATABS may change your blood levels of phenytoin, which can cause serious side effects.

Check-ups and testing:

  • Your healthcare professional may ask you to do a genetic test before you take DILANTIN INFATABS. This test will determine if you have a high risk of experiencing serious skin reactions if you are given DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • You will have regular visits with your healthcare professional while you are taking DILANTIN INFATABS to monitor your health. They will:

    • do blood tests to monitor the amount of phenytoin in the body.
    • do scans to check your bone health.
    • talk to you about how you are feeling, and if you have suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
  • DILANTIN INFATABS can cause abnormal blood test results. Your healthcare professional will decide when to perform blood tests and will interpret the results.

DILANTIN INFATABS can cause serious side effects, including:

  • Suicidal thoughts and behaviour changes: This medicine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other unusual behaviours. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed. You may find it helpful to tell a relative or close friend you are taking DILANTIN INFATABS. Ask them to read this leaflet. You might ask them to tell you if they:

    • think your depression is getting worse, or
    • are worried about changes in your behaviour.

If you have thoughts of harming or killing yourself or others at any time, tell your healthcare professional or go to a hospital right away. Close observation by a healthcare professional is necessary in this situation.

  • Serious skin reactions: Serious allergic reactions can be caused by anti-seizure medicines, often involving a skin reaction. These may occur shortly after starting treatment, or several months later. Get help right away if you develop a skin rash, regardless of its severity, either alone or with a combination of the following symptoms:

    • any other serious skin reaction such as blistering or peeling of the mouth, nose, eyes or genitals,
    • fever,
    • swollen glands,
    • flu-like feeling,
    • swelling of the face and/or legs,
    • problems related to the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs or other organs.
  • Bone problems (including osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia): If you have taken anti-seizure medicines for a long time, it can lead to bone problems. This includes painful and weakened or brittle bones, and possibly bone fractures.
  • Gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of gum tissue around the teeth): Talk to your healthcare professional about the best way to care for your teeth, gums, and mouth during your treatment with DILANTIN INFATABS. It is very important that you care for your mouth properly to decrease the risk of gum damage.

See the Serious side effects and what to do about them table, below, for more information on these and other serious side effects.

Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements or alternative medicines.

Serious drug interactions:

Serious drug interactions with DILANTIN INFATABS include:

  • a number of other medicines. Your healthcare professional will monitor you while you are taking DILANTIN INFATABS to ensure you are taking the dose that is right for you.
  • delavirdine, used to treat HIV infection. DILANTIN INFATABS must not be taken with delavirdine.

The following may also interact with DILANTIN INFATABS:

  • medicines used to treat or prevent:

    • seizures or epilepsy, other than DILANTIN INFATABS (e.g., carbamazepine, vigabatrin, phenobarbital, sodium valproate, valproic acid, lamotrigine, topiramate, and lacosamide);
    • bacterial infections (e.g., ciprofloxacin, rifampin, doxycycline, and tetracycline);
    • fungal infections (e.g., azoles such as posaconazole and voriconazole);
    • parasitic infections (e.g., albendazole and praziquantel);
    • HIV infection (e.g., fosamprenavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, efavirenz, indinavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and saquinavir);
    • cancer (e.g., bleomycin, carboplatin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and teniposide);
    • high blood pressure or certain heart conditions (e.g., reserpine, digitoxin, digoxin, disopyramide, mexiletine, nicardipine, nimodipine, nisoldipine, quinidine, and verapamil);
    • high blood cholesterol (e.g., atorvastatin, fluvastatin, and simvastatin);
    • high blood sugar (e.g., chlorpropamide, glyburide, and tolbutamide);
    • blood clots (e.g., warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, rivaroxaban, and ticagrelor);
    • depression and other psychological conditions (e.g., molindone hydrochloride, phenothiazines, clozapine, paroxetine, quetiapine, and sertraline);
    • anxiety or alcohol withdrawal (e.g., chlordiazepoxide and diazepam);
    • pain and inflammation;
    • excess stomach acid or ulcers (e.g., sucralfate);
    • medicines used to suppress your immune system (e.g., cyclosporine); and
    • medicines used as a muscle relaxant for intubation or surgery (e.g., alcuronium, cisatracurium, pancuronium, rocuronium, and vecuronium).
  • these medicines:

    • birth control pills and other birth control methods that use hormones (e.g., estrogens);
    • theophylline, used to treat asthma or other breathing problems;
    • furosemide, used to lower extra fluid levels;
    • halothane, used for general anesthesia;
    • methadone, used to treat pain and opioid dependence;
    • corticosteroids, used to treat inflammation;
    • diazoxide, used to treat low blood sugar.
  • other supplements:

    • St. John’s Wort, a herbal remedy;
    • vitamin D, and vitamin B9 (folic acid);
    • tube feeding preparations and related nutritional drinks or supplements.
  • alcohol.

This is not a complete list.

How to take DILANTIN INFATABS:

  • Always take DILANTIN INFATABS exactly as your healthcare professional has told you to.
  • Do NOT stop taking DILANTIN INFATABS without talking to your healthcare professional. Stopping DILANTIN INFATABS suddenly can cause serious problems, including seizures that will not stop. Your healthcare professional will tell you if and when you can stop taking this medicine.
  • DILANTIN INFATABS should not be taken once a day. It should be taken in 2 or more equally divided doses throughout a day as directed by your healthcare professional.

Usual dose:

  • Your healthcare professional will determine the right dose and frequency of DILANTIN INFATABS for you. This may depend on your health, other medicines you take, your age, your weight, and how you react to DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • Your healthcare professional may adjust your dose if necessary. Never increase or decrease your dose without talking to your healthcare professional.

Adults:

  • Usual initial dose: Two 50 mg chewable tablets, three times a day (300 mg total a day).
  • Usual dose: 400 mg to 600 mg total a day, in divided doses.

Children (below 18 years of age)

  • Usual initial dose: A total of 5 mg/kg/day (5 mg per day for every kg they weigh), to be divided and given in 2 or 3 equal doses. The maximum dose is 300 mg (total) a day.
  • Usual dose: 4 to 8 mg/kg/day, in divided doses. Children over 6 years old may require the minimum adult dose (300 mg/day).
  • If the daily dosage cannot be divided equally, the larger dose should be given at bedtime.

Overdose:

Signs of an overdose with DILANTIN INFATABS include:

  • blurred vision, involuntary eye movements (side-to-side, up and down, circular motion),
  • lack of muscle control or coordination, shaking (tremors), overactive reflexes,
  • low blood pressure, slow heart rate, poor blood circulation, heart suddenly stops beating (cardiac arrest),
  • feeling sleepy or tired, lack of energy,
  • slurred or slow speech,
  • nausea or vomiting,
  • slow and ineffective breathing,
  • coma.
If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much DILANTIN INFATABS, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, regional poison control centre or Health Canada’s toll-free number, 1-844 POISON-X (1-844-764-7669) immediately, even if there are no signs or symptoms.

Missed dose:

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose as scheduled. Do NOT take a double dose to make up for the missed dose.

Possible side effects from using DILANTIN INFATABS:

These are not all the possible side effects you may have when taking DILANTIN INFATABS. If you experience any side effects not listed here, tell your healthcare professional.

Side effects may include:

  • high blood sugar. If you have diabetes, closely monitor your blood sugar while taking DILANTIN INFATABS.
  • spinning or dizziness (vertigo);
  • trouble falling asleep, or feeling sleepy;
  • nausea or vomiting, constipation;
  • nervousness;
  • headache;
  • burning or prickling sensation on the skin (sometimes called “pins and needles”);
  • changes in facial features;
  • additional body and facial hair;
  • change in tastes.

Serious side effects and what to do about them

Frequency/Side Effect/SymptomTalk to your healthcare professionalStop taking this drug and get immediate medical help
Frequency/Side Effect/SymptomTalk to your healthcare professionalStop taking this drug and get immediate medical help
Frequency/Side Effect/SymptomTalk to your healthcare professionalStop taking this drug and get immediate medical help
Only if severeIn all cases
Only if severeIn all cases
Only if severeIn all cases
Common
Gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of gum tissue around the teeth): tender gums, inflammation, pain, bad breath, plaque buildup on teeth, gums covering the teeth✓
Nervous system problems: may include unusual eye movements, slurred speech, decreased coordination, feeling confused.✓
Uncommon
Anemias (problems with the blood and immune system): bruising, fever, looking pale, severe sore throat, tiredness, lack of energy, decreased exercise tolerance✓
Angioedema and severe allergic reactions: symptoms may include swelling of the face, eyes, lips or✓
tongue, difficulty swallowing, wheezing, hives and generalized itching, rash, fever, abdominal cramps, chest discomfort or tightness, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness.
Liver problems (including hepatitis, liver failure or damage): yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice), right upper stomach area pain or swelling, nausea or vomiting, unusual dark urine, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite (anorexia)✓
Mental changes: feeling confused or disoriented (delirium), seeing, hearing or believing things that aren’t real (psychosis).✓
Seizures (fits): uncontrollable shaking✓
Serious skin reactions: any combination of fever, severe rash, swollen lymph glands. May involve flu-like feeling, blisters and peeling skin that may start in and around the mouth, nose, eyes and genitals and spread to other areas of the body, swelling of face and/or legs. May also involve problems related to the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs or other organs.✓
Skin reactions (rashes, eruptions, skin blistering)✓
Suicidal thoughts or behaviour changes: unusual behaviours, depression, worsening of depression, leading to thoughts of self-harm or suicide✓
Unknown
Bone problems (including osteoporosis, osteopenia,✓
osteomalacia): bone pain, muscle weakness, difficulty walking, bone fractures
Heart problems: unusual heart rate (slow, fast or irregular), dizziness, tiredness, shortness of breath, chest pain✓

If you have a troublesome symptom or side effect that is not listed here or becomes bad enough to interfere with your daily activities, tell your healthcare professional.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:

  • Visiting the Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting (canada.ca/drug-device-reporting) for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax; or
  • Calling toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.

NOTE: Contact your healthcare professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.

Storage:

Store DILANTIN INFATABS between 15˚C to 30˚C. Protect from light and moisture.

Keep out of reach and sight of children.

If you want more information about DILANTIN INFATABS:

  • Talk to your healthcare professional.
  • Find the full Product Monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes the Patient Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada Drug Product Database website (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html); the manufacturer’s website(www.viatris.ca); or by calling 1-844-596-9526.

Date of Authorization: 2026-10-22

® Viatris Specialty LLC

BGP Pharma ULC, a Viatris company, Licensee

© BGP Pharma ULC, 2026

About this document

Source: Health Canada – Drug Product Database (DPD) and product monographs · DIN (Drug Identification Number): 00023698

Approved according to the text: October 22, 2026

Found a mistake? Write to us via the contact page.

The information on this site does not replace the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.

Drug information for Dilantin Infatabs

Rx or OTC
Prescription (Rx)?
DIN 00023698
Schedule(s) PRESCRIPTION
Active ingredient(s) Phenytoin 50 MG
Dosage form(s) Tablet (Chewable)
Route(s) of administration Oral
Drug class (WHO ATC)
  1. N Nervous system drugs
    1. N03 Antiepileptics
      1. N03A Antiepileptics
        1. N03AB Hydantoin derivatives, antiepileptics
          1. N03AB02 Phenytoin
Company BGP PHARMA ULC
Current status Marketed
Current status date August 2, 2023

Source: Health Canada – Drug Product Database (DPD) and product monographs, data as of November 1, 2026. Data from the Health Canada Drug Product Database, as published there. Not a substitute for the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.