This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Phenytoin and alcohol

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Chronic heavy alcohol consumption of more than 30 units per day has been shown to reduce serum levels of phenytoin by about 1/3. In patients with only moderate or low alcohol consumption, no effect has been shown in serum phenytoin levels.

Phenytoin potentiates the effects of alcohol.

Patient advice (3)

  • It is recommended that you limit yourself to one or two units of alcohol per day. Half a pint of standard strength beer (4%) is 1 unit, one 175ml glass of wine (12%) is 2% and one single pub measure of spirits (40%) is 1 unit. Drinking may put you at risk of a seizure

Reference:

  • Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (1996), Drugs and alcohol: harmful cocktails?, 34 (5), 36-8.
  • Hoppener RJ et al (1983), Epilepsy and alcohol: the influence of social intake on seizures and treatment in epilepsy, Epilepsia, 24, 459-71.
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (Accesed 4/5/2014). Phenytoin - Information for adults with epilepsy

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.