Mephenytoin (marketed as Mesantoin by Novartis) is a
hydantoin, used as an
anticonvulsant. It was introduced approximately 10 years after
phenytoin
Phenytoin (PHT), sold under the brand name Dilantin among others, is an anti-seizure medication. It is useful for the prevention of tonic-clonic seizures (also known as grand mal seizures) and focal seizures, but not absence seizures. The in ...
, in the late 1940s. The significant
metabolite of mephenytoin is
nirvanol (5-ethyl-5-phenylhydantoin), which was the first hydantoin (briefly used as a
hypnotic). However, nirvanol is quite toxic and mephenytoin was only considered after other less toxic anticonvulsants had failed. It can cause potentially fatal blood
dyscrasia
In medicine, both ancient and modern, a dyscrasia is any of various disorders. The word has ancient Greek roots meaning "bad mixture". The concept of dyscrasia was developed by the Greek physician Galen (129–216 AD), who elaborated a model of h ...
in 1% of patients.
Mephenytoin is no longer available in the US or the UK. It is still studied largely because of its interesting
hydroxylation polymorphism.
References
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Anticonvulsants
Hydantoins
{{anticonvulsant-stub