(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Young women who suffer from epilepsy may want
to steer clear of the drug phenytoin (Dilantin).
A new study out of Columbia University in New York finds women who took the
medication for one year were significantly more likely to show signs of bone
loss on standard bone density tests.
The research involved 93 women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were taking
one of several different epilepsy medications, including phenytoin,
carbamazepine (Tegretol), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and valproate (Depacon).
All underwent tests to measure bone mineral density at three key areas --
the spine, and the femoral neck of the hip, and the total hip.
Results showed women on phenytoin lost an average of 2.6 percent of density
at the femoral neck of the hip. The other drugs didn’t influence bone
density at the femoral neck. None of the drugs affected bone density at the
other two sites.
“This is a significant amount of bone loss and raises serious concerns about
the long-term effects of taking phenytoin in young women with epilepsy,”
study author Alison M. Pack, M.D., was quoted as saying. “This amount of
bone loss, especially it if continues over the long term, could put these
women at increased risk of fractures after menopause.”
Bone fractures at the femoral neck of the hip are known to increase the risk
of death in older women.
SOURCE: Neurology, published online April 28, 2008
