[Changed phenytoin kinetics in chronic alcoholism]

Signs of changes in the kinetics of phenytoin were observed in 12 alcoholics treated with this substance for generalized seizures. In 10 of the patients serum phenytoin concentrations were decidedly low after administration, probably due to increased metabolic activity resulting from chronic alcohol abuse. The serum phenytoin levels of two patients were very high after the drug had been applied. This is probably an expression of reduced enzymatic activity caused by severe liver damage.