Posted by Elroy on November 10, 2005, at 15:02:21
In reply to Re: HELP! MY SON IS USING PHENYTOIN FOR OTHER PUPOSES, posted by djmmm on February 25, 2004, at 14:11:41
http://www.dhfglobal.org/pht/pht_1.html
Author Jack Dreyfus - yes the one of Wall Street fame who created the Dreyfus Funds - discovered that Dilantin cured his severe anxiety and depression back in the 1960s and over the next several years documented many other disorders that Dilantin has been proven effective. The doses used in treating these disorders are much less than that used for epileptic control - and it is at the higher doses where the negative side effects occasionally appear. Reading drug site informational data sheets or government articles referes to the use of the much higher doses used in the treatment of epilepsy. Jack Dreyfus himself used primarily 100 mg daily, sometimes going to 100 mg in the morning and the 50 mg later in the day.
Overall Dilantin is much safer than most modern day pharmaceuticals.
In fact at lower doses (25 mg) Dilantin is beginining to be used by many anti-aging experts:
http://www.anti-aging-today.org/medicine/anti-aging/dilantin-phenytoin.htm
http://www.vrp.com/art/253.asp
http://www.vrp.com/art/758.asp
http://www.worldhealth.net/p/286,2059.html
For those familiar with the connection between hypercortisolism and various psychological disorders (anxiety, depression, bipolar, etc.), it is interesting to note that Dilantin also reduces cortisol levels. It does not inhibit the production of cortisol per se, but apparently metabolizes the cortisol very quickly from the body (so could possibly be a concern with someone with advanced adrenal fatigue or outright Addison's Disease).
http://stress.about.com/cs/cortisol/a/aa012901_2.htm
http://www.endocrinology.med.ucla.edu/adrenal_axis.htm
Mr. Dreyfus has since devoted most of his life to advancing the cause of Dilantin, creating a special medical council (originally the Dreyfus Medical Fund but now the Dreyfus Health Fund).
Yes, he is still alive, recently celebrating his 92nd birthday. And, no, he has NO financial interest in any form of Dilantin.
http://www.remarkablemedicine.com/
Part of the problem with Dilantin in fact is that it was developed in 1908 and bought out by a US drug company in (I believe) 1937. It was approved for epileptic control and put on a shelf. It's patent expired (like all others) in 17 years, so when Jack Dreyfus discovered its effects (through personal use) in the 1960s, the patent had long since expired and the parent company (nor any other company) had any financial incentive to conduct extensive controlled tests to show these additional positive uses of Dilantin (though the books document tens of thousands of prescriptions being written by individual doctors for some 50+ "off-label" uses).
I would strongly urge any reader to obtain and read his books (the initial volume that I read was published in 1988, but I understand that he has since published an updated version that was published in 2003). Aside from the very interesting information provided on Dilantin itself, you will also get a very disturbing view of how the FDA, the drug companies, and medical science really works.
That said, there are many "nay-sayers" about Jack Dreyfus and his work... but a little digging around will find that usually - not always, but usually - there's a "hidden agenda" involved....
poster:Elroy
thread:317063
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051106/msgs/577495.html