Changes in Serum Triglyceride and Cholesterol Levels during Long‐Term Phenytoin Treatment for Epilepsy

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Abstract
The effect of long-term phenytoin [an antiepileptic agent] therapy on serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels in 20 patients with epilepsy was investigated. In patients followed up for 6 yr, phenytoin treatment was associated with an increase in serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. The most significant increases in lipid levels were measured during the 1st months of therapy; thereafter values generally tended to decrease. The elevation in serum triglyceride concentration was relatively greater than that in serum cholesterol level. Cholesterol concentrations remained high for a longer period. Phenytoin therapy for epilepsy is associated with a rise in serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, the degree of which seems to be related to the duration of the treatment. The changes presumably reflect phenytoin effects on hepatic lipid metabolism.