Prevention of alcohol withdrawal seizures with phenytoin in rats.

The efficacy of phenytoin in the prevention of alcohol withdrawal seizures was studied in rats. Phenytoin was administrated together with and again 12 hr after the last dose of chronic alcohol feeding. Protection against alcohol withdrawal seizures was not observed when phenytoin serum levels were below 8 micrograms/ml. However, with phenytoin serum levels between 8-25 micrograms/ml, only 1 out of 32 rats had alcohol withdrawal seizures.