How long to wean newborn off phenobarbital?

Question

My friend's child was wrongly diagnosed as having a seizure. All the tests show she's fine, however, she's been in the hospital for over a week, and they're weaning her off the phenobarb. How long does it normally take? She was on a respirator for 3 days because of the meds she was given.

Answer 1

My son was also wrongly diagnosed with having had a seizure at birth after a difficult labour and emergency c-section. He was in intensive care for five days. He was only given one dose. He was very sleepy and dopey in the beginning and kept falling asleep on the breast.

About a week old he started crying like you expect babies to, but would keep falling asleep on the breast still for a couple of weeks.

My son is seven months now and happy and normal.  

Answer 2

That is quite sad to hear, especially to be given a wrong diagnosis for a child. In any case, it depends on how much phenobarbital was taken. It usually takes about a week to a month, based on the dosage given. Sometimes even days, also depending on how the body metabolizes it.