am i having seizures

hi i had a shunt put  in a month ago do to a infection on my brain the doctors give me phenytoin to prevent having seizures but about a week ago my right arm starts twitching for less than a minute could that be a seizure or just side efffect fro meds

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

These symptoms can be both.   This can  be a form of localized seizure involving one part of the brain, and does not cause you to lose consciousness.  This can be a side effect of phenytoin but it is rather unlikely since phenytoin aims to stabilize the nerves and prevent these types of occurrences.  I suggest that you talk with your doctor regarding doing tests like EEG to pinpoint the cause and rule out if this is really a seizure episode.  Regards and God bless.