hey kmilliken-
two years after
one seizure? I'm not really sure HOW dilantin works, what it does... after a seizure occurs maybe it's assistive in neural repair somehow, offering benefit by rechanneling seizure activity that had established a neural pathway
but I experienced two observed seizures before I was diagnosed and put on the phenytoin - woke up on phenytoin, as I said
I had severe side effects with Keppra
my thinking lately has been doubtful that I even
have epilepsy and that now my Rx is what may be CAUSING my seizures, given that I've never really "been there" during a seizure, and that I've never gotten much other than hearing "you had a seizure" from witnesses, paramedics, whoever, and given the manner in which I woke up hooked on phenytoin
this could be seizure-thinking itself... or side effects of the Rx... or the experience of events during seizure spans when I'm "out there" and trying to piece things together that just make no sense whatsoever
("I can't remember her name, the paramedics are saying she's my friend - I know her but I can't remember her name - someone did this to me and is controlling my brain" yadda yadda)
it's a hard mental state to be in - especially when you wake up on a drug you have to take for what seems like forever - and it's the same people who did "it" to my mind who put me on the drug
onder:
but, seizures are electric charges going through your brain where there is not typically activity
I think of it as being similar to when they find where lightning struck sand and it burns a hole in the sand (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite)
I think of it as though the lightning is a seizure, and the sand your brain, and that if the lightning hits the sand, it will continue to strike there (though this is not an entirely accurate comparison) Since seizures tend to follow similar paths and originate from the same areas, I like to think of it as phenytoin being a chemical that goes through the sand and breaks up the Fulgurite clumps, that would otherwise be pro-conductive to additional seizures. A chemical neural kitty-litter scoop of sorts.
And since it's a relatively ~safe~ drug (not a recreational drug certainly, not opioid, not a pain-killer... just a mind-fucker) it's still used as a first-action pharmaceutical to start kitty-littering your brain of fulgurites.
I'm still keen on getting off of it soon though and seeing what happens, and trying something else. I'm on the list for an extended sleep-over study at a local epilepsy clinic to see if they can catch some seizures via extended EEG.
But I had a bad reaction to Keppra. I'm still not entirely sure why I was put on it, offered it, had it suggested...
I wasn't force-fed it or anything - but I was never fed much info about it either - about my condition overall
I need a cigarette
welcome!
I am new to this.. not diagnosed with epilepsy though, I had one seizure 4 months ago and I am being treated on dilantin. I'm frustrated by the blood tests and neurosurgeon is talking to me about switching to keppra.. which I'm hearing has pretty negative effects. Otherwise I'm fine on Dilantin.
I GUESS... I basically want to be off of meds, doctors say not to.. but really it was only one seizure and they tell me I need to be on these meds for 2 years! How am I going to know if the seizure was a one time thing or not?? As you mentioned petero; I woke up on dilantin after my first seizure and haven't stopped taking it since..
This may be some what off subject, but any thoughts or experiences??