I was also seizure free for several years while taking dilantin, then my insurance made me switch drs.  The new dr. told me that dilantin was very bad for me and that I should switch medications which was very frustrating because I didn't even want to change drs and now he wanted me on a new medication when I wasn't having any seizures. He put me on topamax and I hate it, I seem to have memory loss with this one and stuttering occasionally. My hand also go numb but that hasn't happened for a while.  Then sometimes I will forget to take it (not very often) but if I do I have a seizure. I have grand mal seizures that last a long time and I usually bite my tongue pretty bad, so my husband will take me to the emergency room and they always pump me full of dilantin because thats what they have in an iv I guess. Then I'll go back to the dr and he'll say I need to taper back off the dilantin. I had a really bad seizure in febuary and they put me on the dilantin again and my dr was taking back off of it and then the last time I saw him I was taking my regular dose of topamax and 400mg a day of dilantin and I figured he would lower the dilantin again. He just asked me if I had had any more seizures since the last one and I told him no. So he said to keep taking the dilantin. I should have said something to him then but alls I was thinking was he must be an idiot now I'm going to be right back to where I started from. What was the point of switching in the first place. Except now I'm on two medications instead of one.  I looked up the side effects of topamax online and it has a long list including suicidal thoughts which I have not had thank goodness.  I know with dilantin my gums bled when I brushed my teeth, that's the only thing that got me to switch was that the dr said something about dilantin causing thin blood and a couple of other things I can't remember, but I think the next time I see him I am going to tell him I don't want to be on topamax anymore.