One other thing about Dilantin

Hi Steph, I've had epilepsy since I was 12. In high school they wouldn't allow me to take swimming. They wouldn't allow me to roll on my head for gymnastic. But I was the big tom boy after school. Now as an adult things are getting harder. I think people expect children to grow out of it. So employers so call friend think of you as being sick. Your not sick you have a condition and let everyone else get over it. Keep your good attitude and dont' tell employers untill after your hired. Do the best that you can do and show the world that you can do it. I had one employer that but a bad light bulb in so that it would blink he was trying to get me fired or quit. Because the light bother me . So be on your toes girl. LOL

Hi Stef, I am 23 and have had seizures since I was 5. The older I have gotten I only have them in my sleep too. All the Dr's I have seen always thought that was weird, do yours think so too? When I was younger I took Dilatin and it just did not work for me, but very little did. My parents raised me very well. They never told me I could not do something. I swam, played soccer, was on homecoming court. Yes, in school I always had to try harder for studies because I was always on so many meds but I made it through and so will you. Just never give up on HOPE! Technology and meds change have already changed so much over the past 9 years . There is too much I could say about technology these days. Good luck and If you have any questions please do not hesitate to write or e-mail: molly.stover@verizon.net. Keep Faith-Molly

Hi StefI was first diagnosed with complex partial when I was 10 years old and I was put on dilantin. I am now 30 and have taken dilantin for 20 yrs. Dilantin was a success for me. Over the 20 yrs that I took it I only had 3 seizures. Two out of the three seizures I had were becuase I didnt take my medication. I took 350 mg a day and it allowed me to lead a pretty normal life. I got my license at 16, went through high school and college and now work in finance. I have been able to do almost everything that someone without epilepsy can do. Although, I was never allowed to take karate when I was a kid. Some people on here say that they can't have a drink anymore. I use to be that way but one day I thought I'd give it a try and I found that having a drink didn't affect me at all. I"m not telling you to start drinking, but just to let you know, having a beer or two didnt do anything to me. So overall I would say dilantin was a success for me. However, it is definitely not a perfect medication and there are long term side effects that you should know about. I have gotten these side effects from taking dilantin for 20 yrs and can no longer take it and have had to switch to lamictal. The long term side effects are not permanent and will heal. Some of the long term side effects of dilantin are that it damages your central nervous system and the part of your brain that controls balance, although you probably won't experience any of this until you've been taking it for 15-20 yrs. I guess the nerve damage starts in your feet and works its way up. This is what I am experiencing. Also my balance is a little off if I close my eyes, put my feet together and try to stand still. Also, my hand use to shake a little bit if I tried to hold my hand steady. I never knew I was getting this nerve damage until I went to a new doctor at NYU epilepsy center and she diagonsed it. Luckily, the doctor told me that all my nerves will heal in 6 months to a year. Some of the other side effects that I noticed over the years and when I first started taking dilantin were that I would sleep a lot, my concentration was off, my mind would wander, I would struggle through math problems, I would get obsessive thoughts sometimes and my gums were swollen. Because of the nerve damage I have had to switch to lamictal and since I have been taking dilantin for 20 years my switch to lamicatal was a slow process. I had to slowly reduce my dosage of dilantin while increasing my dose of lamicatal at the same time. My body would go into shock if I reduced my dilantin real fast and it would cause a seizure. It took me about 4 months to get off dilantin. Now I am only on 150 mg a day of lamictal and so far it's working great. I havent had any seizures, my hand doesnt shake anymore, my concentration has improved dramatically, I can do math probems with ease now, obsessive thoughts are gone and my gums are going back to normal. Unlike some people on lamictal, I havent experienced a higher level of energy. I don't sleep as much as I use to when on dilantin but I sometimes feel sluggish. Also, some days my head will feel a little off but it usually goes away once I eat something. Also, every once in a while i might get a quick muscle twitch with most of them occurring as I fall asleep at night. Right now I'm happy with lamictal. It seems to be working great for me.So overall I would say dilantin was a success for me at first and I didnt start to have any of the nerve damage until I was taking it for 15-20 yrs. If dilantin is working perfect for you then thats great. It seems that a lot about your condition that you described is similar to mine, so just as a suggestion, you might want to discuss lamictal with your doctor. Its new and I've read it is a good substitute for dilantin and it doesn't have any of the side effects that dilantin has. I'm taking lamictal now and i think it is much better than dilantin. Good luck.