Epilepsy Talk

The Trouble with AEDs… 

February 19, 2023
4 Comments

At the very best, finding the right anti-epilepsy drug is a crap shoot. There’s always the hope that this one will do it.

Or maybe adjunct therapy will work. Or, sigh, the side-effects derail you and you’re on to the next.

Is asking for seizure control too much to ask?


Dilantin – What People Are Saying…

May 4, 2022
7 Comments

When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy back in 1969, the availability of AEDs was limited.

Phenobarbital or Dilantin.

Pick your poison.

I chose Dilantin. It was not a pretty picture.

I was a walking zombie, constantly keeling over, and the final insult was when I went into a coma because of toxic blood levels. (No brain, no pain?)

But many have their own serious tales to tell. Here are some of their experiences. And some advice…


Dilantin – Hero or Horror?

May 1, 2022
28 Comments

Since it first came out, Dilantin has always had its fans and its detractors.

Who can forget Jack Nicholson’s out-of-control behavior as the “crazy” in Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”!


$56,000 a year for an unproven drug!

October 30, 2021
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Getting the FDA to retract a decision, is like getting the toothpaste back in the tube, after it’s been squeezed out…

Whether it’s “yes” or “no,” there is no “maybe so”.

A good example is the new all star Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab.

Whether it’s “yes” or “no,” there is no “maybe so”.


    About the author

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    I've been a professional copywriter for over 35 years. I also had epilepsy for decades. My mission is advocacy; to increase education, awareness and funding for epilepsy research. Together, we can make a huge difference. If not changing the world, at least helping each other, with wisdom, compassion and sharing.

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