I applaud your instinct and feel Md.s are overprescribers.

How about a drug abstinance until you actually have a seizure?

I am finally taking regular and recorded doses of Dilantin with mixed
results.  I have had a long history of seizures.

 If you do any searches look at Aura or Simple Partial seizures --
what you describe 4 paragraphs above might be included there.
 If you want to stop a medication the Dr. has prescribed, that should
be reviewed with the Dr. and not by Survey on a usenet group.  Someone
telling you "Go ahead and quit" without your medical history is not a
useful way to seek medical advice. The opinions here are worth exactly
what you paid for them (including this one).
  Several of the Anti Ep. Medications that might appear here,
including Dilantin and Tegretol (mine), are also used to treat heart
conditions and strokes people might have had.   Unless you know why
your Doctor is prescribing it for you (ask them),  other advice here
could be useless.
 (Several AEDs mentioned above, for example, are used to prevent or
treat strokes and heart conditions also.  The fact you've 'never had a
seizure' has no bearing on the original operation you listed-- removal
of a tumour? from the frontal part of your brain.  Is the Dr. using
Dilantin (an old fairly benign medication compared to some the rest of
us use), to reduce the risk of a complication that could follow from
the type of surgery you had?   I can't answer that, but the Dr. could.
If it's to treat or prevent a stroke, following that type of surgery,
it's not being used to treat Epilepsy, so only the Dr. could explain
what it's being used for.)
     G./

Tim, you need to be very careful when going off medication, that is why
it is so important that you consult with your doctor.  If a person
doesn't taper off slowly that could be what causes the seizure, and for
some it can trigger different types of seizures.

Julie