I have come across this interesting write-up giving a different view on Dilantin. Please note that I came across this piece while surfing the bevy of AVM sites available; however, I do not remember the exact source.

Jay, who wrote the message below, had written me earlier, telling me of some health problems. He mentioned that he was taking Dilantin. I encouraged him to drink lots of water, use MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl methane), and to find some alternative to Dilantin. I suggested to him that Dilantin was an evil drug that built up toxic residue in your system and brought about increased risks of all sort of health problems the longer you used it. I have since added eight studies showing that Dilantin can cause seizures.

From the Physicians’ Desk Reference, PDR:

Dilantin, made by Parke-Davis:

Dilantin [phenytoin sodium] is an anti-epileptic drug. Phenytoin sodium is related to the barbiturates in chemical structure. . .

The most common manifestations encountered with [Dilantin] are referable to this system and are usually dose-related. These include nystagmus [involuntary, rapid eye-movement], ataxia [loss of control of muscles—twitches], slurred speech, and mental confusion. Dizziness, insomnia, transient nervousness, motor twitchings, and headaches have also been observed. There have also been rare [not so rare] reports of [Dilantin] induced dyskinesias [a severe loss of control over the body, where the body twitches, or the person shouts, often swearing and using obscenities that he would never otherwise use—all of these are the effects of taking this and other psychiatric drugs], including chorea [ceaseless occurrence of a wide variety of rapid, highly complex, jerky movements that appear to be well coordinated but are performed involuntarily], dystonia [disordered tissue tone], tremor and asterixis [a motor disturbance which may appear as a person being in a coma], similar to those induced by phenothiazine [Dilantin] and other neuroleptic drugs.

It also causes nausea, vomiting, constipation, toxic hepatitis and liver damage.

Dermatological manifestations sometimes accompanied by fever have included scarlatiniform [Scarlet Fever] or morbilliform [like measles] rashes.

Hemopoietic [a blood disease] complications, some fatal, have occasionally been reported in association with administration of [Dilantin].

There is more!

You should not take this drug!

Any doctor who prescribes it is a criminal!

Now, what can you do about it if you are already stuck with it?

Unfortunately, of all the many thousands of different drugs on the market the psychiatric drugs are the worst. In many cases there is no hope or help. The psychiatrists like this because it guarantees them a market for their shock treatments, drugs and lobotomy—people who do not "respond" to mild doses of these drugs are advanced into mental institutions, where, if they continue to "jerk and shout out), they may be made more into vegetables by ECT or brain surgery.

It is, of course, extremely dangerous for any honest doctor to try to help because often these drugs are so addictive and so much damage has been done, that any withdrawal from Dilantin brings on symptoms of worsening—convulsions, etc. So, even when a doctor, or other, thinks there may be some alternative, he may often refuse to treat the patient with a long history of Dilantin—fearing lawsuit and loss of his license.

Those who have finally decided to get off Dilantin are often driven to leave the United States because some of the possible treatments are illegal here. One such treatment would be live cell therapy.

If you can find a special type of chiropractor, who is also not afraid to do the procedure, you may be able to get help from something called "craniosacral therapy."

Another source of possible hope and help lie in the field of allergies and nutrition. This could be so vague and general that it would take an expensive and lengthy investigation by a skilled health provider, looking at every aspect of the person’s diet and environment. The changes should probably be introduced one at a time, to see how the change impacts on a seizure. In other words, this dangerous procedure would be to cut back on Dilantin after a period of very strict diet change (for instance, absolutely eliminating any processed foods, sugar etc.) for, perhaps a week. If, then, there are no seizures, continue with that diet. You see how risky this is and how unlikely any professional would be to admit responsibility for guiding your changes.

You could only pursue one of these courses of action by convincing some doctor that you, yourself, wanted to stop taking Dilantin.

Most people on Dilantin probably would give up and stay on it— hooked for the rest of their lives—hooked worse than if by cocaine.

Some people have gotten relief from epilepsy with homeopathy -- that, too, takes a trained practitioner.

Sometime America is going to wake up to the evils visited upon us by the drug companies in general and the psychiatric drugs in particular. A psychiatrist may seem friendly and reasonable, but they are the worst drug pushers, of the worst of all possible drugs.

Your hope, and health, can only start, relative to Dilantin, by accepting the truth of the evils of that Drug and then deciding that you REALLY want to change. It will not be easy!

I’ve saved this for last! Ultimately, whether you think so or not, you are totally responsible for your own health. You can go to a doctor, you can avoid learning about these drugs, but you are the only one in charge of your body. When you finally get up enough courage, here’s something you can try.

Remember, you must do this only on your own determination—not because I suggest it.

I understand that the symptoms supposedly handled by Dilantin can be detected in "blood work." So, you get your "blood work" done by some regular doctor. All the while you are taking this Dilantin stuff!

Then, you, on your own, decide to reduce the dosage of Dilantin. You reduce it just a small amount—and after several weeks, you can decide to reduce it more. Obviously, if you get some bad feeling, go back to it!

But, after several weeks of gradually reducing dosages, you get another "blood work" done.

Maybe you can tell, maybe not, but you then ask the doctor to look at the before and at the after results of the blood work.

More than likely he will say: "They are the same! You must continue to take Dilantin just as you have."

At that point you have to decide. You can tell the doctor what you have been doing—see what he says. Or, you can go for several more weeks, reducing your dosage slowly but surely.

Perhaps after several months you are down to one third of the original dosage.

Now, another blood work!

If the results are still the same, no change, you at least could say to the doctor:

"Look, doc, I’ve been reducing my dosage for several months and the bloodwork shows no change. Doesn’t that mean that I didn’t need the high dose I was taking?"

At least he may agree and cut your dose down to what you are taking.

Perhaps he will be willing to test even lower dosages? Perhaps you will decide, on your own, that you can take lower dosages?

I just talked to a man who was taking Dilantin for more than twenty years! He hated the drug. He did just what I’ve described above. He is now OFF Dilantin completely. He feels great. He is over 70 years old.

I commend that approach to you. But, recognize that you would probably be disobeying your doctor’s orders and be willing to live with that decision.

Dr. Robert Atkins of The Atkins Center in NYC is monitoring my progress. There is a natural substance called Taurine which helps control seizures.

New concepts in the cardioprotective action of magnesium and taurine during the calcium paradox and ischaemia of the heart.

You mentioned changing diet. Yes! It was found as early as 1920 that sugar had something to do with seizures. Unstable blood sugar or hypoglycemia can cause seizures and the only good cure for this is a diet void of sugar and void of all processed carbohydrates. For more information please read Dr. Atkins "New Diet Revolution". Diet is the answer to so many medical problems.