Epilepsy is a very general term. It's really like saying IBS of the brain... which means... we don't know what/why but let's try some meds and see if they work for you.

That is not a criticism of docs. by any means... it's what they are taught, know what to do... and have seen it work for people.

What they haven't seen or had much experience with or been taught, is that dietary control can help people avoid/reduce drugs and still improve their quality of life.

During WWII there were plenty of case studies where people with seizures improved because they could not get hold of any bread.... same thing for IBS-type issues and for schizophrenia, depression etc.

Basically it seems to be that people were eating a paleo-type diet. I have read accounts over the past several years about people who:

1) did not respond to a gf diet, but did respond to a gf/cf diet
2) did not respond to a gf/cf diet, but did respond to SCD
3) did not respond to a SCD diet, but did respond to a more restrictive diet (for example: also no nuts and/or no nightshades and/or no lily family)

This is part of the reason I continue to be such a big proponent of a Total Elimination Diet... it gets you down to YOUR basic foods in the fastest way possible. Also, you learn to acknowledge the messages that your body gives you rather than depending upon testing which can be inaccurate.

This is time consuming and, many feel, too much work... but I've seen it work for people who have had testing done and the testing really didn't get them much farther ahead because there is no testing for 'sensitivities' and sensitivity impact on a person's quality of life is not really acknowledged in the medical community - yet.

You need to decide what course of action you need to take. I know many people who just feel better taking a pill. They feel like it is a type of insurance... and these personal choices need to be okay and deserve support. All situations are unique to themselves.

If you want to know more about SCD - the group that can help you with it is connected to pecanbread.com.

Don't be intimidated by the fact that it is for autistic children - there are all kinds of other people there who are just not as vocal... ask about who improved their seizure situations and you will either get several answers or referrals to posts where people have written in about their improvements. You could even do a search first to see what you can find in their posts and files.

I am hoping that you are not operating large/dangerous equipment until you figure this out.

hth