Titration symptoms and conditions

Been on Topamax for almost a year. My dose was 150mg once a day for alternative treatment for chronic depression. I am also on Effexor and Lamictal. The tingling in the toes has lessened but not gone away. I have severe thirst all the time. My body seems to overheat easily. I lost 20 lbs but i was doing weight watchers and had just had a baby so its hard to give all the credit to Topamax. I definitely feel dumb. Words come and simply float away out of sight. My memory is extremely affected. I can fight with my husband and by the end have no idea what I had just said. Feel quite foolish. I am now titrating down and off by 50mg every 4 days. I am down to 50mg and have not had a good night's sleep since reducing my doses. My brain just turns on in the middle of the night. I am also pretty nauseated at this lowest titration. I just gained back 6 lbs but eating chocolate doesn't help either. I seemed to be able to keep my weight at 140 lbs no matter what i would eat. Not so anymore. Always trying to find the faster, easier way toward staying thin but it always comes back to that same bottom line. I have to discipline myself boooo.

I've been on 200 mg Lamictal for 2 months now, after 4 month titration up from 25mg; Going off Lithium 900mg titration to 450mg this week. Since 1st day of lower Lithium, all the common Lamictal symptoms went from mild to extreme. Whole body muscle aches (like 24 hours after a heavy weightlifting workout) worse in neck & back/shoulders/calves, bad headaches, swelling in hands & feet, extreme blurred vision, loss of memory, halted speech while trying to figure out what to say, fuzzy. I called the Clinic to simply ask which NSAID (aspirin? ibuprofen? Excedrin? naproxin?) to use to manage the pain. They all freaked and made me come in for a blood test to check Lithium levels. I explained I wasn't "overly" concerned about it at this point, but just looking for a recommendation, and that they may be over-reacting (even though I did appreciate their concern). I also reminded them that I had just **decreased** Lithium when it happened, so I wasn't having a Lithium Toxic attack (I'm well-versed in that, having been on Lithium for 7 years). It didn't do much good to tell them I thought their diagnosis was a little off. I'll find out the blood test results today, but I'm pretty sure I know what they'll be. They also wanted me to see my PCP since it could be something else. Again, the problem was a ramp-up of existing symptoms the next morning after I lowered Lithium (the only change), so I'm conviced everything centers around that. I think they're a little inexperienced with this med. (Lamictal/Lamotrigine) and if they'd just read this blog they'd probably learn a lot. They had never heard of the muscle ache side effect. Pretty hard to believe after reading all of your comments! My theory is that Lithium was somehow holding back the side-effects of Lamictal and now they're expressing themselves more fully. I haven't read anything like this on any internet discussion, so maybe my body is very different. But maybe my experience will give someone else some insight in a similar situation.
I might also mention something that happened to me I have only seen (kinda) in one other "blog" about follicle (sweat gland) cysts. Yeah, I definitely got the jawline acne starting at the Lamictal 50mg level & increasing at 100mg. But I also got my first ever "cyst" that concerned me and sent me to my dermatologist for the first time in 30 years (I'm 47 and saw the old guy when I had acne at 17!). It started as a blind pimple on my chest the week I increased Lamictal to 200mg (final dose), but didn't go away. It continued to grow (not diminish) over 4 weeks to 3/8 inch round/pink/solid/itchy/burn-when-rubbed. So off to the "Doctor" like my father used to do on a regular basis (I know I'm getting old now) and scalpel/pop/stitch it was out. But it was real, not my imagination or hypocondria, and the timing of its appearance was right when Lamictal changed to full steam. Since acne appears to be a common effect with so many, it seems it's not unreasonable that this occurs occasionally as well to others. Let me be the 2nd to mention it. No "official" verification, but....
I'm not bagging on Lamictal, and have been very hopeful that this would be better than Lithium. It has eliminated the GastroIntestinal problems I had on Lithium, but I am getting discouraged that it has all the brand new symptoms that are discussed in this blog. Your "stuff" is real. I wish the Docs/Nurses/Case Workers would spend 5 minutes checking your comments out. It might bring about a better informed conversation than the shiny Glaxo flyers provide. That is all.

I was doing just fine taking 50 mg of Topamax but I was still having minor headaches. My doctor said to go to a neurologist because there may be a tumor to worry about. He doubled my morning dosage and added an evening dosage so now I am taking 200 mg. a day. I started the insanity on Friday. By Monday i went grocery shopping and couldn't remember what I was shopping for. Thank God i brought my husband with me...when I could remember that he was with me. And then when I remembered to ask him what we came for I needed to remember where it was. Upon returning home I offered to help my 7 year old grand daughter with her spelling homework. Do you how embarrassing it is to not remember how to spell first grade spelling words? Tuesday was Mardi Gras and we went to the movies so I was saved any further mind questions. Then along comes Wednesday and I returned to work. Well, I tried to get to work. I got lost. Here I was at Walgreen's trying to figure out what I was doing out at 6:00 in the morning. What day was it? The looks on other's faces when you ask them these question is not something funny. So, I get back in my car and aim in the direction I hope is work. Luckily, I remember where I habitually stop for breakfast. My memory comes back again and I make it to work. I am on time and all is well. Now, the day begins.

I haven't had a period since December. Here it is February. And no, I am NOT pregnant. I can't concentrate. I ate 2 chicken nuggets for lunch and am full (now that is a healthy lunch, huh?). I was addicted to Dr. Pepper and now can't even stand the smell of it. I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I found a note that I wrote sometime yesterday that really scares me because I don't remember writing it. It says, " Headache @ 1:55 no known trigger jut sudden movement to pick up papers from bin over desk. Nausea as well. Need to go to sleep forever." Good feeling to have? Depression is kicking in.

I just called my doctor and he says decrease the medication down to 100 mg. Ummmm...How about I decrease it down to 0 mg and I take a Imitrex or 2 and a hot bath with a nap when I get home and live to see my grandchildren grow old! I think living with a migraine or 50 is far better than what I have been feeling this past week.

If anyone can tell me that it gets better in less than 2 weeks I will stay with it but 1 more week of this and I will be a patient in a mental hospital. I can't even play Nintendo with my grandson...NOW THAT IS DEPRESSING!

the mood swing side effect is very real. I'm currently taking a very small dose of prozac to counteract it. it doesn't effect everyone that way, and from what I understand, it can be just a temporary side effect due to the titration. once you stablize on a dose, it should lessen I'm told. after I nearly bit the head off a produce guy at nearby market for no reason at all, I knew I didn't want to wait and see, lol.

i've been on it for about 10 months now and i've had plummeting potassium levels, so much so the doc prescribed prescription potassium supplements and a excellent quality multivitamin plus minerals. that seems to be doing the trick.

I am showing hair loss and extreme weight loss too (so far over 30lbs), problems with gums. I can treat the gum problem with biotene, but the hair loss is a problem and the weight loss, well, i can stand to lose a few lbs.

I also have night sweats which are just weird and have problems with body temperature regulation.

all this on a whopping 45 mg a day!

still, I love my topamax. it's the only thing that's eliminated most of my every other day migraines.

I was given Neurontin to try and help with my fibromyalgia . I was initially given a titration pack to build up the dose until i felt pain relief . I reached the stage where i was taken 1800mg a day (3x600mg) and simply couldn't function properly and still with no pain relief . I literally felt spaced out all the time , couldn't remember where everyday household items belonged , and would regularly have severe memory loss during mid conversation . Nothing seemed to sink in when i was told something . i have started the process of coming off these tablets , i have enough problems without adding to them .

I am in the relatively new group of people taking Topamax for migraine. I have not been taking it long-- in fact I'm still in the titration phase at 25 mg working my way up to 100 mg/day or perhaps 200 mg. I'm already noticing several side effects.

I've had extreme nausea. Carbonated water tastes absolutely disgusting. I'm starting to experience mild tingling in my extremities but nothing too bothersome. I've had some hand tremors. About 30 minutes after taking the meds, I am overwhelmingly tired. When I've been driving, I feel out of it-- as if I'm not really driving and I'm completely disconnected from the experience. I've also noticed that I'm having difficulty getting words out. I can think of the words but I cannot manage to articulate them. Generally speaking, I just feel out of it during the day-- like I'm wandering around in a haze. On the plus side of things, I haven't had a migraine or much aura since I started topamax. However, because of the side effects, I about ready to throw in the towel and search for a new drug for my migraine and aura.

I just started taking Topamax for migraines. I'm still in the titration phase so I'm only taking 25 mg right now, but at the end of four weeks I'll be at 100mg daily. I'm extremely disappointed because I love carbonated water and it taste absolutely awful, even after less than one week of taking the meds. I'm also finding that my hands shake a little, almost like tremors. I'm not sure if that's related to the drug or not. For the time being, I'm extremely tired. I take my dose in the evenings with dinner and usually fall asleep on the sofa. In the morning, I can barely make myself move. However, I'm already finding a decrease in migraine aura which before was a very serious problem for me.