Topa symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed topiramate (it finally went generic- I've been trying to get this med pre-authorized by Medicare for years) a couple of weeks ago for off-label use related to bulimia, more specifically, for weight loss. I also take lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, for bipolar disorder.

I began at 50mg/day for 2 weeks then titrated to 100 a few days ago. The side effects I've noticed so far are opposite to most of the ones noted here. I am not lethargic or sleepy at all. It's 3:10AM and I am wide awake, as I was last night. I had an excess of energy today and plenty of words to express my ample thoughts. However, my brain working in a sort of backwards fashion, these are the exact sorts of symptoms that signal mania and are extremely dangerous to somebody who has my condition, so I am on strict notice with the doctors and will most likely be either taken off the topa if this continues for another day or two, or put on an anti-psychotic as a preventative, which of course would be counter-intuitive to the weight loss idea as atypical cause gain. You can see from my writing style of run-on sentences that my thoughts are a bit jumbled.

Also- numbness in the heels, irritability, neck pain, itching.

I shall try to post back if I don't wind up in locked ward :-P

Topamax is w/out a doubt the WORST drug I've ever been on. It made me brain dead. I couldn't find a job on Topamax. I would be in interviews and would space out and couldnt' answer questions. People looked at me like I was crazy. I felt like I had Alzheimer's at 38, especially when my neuro prescribed Exelon, the drug for Alzheimer's to counteract the cognitive side effects. As I said, couldn't find a job, had no insurance. My topa-lovin' neuro was giving it to me and getting me on the patient=ass program through Johnson/Johnson, the maker's of TM. She didn't want to help me get on another anticonvulsant PA program. Finally, I had to charge another med on my credit card because I couldn't take this toxic gunk in my body anymore. The decay of my mind has escalated to the point that I don't know if I will ever be back to myself again. BEWARE of this drug. I haven't even covered the eye pain, insomnia, headaches, leg cramps (i can go on).

i've been on topamax for 3 years now i've had all the hell topa side effects i'm up to 400mg a day and xanax 3 times a day i still have sez 1 or 2 a month but it gave me back my life i can walk outside again without fear. i take other meds in my cocktail but the side effcts of topa went away or i learned to deal with them after about 3 mo i know sounds long but is worth it. i had some of wosrt to i could not talk most of time soda forget it now i love my dt coke again. i still zone and repeat myself sometime memory is still short (but i'm blond so its ok) but don't give up hope it gets better.