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.