I have been taking Topamax for just under a year for severe migra...

I have been taking Topamax for just under a year for severe migraines, and at first everything seemed fine. I wasn't worried about the flat tasting carbonated drinks; I just cut those out. I did not experience weight loss but there again that's not why I was taking Topamax so I didn't mind. The Topamax did work to reduce the number of migraines I had each month although I still got maybe one a week. The fuzziness in the brain did bother me somewhat. I have always been good at adding up columns of numbers quickly and I could not do that anymore, and words often escaped me. These were worth it for the migraine trade off. But about eight months ago I started noticing I was having these terrible anxiety attacks, mostly in the middle of the night. I would wake up and feel terrified about everything, something I had never experienced before. Even during the day I would often have this low grade anxiety all the time. Very unpleasant. I didn't even think to question that it was the Topamax causing this, Then about six months ago I began feeling extremely depressed even though I do take a low grade antidepressant to also help with the migraines. My Doctor switched the antidepressant but it did not help; the depression just kept getting worse. By last month the depression was so bad I was really a mess. Crying, feeling hopeless. Between the anxiety and the depression it was debilitating. So I went online and really searched the idea that perhaps it was the Topamax causing these issues. Sure enough there it was; lots of people have problems with anxiety and depression while on this drug. Currently I have been weaning off the Topamax in the past week and unfortunately I'm having rebound migraines because I've had one every day for the past week, but I'm determined to get through this. The depression and anxiety were just too disturbing and debilitating. For anyone who is considering Topamax for migraines I would say just educate yourself about these side effects and monitor yourself closely. It can be worth the try but it can have serious repercussion too. For anyone considering taking Topamax for weight loss I would say "don't be a fool". These meds were developed for serious neurological conditions like Epilepsy. To take them to merely lose weight is frivolous and irresponsible to your health.