I am a female in my mid-to-late 30's. I was on Topamax for about...

Two years ago I stopped Topamax. I am on disability due to cognitive damage caused by the drug. I have difficulty with short & long term memory, have problems reading and staying focused, I lose track of conversations, I get lost, I have difficulty learning new information, have difficulty with spelling, math, typing, repeating words (spoken & written). I was in advanced placement math & English in college and was working as an executive assistant to the VP of National sales for a major publishing company, handling 80% of their major accounts when this was first prescribed. Two years later I lost my job.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus may have caused the problems. I recommend that anyone who begins to experience any cognitive problems go off the drug immediately.

I just started it today and so far the only thing I have noticed is a bit of nervousness (very minor) and medium-grade nausea. I'm taking it in the hopes that it helps three things: Migraines, bipolar type 2, and quitting smoking. So I hope I don't have any of the bad side effects. I'm not going to go above 50 mg/day as I am highly sensitive to medications and they work for me at small doses. As it is, the amount I took today was only about 10 mg, a level most doctors would probably say shouldn't effect me at all.

I know there are many people who do fine on Topamax, but all people should be careful when taking any new medication. I research everything I possibly can.