Topamax and anxiety

Nov 5 2008
I have been taking topamax since april of 2008, about 6 months now. Just recently I was increased from 50mg to 75mg for my migraines. I have short term memory loss, nausea, no appetite at all, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, and all of a sudden terrible anxiety and panic attacks which started out of no where. I feel like my heart is beating out of my chest and I am going to die. It is horrible I cant stand it. I went to the ER and got the standard tests and they said my heart was fine and to follow up with my regular Doctor. No matter what I do I cant calm my self down it is just aweful. I am not sure I can live with these side effects, its too muc

Hi all...I've been taking 25mg. of Topamax at night for 5 days now. Unlike most of you I have not experienced the tingling in the extremities or the weird taste in the mouth or even much tiredness at all other than what has happened as a result of my weird side effect. I was prescribed Topamax by my neurologist for my migraines. I've had them since I was 12 years old. I'm 49 years old. The got worse during peri-menopause which is kinda normal given the hormonal fluctuations, but was told by my neurologist that they would very likely subside significantly when I became menopausal. Well folks, I've been menopausal for 5 years and for the past 2 years my migraines have been the most horrific of my life. I have approx. 15 to 18 migraine days a month, some of the headaches lasting 3 bloody days. So it comes to this...Topamax. In the past I have suffered some pretty rare side effects from some very benign medications so I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that this is happening to me now. The first night I took it I slept like a baby. The second night I was slightly 'hyper' but managed to get to sleep. But for the past 3 nights it's been hell. When I lie down in bed, my body feels as though there are electric currents shooting through it and coming out my right leg. I have to move my right leg or go completely bonkers. Fortunately my daughter is away at university and so I can sleep in her room. So I lie there...on my left side...with my right leg hanging over the side of the bed swinging and swinging and swinging as hard as I can just so that I don't scream. It's awful. Last night was the worst. I saw dawn this morning. I just got off the phone with my pharmacist and he told me that I had described a classic case of RLS - Restless Leg Syndrome. And guess what? Topamax is used to trest RLS!! For bleep's sake! So nice people I am suffering a completely opposite side effect to the one that seems to be the most common one...tiredness. Has anyone else heard of this? Experienced this? It seems to all focus down to my right hip and leg. I have to move it vigourously or go nuts. I am so tired today but that's because I got like 3 hours sleep. I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion after my husband left for work at 7:30am.
A side note...I also take 75mg of Effexor for panic disorder and my neurologist told me that this is a very good mix of meds for migraine prevention. My top dosage for the Topamax will be 75mg taken at night.
I'd really appreciate any feedback on my side effect. Thanks in advance.

D.

I started right out 3 years ago on 100 mgs. and within a couple weeks migraines were virtually gone! I thought it was a miracle! Only slight side affects for a couple years and only an occasional migraine but not a three day long one. So, I figure, small price to pay for all that relief, right? Now, for the last 6 months or so I'm falling apart! My memory is just gone! Sometimes I'm afraid to leave my house because I'm afraid I'll forget my way back home! I can hardly concentrate long enough to put a meal together and it just took me 4 tries to remember how to spell concentrate! Thank Goodness for spellcheck! I've lost 42 lbs. that I can ill afford to lose and I now I have started to have these anxiety things that I've never had before. I feel scared and nervous and no idea why. I was on a couple of drugs for allergies, a couple for arthritis and a vitamin. I dropped everything except the Topamax and the DR. put me on a 1/2 mg. Zanax twice daily for anxiety which seems to do nothing except make me sleepy. Now it seems all these side affects have just bloomed and I have this constant ache over my right eye which isn't a migraine but never goes away. I'm afraid to just stop the topamax because of what I've read about suddenly stopping. Doctors are no help, they won't even admit there is a problem. They just wanted to check my thyroid.It was fine.

I have been taking Topamax, 25 mg. for one week. Today was the first day I took 2. My doctor prescribed it for migraines, which I was having several times a month. The past few times I thought I was having a heart attack! I read about the side effects before I began the medicine so I have been waiting on everything to begin. So far the only thing I have noticed is I have a weird sensation in my mouth and sometimes in my throat. The only way I can describe it is if I have been breathing something caustic, such as smog or smoke, or a lot of dust. One thing I am going to try is a mouthwash called Biotene or Biotene. It is for dry mouth. Maybe it will help. Has anyone else experienced this and/or tried Biotene?
I read with interest what everyone has written. I drink soda all day and will be integrating more water because of one of the posts. So far though, my cokes taste the same. Is it only Dr. Pepper that tastes differently? I have also been getting winded easily and thought it was just me. The one side effect I am READY for is the weight loss. I gained 20 pounds in a year after I quit smoking. Anything to help with that is welcome.
So far though I have not had any migraines and I always have one with PMS. No increased anxiety but I have been on Zoloft for several years for depression. Maybe the Zoloft will offset the Topamax in that respect. I can be somewhat scatterbrained at times and as an assistant principal, I have to stay focused all day. Now that it is summer I will be able to relax a bit and it's ok if I am more absent minded than usual. Except that I have to work on a research project. But hey, does anyone really read that stuff??
Thanks everyone for sharing and I will check back in if anything changes. I am curious to see how things will go.

I have been on Topamax for 4 months and so far the migraines I have suffered for 40 years are gone. Great Some side effects like can't stand carbonated drinks. Reaction time is a little slower. I stress out a little more then I used to. I get really tired at the end of the day. I used to be a night owl but now love my sleep. Question to you all. Any one had problems with their teeth? Such as pain, fillings falling out? Let me know.

I've been on Topamax since Sept 2007 and the only side effects I have had were at the beginning were the tingling in the hands and feet when I was brining my dosage up. Soda tastes awful but I no longer drink it and that is a godsend after being a heavy drinker of it for years. I do find there are time when I can't find the right word to say, or I forget what I was doing, but I deal with it. I have lost 20 pounds since being on the medication. After being on it for 6 months the tingling is gone, I usually counteracted it by drinking plenty of water in the morning, that got rid of it. The drug has taken away the migraines, and regular headaches I have suffered from for years. It has also stabilized my moods and taken away my anxiety issues. I'm 36 and have never felt better. Topamax is definitely not for everyone. For those that are suffering, please do contact your doctors and try to get off the medication.

I took Topamax for only 4 days. I ended up in the ER on Feb 22nd because I felt like I was going to pass out, getting dizzy, couldn't concentrate or think, numbness, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath and this was intensified by anxiety from all this stuff going on. I stopped taking it immediately. I have had episodes of these same side effects since then. I had these side effects last week and missed 3.5 days of work. I have been doing pretty good this week but today I had to leave work because the same side effects came back. I had to have someone come pick me up form the side of the interstate half way on my way home because it got so intense I could not drive. My doctors have done blood work and I am waiting for the results.

I'm a 26 year old female and I've been on Topamax since March 2007. It has completely gotten rid of the debilitating headaches I experienced 3-6 times a week. It also got rid of my anxiety. I got my life back, my antidepressant kicked in at the same time. I experienced all the usual side-effects, tingling hands and feet, forgetting words, memory problems, loss of appetite, but was COMPLETELY pain-free. I still am. However, I never remember anything now, forget whether or not I did something, paid my bills, etc, lose things constantly, and I have lost about 20 lbs. Not good. I look anorexic. I have bones sticking out. Eating is hard. I forget to eat and drink all day and food is just unappealing. I feel fuzzy and stupid and slow. Not sharp like I used to be. It has killed my confidence and self-esteem. But I was wondering if any women out there got yeast infections while they were on Topamax. I've had one monthly since I started it, and my doc said it's a rare side effect. Oh yeah, I've had mild hair loss and mild to moderate acne now. This drug, it is such a 50-50. Living with chronic pain, those headaches were awful. But doubting yourself is awful too. Anyone have similar experiences?

I've been having breathing issues since last Sunday (so for one week now) and ended up in the emergency room yesterday because I was hyperventilating so bad at work, I nearly fainted. My lips, hands and feet were tingling. On the way to the hospital my hands, feet and lips became numb. Then my muscles started to cramp and I lost the feeling in my hands (at this point, I was struggling to hold it together and not cry, so I was having some anxiety as well). At the hospital, I had my lungs x-rayed, blood work, urine tested, and an ekg---all normal. They gave me some Ativan and said it was probably anxiety. I still couldn't breathe. I was anxious because I haven't been able to breathe properly for a week and no one has an answer for me! When I talk, I get winded. If I have to move around and talk at the same time, I am gasping for air. If you read the information sheet on Topamax, it can cause something called "metabolic acidosis" which can be quite dangerous. My blood work came back normal. You can have the pH of your blood tested to see if this is the case. If your pH is too low, then the you may be experiencing this. Read your Topamax literature. For me, I decided to take myself down to 50 mg from 75mg anyway, just to be on the safe side and hopefully, I'll here from my headache doctor tomorrow and will follow up with my internist on my own. It's very scary. Please be careful. Good luck to everyone. Oh, yes, and if I forget that I wrote this, it's the Topamax! :)

I am going to begin taking 25 mg of Topamax at bedtime tonight. After reading all of these posts I am a scared. I was prescribed Topamax for bipolar disorder. I am currently taking Lamictal as well. I always gain weight on psychotropic drugs and need to lose about 15 lbs (all of which I have gained over the course of being on Lamictal). Any who-my psychiatrist said that this medication may help counteract the weight gain I have experienced. Although I do not consider my self an overeater now. I do hope that it helps me to not like the taste of sodas though. I am addicted to Mt. Dew and caffeine, which I wouldn't mind stopping. Anyway, I am supposed to increase my dosage by 25mg per week until I reach 75mg per day. I am also supposed to go back and see my doctor before I increase the dosage beyond 75mg. I just hope I do not have the horrible side effects I have read here. Some of them I know I can deal with especially if they are temporary but the anxiety/depression/shortness of breath/lack of energy/morbid thoughts are the main ones that concern me. My psychiatrist said that with this medication I should drink plenty of water. He said that it could cause headaches and other side effects if I'm not sure to drink plenty of fluids with this medication. So, I am planning on hydrating myself really well today before taking it this evening. I'll post back and let you know how the side effects are going. Is anyone else on a combination of Lamictal and Topamax or on it for bipolar disorder? I'd like to hear more of your experiences.

I've been on Topamax for over a year for hormonal migraines, and it's working great for the headaches. I started out at 25mg twice a day and now I'm up to 100mg twice a day. I've lost 40lb (mostly due to the drug -- but my appetite is starting to come back) and have just recently started experiencing the anxiety and tingling in the extremities. I've always felt I've had trouble concentrating and "finding the word", but I attributed it to lack of sleep because I have two small children. My most recent side effect, however, is most worrisome, which is the reason for my visit to this website. I am experiencing severe abdominal pain, almost constant, and it seems to be increasing. I had abdominal pain and diarrhea when I first started Topamax last year, but it stopped after the first month or so. I'm just wondering if maybe long term use can cause ulcers or other stomach problems. Anyone have any experience with this? I know from experience that Topamax dosages have to gradually weaned up and down, so I'm considering decreasing my dosage to see if my stomach problems will stop. I'm just in so much pain, yet my migraines have almost stopped now with 200mg a day, that I'm reluctant to change my dose.

I just started Topamax for Bi Polar. I replaced the Seroquel I was on with it. I have been having some really bad headaches before I went on it, and I am still having them. I have lost 6 pounds in a week. Can someone tell me from their experience does the headaches seem to go away with more dosage. I was on 50mg of Seroquel and with the Topamax I am only on 25mg right now.

Hello to all! I have been taking Topamax 200mg twice a day for eleven years for epilepsy. I have had all the symptoms previously mentioned. You will get your apetite and taste back! I still get the tingly sensations in my feet at times, but no longer in my face nor hands. I still have trouble remember really easy words; for instance, answering machine and sometimes have trouble explaining what I mean. About two years into the medication I developed anxiety, never corralating it with the medication. About three years later I decided to get treated by a physician and began taking xanax. I am begining to wonder however, if the topamax is the underlying factor. I am going to taper off the drug to see. I hoped this helped. Good luck to all.

I can't believe all of these posts, wow. I was starting to feel as though I was alone with all of the symptoms I was experiencing. I started this drug 2 1/2 weeks ago at 25mg am/pm and am currently up to 75mg am/am. I have really bad chest pain/tightness and mild shortness of breath. As someone else had mentioned, pop is enhanced not dulled, seems as though its like pins on my tongue. I have been forgetting words but not too bad, just for a couple of seconds. The anxiety is the worst, sometimes I lay in bed and the chest pain will increase and I get so axious it feels as though I'm going to die. I went to the ER last night but they did an EKG and told me my heart was fine that the chest pain most likely was not related to my heart. (I'm a 22 year old male and have never had problems with my heart) These chest pains only started after starting this drug. I'm ready to try something else. This was the first drug I was put on for my seizures, my doctor said it could possibly help the seizures/headaches/weight. These side effects are just too much.

I started taking 100 mg. per day of Topamax a month ago and have ok results, I still have a dull headache everyday but it doesn't turn to a migraine but I have no desire for food and carbonated drinks taste flat and it has changed my mood also. I would like to stop taking it.

Taking Topamax for 2 years started out at 25 mgs 3 times a day for a mood stabalizer (bi-polar). Had tingling in hands and feet sometimes in face. Lost waight, pop tasts nasty, sleepy, short term memory loss, slurred speach. Now I take 100mg at bed time have no symptoms except I still am able to controll my eating (had a problem with over eating) no more road rage but I still felf a little depressed and did cry so I was not to stable until Citalopram 10mg at bedtime and Adderall XL 10mg in the morning was added. Now I finally feel like a totaly normal person. No more anxiety, mood swings, crying, paranoia,or any other weird stuff. I feel pretty good. Rarely I get pins and needles in my hands or feet or I forget where I put something.

Im 39 years old I have been on topamax for 3 months now on 50 mg a day first and now for the past month it was increaded to 75 mg a day. I have begun to have panic attacks/ nightmares. I also suffers from memory loss and inability form my words ( I guess thats the best way to describe it) my neuro gave me topomax for what he calls complicated migraines where my left sarm and leg became numg along with headaches and neck pain. The pain has decreased although the occurrrences have not subsided and Im not sure if Im going to saty on the Topomax. I have lost 8 pounds. The panic attacks and anxiety and debilitating.

I have been on 100 mg of topamax twice a day now for over three years. Most of the early side effects have worn off like soda tasting bad and the memory loss. I never had any hair loss. Also the weight loss has stopped and I did gain it back which really stinks. Anyway, the reason I was looking, was that in the last several weeks, I have been suffering horrible body aches and joint pain. My hands and knees hurt very badly. I am 39 years old and hate to think that arthritis has set in so quickly. And I know that I can't have the flu with no other symptoms and so often. Does anyone else have these symptoms? Also I wonder why these could have started after so many years of taking it.I have tried to wean myself off in the past and the migrains came back full force.

My Dr. Prescribed Topamax for anxiety. I've tried all the other anxiety meds and nothing seemed to work. This one worked great for the anxiety. But the side effects are getting to me. I can take the tingling hands and feet. That actually happened it seemed non stop at first, but went away after about three months. The main problem I've had is the weight loss. I was at a good weight to begin with, 5'6" 130lbs. but after four months I'm down to 105lbs. I can't gain any weight no matter how hard I try because I'm constantly Nauseous. When I do get my appetite, I can only eat a quarter of what I used to before I get nauseous again. I also have found myself at a loss of words A LOT!!!!!! So, tomorrow I'm going to see if there's something else my Dr. can think of for me to try.

My Dr. Prescribed Topamax for anxiety. I've tried all the other anxiety meds and nothing seemed to work. This one worked great for the anxiety. But the side effects are getting to me. I can take the tingling hands and feet. That actually happened it seemed non stop at first, but went away after about three months. The main problem I've had is the weight loss. I was at a good weight to begin with, 5'6" 130lbs. but after four months I'm down to 105lbs. I can't gain any weight no matter how hard I try because I'm constantly Nauseous. When I do get my appetite, I can only eat a quarter of what I used to before I get nauseous again. I also have found myself at a loss of words A LOT!!!!!! So, tomorrow I'm going to see if there's something else my Dr. can think of for me to try. I was on Effexor which was good for anxiety, but the sexual side affects were terrible.... Gosh, what do I have to go through for a good love life??? lol

I have a prescription for topamax now for 3 weeks and I have been scared to death to start it just because of the side effects of nurontin. Those were nothing compared to what I have been reading for topamax!! I have badly damaged nerves, plus I take many other meds such as oxycontin, norco, soma, baclofen, phernergan, levid and xanax. I am waiting on my nuro doc to tell me if taking topamax is ok. My memory is my life....I have a great ability to multitask about 12 things at once and do them all at 100% and have a memory like an elephant...I dont want to lose that and from what I have read, topamax will do it to me. I can handle the nausea and anxiety because I have meds for that. I wear strong glasses already because of my bad eyesight...I am afraid of making it worse. Please give me your opinions. I have a home to take care of and a husband and 2 young daughters...my husband does so much for me and the thought of this drug making me hate him or treat him bad is more than I can handle. He does it all for me, get me out of bed, take me to the bathroom, get me dressed sometimes..I am scared. Someone please give me some advice.

Tinay from Houston

Hi,
Doc put me on Topamax for PTSD due to MVA. I am at 200 mg and having tingling in fingers and acrid taste in my mouth. Thinking I might stop taking it and just suffer the anxiety and stress. As others, I have lost some weight with the drug, in weighing the pros and cons guess I will check with my doc and see if he can reduce the dose. I was having trouble sleeping and getting flashbacks of the accident and the Topamax has helped but I really don't like the side effects. Best of Luck to all.

topamax- started 2months ago...the sinus trip is unbearable! i always sound like i have the flu! haven't lost a pound and i am craving sweets like crazy. i hate the tingles everywhere! the thirst is unquenchable. i feel like i am suicidal. i hate my husband when i use to love him. i am also on effexor er 300 mgs topamax 200mgs ....i have now decided to go off ALL of these drugs. iwas first put on them when my mom died because of anxiety.......then when my daughter went to jail. more stress....more drugs....zoloft...attempted suicide....effexor er...for the pass 4 yrs...i am no longer suicidal..i am at peace with my moms death. my daughter has grown up and has stated a family of her own with her husband .... do i really think i need to be on these drugs any more???? nope! comin down the hard way starting tomorrow...need encouragment people! drudogs

i only have been on it for about 2 or 3 days its horrible tingling in my feet hands arms, i walk down stairs i think i am going to fall, i loose concentration, i am not taking anymore because there is something about it i dont like, i dont really have much of an appetite at all. over top of that i have anxiety and i dont smoke anymore so i have little bouts of pains in my chest. i dont want to be to thin. i already lost 10 pounds people say you loose weight well i dont want to be a walking zombie. i will stick with wellbutrin and alprozolam i will study something better than topamax

I am taking 100 mg at bedtime for bipolar type II, I was on 50 mg for 2 weeks. I told the doctor of the tingling in my hands feet and face and she did not even know that was a side effect of the med. I also have been having some pretty bad anxiety soon after I take my dosage at bedtime. I feel like I am seeing little black bugs every now and then. Other side effects...some short term memory loss, sometimes cant think of the right words, general scatterbrained..but alot of these things i had before I was on the Topamax ...they were just intesified when I started taking it. Well, one good thing has come from it, i have lost 6 pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks. But that is the only positive thing. I am seriously starting to think it is beginning to trigger a mood swing. (not a good thing) If it doesn't start to improve soon I will discontinue this med.