Topamax and appetite

I'm a 41 year old female in very good health- other than the obvious migraine problem that I have. I have been on topamax for 3 months and am now tapering off of it. I have had all of the side effects that others have experienced to the point that I can't continue taking the medication. My memory is horrible. I can't remember simple things, which is really causing problems at work. My mood is dull and lifeless, and all I want to do is, well, nothing. I'm not a big soda fan anyway, but now it tastes really awful. I noticed that almost immediately. And once in awhile I crave a coke, but can't drink one because it is nasty!!!
I have lost about five pounds, but I don't think I will lose any more since my appetite has returned. That's o.k., because that wasn't my goal anyway. The tingling in the hands, feet and face happens almost daily and feels like little tiny needles being stuck in me. It's actually quite painful sometimes. And, I have noticed blurriness in one of my eyes. This drug has not helped my migraines. We're trying something else. But either way, I would get off of this drug. It's not worth it to me. If you are considering it, I would think twice.

i am getting back on topamax for the second time....the first time i lost a tremendous amount of weight. i am on it for migraines...working my way up to 200mg from 50mg. I am experiencing that memory lapse (having something i want to say on the tip of the tongue) all soda taste flat. Nausea and menstrual cycle is changing up. Been on meds 6 days so far lost 2-3 pounds. I have seen a lot of people say they have not lost weight the second time around. Is there anyone who has? I have definitely seen a change in my appetite at week one. I had the tingling in toes and feet the first time around but nothing yet. first time around it lifted my mood and I had tons of energy. It helped with my migraines that i had everyday for a year. Lost my insurance when I lost my job so now I have been able to start up again.

I took Topamax 50 mg for about 2 months and experienced a change in menstrual bleeding. I wonder if Topamax effects progesterone levels. I had light spotting 5 days before period due for both months. This medication also made me very depressed and angry. I quit taking it about 5 days ago and felt the depression lift on the 2nd day after stopping the medication. This was my 2nd round for Topamax. My first time taking it I worked up to 100mg and lost 15 lbs in just a few weeks. I had no appetite. I also go very sick with a respiratory infection and dry coughing. I had menstrual problems with the first round too but didn't figure out if may be the Topamax until my 2nd round. It did help my migraines significantly. But I'm uncertain how if potentially messes up menstrual cycle. The warnings for the medication says "menstrual problems" but doesn't go into detail. Anyone else have menstrual problems.

I was put on Topamax for extreme migraines about 6 months ago... Started up slowly with 25mgs to 50mgs to 75mgs daily and now I am taking 100mgs (50 in the morning and 50 at night). Topamax did the job in taking my everyday headaches away but I still continue to get the very painful and extreme migraines that last 304 days.

I did have extreme tingling in the hands and feet for the first month but that soon tapered off. As far as my appetite - I never really lost that and my weight has stayed the same.

After reading all of your posts I can take a deep breath and believe that I am NOT crazy. I have begun to think so because of Topamax. I am constantly anxious (and being an over anxious person to begin with this is not good), my mood swings are horrible - I am a total bitch to my boyfriend, and my mind just does not seem as clear as it once was - struggling to come up with the simplest of words....

I feel like Topamax has made me very paranoid and has set me into a depressed state. It is just not worth it. There are many OTHER drugs out there that can deal with migraines - and trust me I know they are painful, but I am much more willing to get myself back than continue to deal with these side effects for the sake of getting rid of a migraine (which isn’t always the case for me).

After switching doctors (from the one who had put me on this drug to begin with) - she is helping me wean off Topamax and wants me to explore other options.

Has anyone experienced weaning off this drug before - how are the side effects? And will I ever be myself again?

I began getting debilitating headaches 3 years ago. They were everyday and not the classic headache (no visual, nausea etc). It felt like a jackhammer to the back of my head every single day. My neurologist told me they were migraines. I was skeptical as every other migraine med had not worked. I began on Topamax at 25 mg twice daily. I started at this dose for a month. The body really needs to adjust SLOWLY to this med. My side effects were pins and needles in the hands and feet, strange taste in foods, flat tasting sodas, drastic cut in appetite. My doctor assured me these would go away. Headaches did not start to improve until the second month when I went up to 50mg twice daily. By the third month I was up to 100mg twice daily and I feel like I have my life back. I still will have occasional migraine breakthroughs, but nothing like the misery I had before. Within 5 months or so, food began to taste normal again and the pins and needles stopped. I dropped 30 pounds total on Topamax. It has been a life saver for me!! My advice for anyone thinking about this drug is to ease your way up slowly until your body adjusts. One week on a dose is not enough time.

Hi. Im a nurse who was put in Topamax for mood stabilization in January of this year. Tapered up from 25 mg a night and now am on 200 mg a night. I have lost ZERO pounds although I have no appetite and cant stand the taste of a soda. I just wanted to share my nightmare. I have not had any tingling or numbness, which is a main side effect.

I do have a terrible metallic taste in my mouth and my mouth never feels clean. YUCK. Sodas flat. My personality is flat.. I am exhausted. My friends say the person they knew is gone, my appetite is gone.

My back hurts all the time like it's very tight in the kidney region....I cant spell, I cant remember yesterday, I sleep all the time when Im not working...I drop things, I don't remember what I was doing 10 minutes ago, I feel like I am on the outside of my body looking in.

My vision is blurred somewhat at times.

I work for a neuro-psychiatrist. I have decided to taper myself down. I don't think it has done anything but made me so flat I am not here anymore. Who wants that? Looking back, I was not in need of mood stabilization but a vacation.

The only thing it has helped me with is it has stopped the desire for Klonopin which is normal for Topamax. It works on the receptors in your brain that make you crave benzo's. I took my Klonopin as prescribed.

Im thinking I want my old self back. I miss laughter. :(

Well, my Fiancee (Sandra) started taking Topamax a few months ago. Her side effects have included: loss of energy, tiredness, tingling in the feet, nausea, chest pain, appetite lose, rapid weight loss, and a severe decrease in her sexual drive. The worst of the side effects is her sudden and unpredictable mood changes. She verbally assalts me and her children all the time. She is aggressive and picks fights over anything and everything. I love her with all my heart but I can not live like this. So bottom line, Topamax has gotten rid of her migraines and/or decreased their frequency and severity. And the cost of that benefit is the destruction of the relationships with the people that love her most.

Hey everyone
I am a migraine patient myself
I'm 21 years young and been having migraines since my 12 years.

i've started taking topamax 3 weeks ago..
first two weeks 25 / morning
25 / evening

so ok my headaches got worse

now i'm taking 50mg / morning
50mg / evening

so that's 100 mg a day

side effects: funny feeling in my sool on my feet
slow reaction, real bad headaches,
i have an implanon and haven't had my period for 2 months now i've suddenly had my period for 2 days..ok it wasn't much but it was there, never have acne now i have 3 zips on my face, always black spots in my view, coughing for 3 weeks, lose weight more easley (i'm always on a diet) , this weekend someone asked me if i lost an huge amount of weight (which isn't maybe 2 or 3 kg ) my appetite is also less, i can eat if i want to though.. i can choose it's up to me :-) hmm let's see what else is there.. i'm a telephone operator so the word loss isn't a good thing for me either i'm gonna see how far that goes..

so i've been on topamax 50 a day for 20 weeks
i'm taking 100 mg a day for over a week now
within a week i'm seeing my doctor again
if my migraines aren't better on this dose my doctor is going to sent me to a specialist..
whatever doctor that's going to be ? :-s

Started taking Topamax about a month ago for frequent migraines. I used to take Axert 2 to 4 times a week. If I did it at the beginning of a headache it worked very well, with little or no side affects- just got tired of having so many headaches. Started the Topamax and worked up to 100 mg per day (50 am 50 pm). Seems to control the headaches well, down to maybe one per week and I think less severity.

Side effects so far: 1. Perhaps some memory stuff as described by others (hard time spelling formerly familiar words etc... but doesn't seem real obvious to me (maybe to other!!!). 2. Diet Coke tastes terrible like everyone says!! This one hurts cause I love diet coke. The good news is that I don't notice the effect as much now a the first couple of weeks.
3. I have frequent (emphasis on frequent) diarrhea- like a couple times a day four to five days a week. This one doesn't seem much better. Now there has been some associated weight loss as reported but Im not sure that is due to reduced appetite or daily diarrhea or both. Either way I was glad to loose the ten pounds I needed to loose anyway, just wish I could do it without spending so much time in the bathroom.
Have not had any of the tingling in the hands or fingers that others have reported.

I've been taking 150mg of topamax a day for the last 10 months for trigeminal neuralgia. I haven't found any improvement in terms of appetite or memory in this time. Side-effects haven't lessened at all. Tingling in feet and hands, emotional instability including anger and grief, cognitive impairment in terms of slowed though-processes, spelling problems, and general intellectual functioning haven't improved with time. It seems as though I'm still walking in a haze all day long. I can pass ridiculous amounts of time by just staring into space and thinking about nothing. It scares me sometimes but it's taken away a lot of the pain and has allowed me some sort of normality. I'm 28, I want to live and work and build something for myself. So, for now, it's a trade-off .... side-effects vs life with pain or jumping off a balcony with my hands in my pockets some night when I can't take it anymore. It all comes down to the degree of debilitation that your particular disorder imposes and your ability to deal with it. I couldn't physically handle the pain or isolation anymore so I opted for the side-effects. I just wonder what the long-term implications of Topamax will turn out to be in five or 10 or 20 years from now.

I've only been taking this drug for two days - 25mg in the evening - and I've already got side effects. I get tingling in my fingertips, and all down along the bottom of my fingers. I've been feeling nausea as well, and writing this, my brain feels a little blocked and slow. I also think I'm losing my appetite, which could be a good thing, considering that I do need to lose weight. But I don't think it is worth it if I end up getting side effects like the ones that have been posted by other people.
I'm a writer, and I cannot afford to lose my memory, or suddenly not remember how to spell words, or to communicate effectively. Should I stop taking Topamax?

I am on my second time around with Topiramate (generic Topamax). It has been a year, and I have no reason other than weight loss to take this drug. I also don't know if the online generic versions are really Topamax except I do experience some of the side effects I read about, the tingling arms and legs, the itching, and the foul tasting carbonated drinks. I have started at 25 mg. per day 3 days ago, and am at 250 mg today with no cut in appetite except an hour after I take the pills. Do you think they are even real?

I've only been on topamax for about a month and a half and already I'm feeling some interesting side effects. In the first week of taking the medication I had such pressure behind my left eye I thought it was going to pop. It eventually went away and has not come back (thank the Lord). I also experienced some pretty nasty numbness, tingling, and uncomfortable pins and needles in my fingertips and toes/sole of my foot. The tingling in my hands usually lasted a few hours and the tingling in my feet only lasted for a couple of minutes. This tingling is never predictable.

Eventually the tingles went away and I was tingle free for a while. But in the past few days they came back. It actually coincided with my PMS. The tingles came back and with intensity about three days before my period started. I was wondering if it was common to have a side effect return or increase in intensity around your menstrual cycle? My hormones are pretty nutty and the reason I'm on topamax is to stop severe migraine auras and slight seizures that are tied to my menstrual cycle.

The feet tingles are the worst. It feels like I'm being jabbed with needles and I hate when it happens while I'm sleeping because it wakes me up and I can't fall back asleep again until they go away... they are that irritating. The hands I can deal with because I'm used to my left arm going numb when I was having the auras.

My sleep patterns have been disturbed because of topamax... I'm not too peeved about that. I still manage to get enough sleep. However there are times when I'm out with friends or having conversations and I'll know the word I want to say and I'll just bust out the wrong one. Like for example saying symphony instead of sympathy. My friends have gotten used to it and know what I'm trying to say. It cracks them up when my word salad produces sexual innuendos on accident when I really mean something else. BUT it's really messing up job interviews at the moment. I'm a bright and articulate person who is getting her BA in Anthroplogy and Archaeology, minor in History and am trying to get research assistant jobs at museums and universities. It's really hard to get a job when you are sitting there sounding like an uneducated moron high on crack.

I haven't had problems with memory, thank the Lord. Even though I've got the word salad going on (and it's strange... the word jumbles are only when I'm speaking... I'm super coherent when typing) I'm not forgetful. I was able to make it through finals week perfect, while juggling a full work load. I hope I don't start losing my memory.

I haven't lost any weight (AW SHUCKS!!!!!). I was looking forward to that one. How soon should I expect to lose weight by, if I do in fact lose weight? I'm a difficult duck when it comes to weight loss. I've been at a stable weight since I was 13. I'm an athlete so my body is my temple sort of thing. But in the past two years I've put on a little bit of unwanted weight in certain areas when I stopped hitting the weight machines :( My question is, if I haven't lost it yet... will I lose any?

I'm also classified as type II bipolar, obsessive compulsive, and anxiety disordered. I've noticed my mood has stabilized. I'm not as all over the place as I used to be. My highs could get pretty high and when they would get up there my obsessive compulsive would almost go on a little joy ride. And when I was low, I was super low and my anxiety would take the depression out for a spin. But now I feel a calmness and a zen that I never felt previously. It's not an apathy I can certainly tell you that. I feel like I am in control of my life. I thank topamax for that.

Reading all of these posts I just worry that the honeymoon period of my medication maybe over. I worry about other side effects cropping up. I think that I can deal with my tingling extremities and that I can manage my word salads. I don't want the pressure in my eye to come back. I also don't want to start exhibiting the other side effects. What is the possibility that I will start exhibiting more side effects or are you generally stuck with what initially presents in the first month or so? My doctor also does NOT intend on increase my dosage. He thinks 50mg once a day will do me just fine. Oh and one last question, anyone else experiencing the side effect increase coinciding with PMS?

Sorry for the super long post! All replies are welcome!

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

I was on Topamax for about a year. I lost 50 Ibs because, I did not have an appetite. I decided to go off of it. Then I started to gain weight back and wanted to go back on it but, I had terrible itching and every time I got sweaty or in the sun I would start to itch. Now it has been about 9 months that I have been off of it. I have problems with migraines and I also would like to try it to help lose weight but, I am trying to weigh the risks because I don't want that itching problem to start back. Oh yeah...I did not have many problems with memory loss or anything. I liked how I could think everything out more slowly. Basically...I felt like I could concentrate better on stuff and not have racing thoughts. So that was a plus for me. Also had tingling in my toes for about the first 5 or 6 months on it.

In August I started taking Topamax and every week i am to up the dosage now I am taking 50mg in the morning and and 50 mg at night because my headaches was so bad that I had to quit my job because I couldn't serve food and vomit at the same time. Now that my headaches have gone from everyday to about every other day I have noticed the indigestion. Because I had because sick so long the doctor suggested I had a reflux and it would correct itself.I started looking at all the medication I was on and the list from the pharmacy never indicated indigestion on as a side effect for Topamax.My appetite is non.Weight lost about 20 lbs but I could afford that and then some. I try not to use the upstairs of my home if no one is there because of the dizziness.And simple chores around the house go undone.I have bounce $130 in bank fees this month and can't figure out how and gave the finances over to my husband to keep up with and I am a math major in college this semester.This is how bad things have gotten some simple words i can't recall how to spell . I have to use the dictionary. It's bad.

At 50mg a day, Topamax, taken at night, makes me feel very heavy, tired and numb all day. I have been on it for 3 months so far. I also have other side effects mentioned in previous posts. I hate feeling tingly in hands and legs (from the knee down) and sometimes in my face. It is supposed to go away - soon? I get a bad case of my legs falling asleep in almost any position I sit in other than total upright (which is not comfortable). My lifr-long instiable appetite is hardly affected. I'd say maybe a little bit. I do notice taste difference in drinks and food, sometimes more than other times. I need this medicine for Migraines, it has help relieve my symptoms, but I think I need to continue to increase the dose because I still get Migraines and feel pressure in my head a lot.

I am almost 41, and have had migraine headaches most of my life which I could manage with 800mg of Naproxen Sodium, or a Norgesic Forte, and when Imitrex came out, I could just administer that. Six months ago, my headaches got so frequent that I had to start taking my Relpax (similar to Imitrex) and/or Fioricet more than 2X per week. According to my neurologist, this is a no no, as both of those meds can couse rebound headaches. He started me on Topamax, 50mg per day. It did nothing. He bumped it to a 100, nothing. Now I'm a 200 mgs, I am still have a migraine in left temple as I write this. I have the tingling, the daytime sleepiness, but my mind is fine, and my appetite is just swell (regretfully). What the hell am I going to do now? Ask him to bump me up to 400 mg? Now I have these headaches every "F"ing day, and I can't take anything. I just have to suffer.

Topamax is NOT working!!!!!

Topamax may help some people, but for me it is poison and I've tried it twice! This second time around I tried it longer and went to higher dose. I'll just list the bad side effects that I had this time, although I had some of the same the first time. By the way, I took it for migraines. The first time a couple of years ago I was on 25 mg a day. Then, this time decided to try again since migraines were so bad thought I would give it another chance. I went from 25 mg to 100 mg a day slowly increasing as directed. The side effects started occurring right after the first couple of days, numbness in my hands, jaw area. Then sometimes numbness in my feet. Started to feel bloated in my stomach, waistband on pants a little tighter, and also noticed a little fluid retention in my fingers and ankles. I would forget a word here and there, or when typing, type the wrong word. Eventually it got so bad that I would sit there and think to myself, ok I know this is the right word but should I actually say it or type it? Friends thought I was in a bad mood when I wasn't. I would get very very quiet and I didn't want to leave the house. Thank goodness my husband was understanding. We knew it was the drug. And we knew I would stop taking it! Sometimes my back and sides would ache which is unusually for me, and I drank a lot of water. I lost my appetite completely but still did not lose weight at all like others say they do, if anything I think I gained in fluid retention. The skin on my ears started to burn and itch, then the skin on my face started to itch. I felt nauseous almost every day. I also felt like I was completely encased in cement, this is about the only way I can describe it. You just do not feel like yourself at all. You have that foggy brain feeling people mention. You know you don't feel like your normal self, but you feel so lousy you almost don't care. It's a scary feeling. This was all in one month, I figured I had given it a chance but that was it. Even with the warnings about seizures I quit taking it immediately. I would rather have migraines than have all of those side effects. Also I wonder what is it doing to your other vital organs if it can have those effects? For those who do not experience any of this, I'm glad, but I have to say very surprised.

Hello, I started taking Topamax a year and a half ago for my migraines ( I was getting them almost daily- still am). My neurologist started me out at the normal dose of 25 mg a day and kept raising it up until I was at 100mg twice a day at which point I just quit taking it because I felt like it was just making things worse. Anyway, in the beginning, I did lose my appetite and things tasted terrible... especially carbonated beverages. I lost probably 15lbs. I quit taking the topamax for about 6 months and gained about 20lbs. I just started taking it again about 2 weeks ago and my appetite has actually increased. Has anyone else experienced this? I am hungry all of the time. I did not have a problem concentrating or remembering things last time but this time I do. Funny how it effects you differently each time you take it...

Ive suffered from migraines for about 5 years and never done anything about it until i seen a neurologist and found out i had a brain cyst. (not deadly) She prescribed me to topamax for migraines and immediately i started feeling change, i was moody and had no appetite, memory loss, chest/heart pain, short breath, paranoia, angry all the time, would cry at the drop of a hat, couldent concentrate, dizziness and it felt like a cloud was over my brain, i felt nothing all the time.

Ive never been suicidal and one day i lost it, i felt like everything out of me had been drained and it would just be such a relief to die right then. It was the worst 3 hours of my life, trying not to kill myself because i knew it was the topamax doing this. Definitely scared off it now, do not want that to happen again

I was on 50 MG of Topamax and 1/2 Phentermine tablet for 3 months as part of a physician's weight loss program. In that time I lost 38.1 lbs (had little appetite, but had lots of energy and exercised by walking over 1 hr every day or every other day....depending). One week after my 3-mo weigh in, I started experiencing heart problems during one of my walks. I felt dizzy, I was sweating more than usual, I was lethargic and I just didn't feel "normal." The next morning I felt good so I went for my walk. The problems from yesterday intensified during my walk and I had to quit after 1 hr. I was very dizzy, sweating a great deal, I was very lethargic and I was nauseous. It also felt as though my heart was jumping out of my chest (palpitations). I went home and couldn't get out of the chair; that's how tired and bad I felt. That afternoon, I drove myself to the doctor. My blood tests and urine screen were "normal," but my EKG (on-site and immediate) was abnormal. I have always had "irregular EKG's" due to what I call "an extra beat." But this time my heartbeat was "enhanced" and not "normal" for me (doctor's words). The chart showed that I was having many palpitations (strong, irregular ones). I was told not to walk and not to leave town over the holiday weekend (the doctor still didn't believe the medicine was to blame since I had been on both over 3 months). I stayed inside much of the weekend, but finally went to a store to return an item. After 10 min in the store, I felt HORRIBLE (worst ever). I was so dizzy, very nauseous, I was sweating (in a very cold store), my heart was jumping and it was difficult to take more than a few steps. I went home and spent the remainder of the weekend in the house. On my own (2 days later), I cut the Topamax in half and took the usual 1/2 pill of Phentermine. I started feeling better that same day. The next day I did the same w/ my mediation and felt MUCH better (although not 100%). On day 3, my doc phoned me at home. When I told him I had cut down on my Topamax and felt much better, he told me to immediately stop taking BOTH drugs. I did and I improved daily. On day four I was 100% better. After a week and 1/2 of overeating (and being depressed about it), I began taking 1/2 tablet of Phentermine (but no Topamax) w/o my doctor's knowledge. That was 3 days ago. I am feeling well with an occasional palpitation (minor though). I am back to having little appetite. I see my doctor in 2 days. He may be unhappy that I put myself back on the Phentermine, but at least now I KNOW that TOPAMAX was what caused the majority of my heart problems. I am not sure what my doctor will do (probably demand I stop taking the Phentermine); I am hoping he will place me on a safer drug that will help me reach my goal of a total weight loss of 100.5 lbs. I have been overweight for 18 years (since my marriage) and I am FINALLY determined and motivated to lose weight by eating less, eating right and exercising. PLEASE be aware of taking Topamax!

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 began Topamax in August after 6 months of ongoing severe migraines. They stopped immediately. My DR had warned me of weight loss but I thought who cares? I weighed 130 at the time. I have had a fatigue problem for years so I really can't attribute that to Topamax. I did become very sick (exhaustion-couldn't get out of bed) after Christmas and had my DR take my ANA which was 1280 (high). I have also experienced hair loss but I did not find that on the "side effects". I called the hot line to see if there were other reports of affected the ANA count and they had no data on this. Has anyone else had this experience? Meanwhile, it is 8 months later, I am down to 96 lbs and worried, have lost all fat & muscle - no migraines!

I have been on Topamax for a month and a half and agree that cotton mouth , tin tasting drinks, no appetite, no focus and fatigue are the greatest side effects but yesterday someone at work said since I have been on it I am "edgy" guess that means I am a pain to be around. So now I know I am acting like I feel crappy.

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 was doing just fine taking 50 mg of Topamax but I was still having minor headaches. My doctor said to go to a neurologist because there may be a tumor to worry about. He doubled my morning dosage and added an evening dosage so now I am taking 200 mg. a day. I started the insanity on Friday. By Monday i went grocery shopping and couldn't remember what I was shopping for. Thank God i brought my husband with me...when I could remember that he was with me. And then when I remembered to ask him what we came for I needed to remember where it was. Upon returning home I offered to help my 7 year old grand daughter with her spelling homework. Do you how embarrassing it is to not remember how to spell first grade spelling words? Tuesday was Mardi Gras and we went to the movies so I was saved any further mind questions. Then along comes Wednesday and I returned to work. Well, I tried to get to work. I got lost. Here I was at Walgreen's trying to figure out what I was doing out at 6:00 in the morning. What day was it? The looks on other's faces when you ask them these question is not something funny. So, I get back in my car and aim in the direction I hope is work. Luckily, I remember where I habitually stop for breakfast. My memory comes back again and I make it to work. I am on time and all is well. Now, the day begins.

I haven't had a period since December. Here it is February. And no, I am NOT pregnant. I can't concentrate. I ate 2 chicken nuggets for lunch and am full (now that is a healthy lunch, huh?). I was addicted to Dr. Pepper and now can't even stand the smell of it. I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I found a note that I wrote sometime yesterday that really scares me because I don't remember writing it. It says, " Headache @ 1:55 no known trigger jut sudden movement to pick up papers from bin over desk. Nausea as well. Need to go to sleep forever." Good feeling to have? Depression is kicking in.

I just called my doctor and he says decrease the medication down to 100 mg. Ummmm...How about I decrease it down to 0 mg and I take a Imitrex or 2 and a hot bath with a nap when I get home and live to see my grandchildren grow old! I think living with a migraine or 50 is far better than what I have been feeling this past week.

If anyone can tell me that it gets better in less than 2 weeks I will stay with it but 1 more week of this and I will be a patient in a mental hospital. I can't even play Nintendo with my grandson...NOW THAT IS DEPRESSING!

I have been on Topamax for a little over a year. I've had most of the side effects; tingling, numbness in the fingers, dry mouth, forgetfulness, and weight loss - love the weight loss. All the side effects have sort of slowed down as I've been on the medication longer. The weight loss has slowed and I've even began to get my appetite back- I'm afraid I'm going to start gaining weight now! I've lost about 40 pounds and I needed to lose it, so that was wonderful. I've had a very hard time losing weight all my life so this was wonderful.

I was addicted to Coca Cola and this med also helped me kick that habit because I lost my taste for the carbonation.

Does anyone know if the weight loss usually evens out after about a year or a year and a half? I need to lose about 30 more pounds and was hoping that I would continue losing weight!

Anyway, I was on the Topamax for headaches and it has completely helped that! It has truly been a God-send for me. Other than monthly hormone headaches, I don't get migraines hardly at all!

I am wondering about having my doc up my dosage for the weight loss aspect????

Today is day 8 on Topamax. The only symptoms I've really had were the first few nights on it I woke up in the middle of the night but that has stopped. I had a few bad dreams but that has stopped. Drinks taste a little weird to me, but nothing like anyone else on here has described. I can still taste the carbonation at times. I just started taking 50mg today. I do 25mg in the am and I am going to take 25mg in the pm. For the previous 7 days I was only on 25mg per night. I have heard all this talk about weight loss on Topamax. That's part of the reason I am on it...to counteract the weight I have gained since I've been on Lamictal. Anyway, I haven't noticed a decrease in my appetite OR any weight loss at all so far. I was just wondering how long it took to start affecting you guys with the weight loss. Is there a certain mg you are on that it starts to affect your appetite/weight loss or a certain time frame or what? Any information would help. Thanks!

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 am a 32 y/o female that was put on Topamax 10 days ago for migraines. I am taking 25mg twice a day so far, and the side effects I have experienced are all carbonated drinks taste flat; including beer, and if I take it close to bed time, I cannot sleep. The medication actually revs me up! Nothing i cannot handle. I have not had any problems with loss of appetite, nausea or diarrhea. Sure, sometimes I feel a little spacey, but I did that even before I started the medication. My doctor did tell me that you do need to drink plenty of water and eat plenty of protein. Also, when I start to feel a little spacey, eating a small amount of sugar seems to help with that... I have had a few headaches since starting the medication, but I haven't had a full blown migraine!!! I will continue to keep you posted. So far, I haven't had any side effects that i can't live with and by reading the posts and talking with several other people on the medication, it seems like the side effects are temporary and improve as your body "adjusts" to the medication. I am a nurse and I guess I am at at advantage because I am educating people on daily basis about this very issue!

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.

Just started, and reading all these post, eeeeekkkkkkkk. I have mig everyday, and just want help. Is there any one with a good experince on topamaz? I mean really? SHouldnt there be people that it help's?