Topamax and dizziness

I am a 38 year old male suffering from a combination of occipital neuralgia and migraines. For 20 years, until a year ago, i would endure pain that was only manageable with narcotic pain relievers (imagine all the gamut of such kind). I would have neck and head aches typically 3-4 times a week, accompanied by vomiting, dizziness which would put me to bed for the entire day. Work and family suffered in magnitude comparable to my own suffering. So then I finally saw my GP for that. The pain meds went up the roof, imitrex, maxalt was added to the equation with only marginal side effect. I saw a neurologist. He had me do an MRI and put me on Topamax starting from 25 mg, which I upped to 200 mg within 6 weeks. Past the initial side effects, the headaches subsided, the frequency reduced and i was able to enjoy weeks at a time with no episodes. Stayed at 200 mg for 5 months. In the meantime, the MRI came back positive for some brain inflammation. False positive they said, does not fit the clinical picture. Second MRI, same positive, this time proceeded with LP, which was negative. Third, MRI still positive; making the neurologist uncomfortable. While dealing with MRI results, the topomax had yielded positive results as far as pain management was concerned. But little by little I noticed that I was becoming more irritable, more impatient and more forgetful. Someone would have to remind me of something several times before it would even register in my mind. I empathize will all the posts that mention feeling like having Alzheimer's. I didn't care in the meantime. As long as I didn't have to deal with the pain it was ok with me. But the situation became worst and worst. I couldn't concentrate on anything, the mere task of remembering to do something was insurmountable. I would wake in the middle of the night and find myself staring at the bathroom mirror for no reason. I would have terrible panic attacks which i control with valium. But yet i continued on with topamax convincing myself and being convinced by other people around me that i just had a "personality disorder". Finally, work begun to suffer. I was loosing track of meetings, deadlines and when this happens someone knocks on your door (boss) telling you that something just doesn't click, something just doesn't feel like a personality quirk. Other people playing doctor would slap on my face that i just had ADD, that I should take something for that and get on with my life. But something was wrong. Pain or dizziness or lack of concentration etc are all electrochemical processes in your brain. It turns out that topamax was helping my headaches but it was not slowly deteriorating other cognitive abilities. Finally, the neurologist decided I should wean of the topamax, stepping down from 200 - 150 and then we go to 100 and so on. I dread the re-occurrence of the headaches. I am waiting for them to happen again at some point as I drop the dosage. But in the end of the day, I'd rather be in pain and in control of my life rather pain free and absent minded.

I had the most horrible experience with this medication. Part of it was due to my doctors poor care. On Monday I started at a new doctors office which is rather large. I gave him him my history with migraines and told him I was finally ready to start some sort of treatment. My previous doctor in the town had often recommended that I take something but I didn't want to take a daily medication. I am a fairly healthy 21 year old who gets between 5 to 10 migraines a month and many more headaches a month. I told him that my doctor and I had always concluded that my migraines were stress related. I told him that I have been experiencing a high degree of anxiety (I am a junior in college and it's the last week of class before exams.) He recommended Topamax and told me that it was an anti-seizure medication that was often used to treat migraines. He warned me that if I had any trouble with speech to let him know immediately but other than that he hasn't seen any other problems. He prescribed me 50mg twice a day,which he did not titrate as he should have. I took the first dose before bed Monday night and woke up so dizzy Tuesday morning I missed my first class. The dizziness passed and I just thought it was an adjustment period so I took my morning dose. I began to feel some tingling in my hands and feet and my reflexes were slowed (I felt like a drunk driver) I am a manager at a retail store and I forgot to do some of my most basic tasks. I took my evening dose and was described by fiancee as zombie. On Wednesday I woke up very emotional and cried a lot but didn't really think much of it. I took that mornings dose. By midday my anxiety and depression was so high I became suicidal. I had a panic attack while driving, i stopped off at my place of work because i couldn't drive anymore and my manager informed me that I was having a panic attack. I had never had one before. I have not been taking this medication for 48 hours but it has not left my system yet. I sought out counseling and am no longer depressed but I still have a great deal of anxiety and have been on the verge of two panic attacks today. I can write today, which I could not do yesterday. I do not recommend this medication to anything. Especially after what it did to me in just 3 days.

I lasted a whole week with Topamax! Side effects I experienced were flat, bitter tasting soft drinks, minor tingling in hands and forearms, some dizziness, and some decreased sensation during sex. But on day 6, shortness of breath set in. I wasn't aware that this was a side effect of topamax until I searched the internet. I'm so grateful for all of the posts here. On day 7, I took my last 25mg topamax and expected my breath to return to me. That was 6 days ago and I'm still waiting.... I've read that it takes 6 days for topamax to clear your system, but I'm eager to hear of accounts as to how long it took for side effects to disappear. Can anyone throw me a bone?? I keep telling myself that tomorrow it will be better, but "tomorrow" hasn't come. All other side effects are gone.

Ok, so here is a new one for you. I have had migraines for a very long time, since I was a teenager, and never really sought physician treatment because in our family a headache was "nothing to cry about". So, now that I am married with 4 kids and an advancing career, having migraines on a weekly basis isn't something I can live with anymore. So I went to my doctor. He said what about preventing them with Topamax. I know what Topamax is, I'm a nurse, I know what the potentials are, but I had not really heard of the side effects when using it in a perfectly healthy person. ANd I must say it has to be my own fault for saying "sure" and not investigating first. WARNING= Topamax is a drug for seizures, effecting the central nervous system, and will have effects on a healthy person's central nervous system. Now, not doing my research I will also not have known that you are supposed to be titrated very slowly up with increasing doses, starting at a suggested dose of 15-25 mg per day for the first week the 50 then to 100, etc. I was begun at 50 mg/day for a week then 100 mg a day thereon out. Please, if you experience the symptoms the pharmacy warns you about, but they are exaggerated, go back to your doctor!! Here are my symptoms by day
Days1-3- Normal effect- tingling hands/feet, taste loss of some drinks, foggy unable to think clearly
Day4-5- horrible head pain, back of my head, not like my migraine pain, stabbing and pins/needles in hands/feet, still can't taste, nausea, dizziness, confused (like I couldn't find my way to my doctor's office confused)
Day 6- And I am entirely embarrassed to say this one because I am a nurse, and I know what it implicates... Pseuedoseizure. I was in the doctors office, in the waiting room and I could not control my muscles. I knew it wasn't a seizure because I could hear some of what was going on around me, but something was not right. I couldn't move anything and I didn't remember everything. And all the above symptoms, along with. But, naturally normal CT...
Day 7- It happens again... And this time I have some right sided weakness and all the above, that's it, it has to be the Topamax, we are done. It's only been a week, so cold turkey.

That is my experience with Topamax, and unless I am actually seizing, it is a journey I will never take again, I have 4 little ones that depend on me too much. PLEASE research before you try whatever is handed to you!!

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 have been on Topamax for about two years for migraines, and was very pleased that after the first month or two, most of the noticeable side effects (dizziness, flat-tasting soda, etc.) disappeared, and the Topamax has been very effective in cutting my migraines in half. However, I've recently begun to question whether other health problems I've been experiencing are actually Topamax side effects and I just didn't realize it.

The first is intermittent stomach troubles that have been ongoing for the last year. Starting last January, I started experiencing diarrhea, stomach pain, and other persistent gastrointestinal problems, and through online research, I decided that it was probably either a spastic colon or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I lost 15-20 lbs. in the spring and summer, but the problems would always recede before I took them to my doctor, then resurface just long enough to irritate me before disappearing again. It never occurred to me until recently that these could be Topamax side effects.

The other possible side effect that I assumed was an unrelated problem is interruptions to my sleep pattern. I have been experiencing some occasional bouts of sleep paralysis, and which researching this, read that in normal sleep patterns, one is supposed to enter REM sleep (when dreaming occurs) after about 90 minutes. I frequently enter into dream sleep in as short as a 20-30 minute nap, which does not seem to be normal. Again, researching this, the only two explanations that came up were narcolepsy, which I obviously do not have, and that my normal sleep patterns are being interrupted "by medication." So I'm back to wondering if it's the Topamax. Has anyone experienced similar sleep symptoms?

I am a 21 year old female and have been on Topamax since October of 2006. I am up to taking 250mgs a day having a constant headache and getting a migraine about every week. I have had such a range of side effects and symptoms that I can't tell the difference nor know where to begin. The most recent is muscle spasms in my eye lid and leg that won't go away. I have spasms infrequently all over, but these have been pretty constant. I also tire very easily though I always get 8 hours of sleep a night. Though those are not always 8 full hours of sleep, because I do have boughts of insomnia. I have also dealt with the intestinal problems to the point of thinking that I had appendicitis. I have had multiple trips to the hospital for abdominal pain and severe migraines. I have had the vision problems - blurred, dizziness, vertigo, and the weird one were my eyes jerk back and forth. I rarely have all at once and they have come and gone throughout the 2 years, but they have come back

I think the most mysterious one of all are the lypomahs - these little painful nodules under the skin that just appeared. They are mostly on my abdomen, but have found them on my chest as well. Any one else heard of this?

I was on topamax for about 2 years. I took it for frequent migraines caused by my sinus's. I had all the normal side affects but got used to it after awhile. The only one i didn't get used to was the hair loss. During this time I started allergy injections and now i'm up to my maintenance level. So i decided to ween myself slowly off the topamax. I have been off for about 2 months now and I have been fine on the headache side, but i have started to get other symptoms (i think withdrawal symptoms). They have progressively gotten higher in number as the days go by. First my hair loss has not stopped. I gained about 10-15lbs, I am edgy and climbing the walls all day. I have a really hard time relaxing. I recently developed horrible insomnia, and about a week ago i started having digestive problems including water retention, bloating, gas, irregular bowl movements, and acid reflux. And I've recently had bouts of tightness in my chest and throat which make it difficult to breath (lasts about an hour). I didn't have any of these symptoms while i was on the topamax (except the hair loss), nor did I have them before it.
I am seeing an endocrinologist in a few weeks to make sure nothing on that front is causing any of this, but i really feel it's from taking and going off the topamax. If you can find other ways to deal with your migraines, DO!

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.

oh my God I wish I had read this sooner I thought I was going crazy! it seems like the doctors just don't know about the side effects of a lot of these drugs, because I have had ALL of those symptoms- the tingling, the muscle pain, the aches, the feeling of bugs crawling, the itching, the one I have the most now is pain in my arms and legs now to the point where today I cannot lift my arms past the front of my chest or over my head. So I barely stand the shower and barely get ready for work. When I told my doctor this last week, he said, hmmm, I don't know, lets just give it a few more weeks and see. I've been on Topomax for 5 weeks. I started at 25 mgs and worked my way up to 100 mgs slowly. Each time I add more mgs I have more EXTREME fatigue, and spaciness, dizziness, etc. My legs and arm and back pain did not start until the past 2 weeks. THIS SUCKS. But having migraines sucks too. I have lost weight. But I just don't know that I can live like this. The migraines are new for me, as a result of an accident I was in on January 26th. The side effects of the Topamax outweigh the pain from my accident. I might have reconsider taking this. Although I must say, this drug is the kind of medicine that definitely takes a while to understand how it will work for you. A lot of the effects will wear off. A lot of my spaciness or "Paula Abdul" moments as I like to call them, are getting so much better. I'm sitting at 100 mgs and really don't want to raise the dosage at all. I will talk to the doctor and see what he says. That's the other thing... doctors tend to give people too much or dont know how much to prescribe. Starting people off at 50 mg is too much. I take mine around dinner time as it tends to kick in around sleepy time and if I increase I ALWAYS increase on a Friday so I can regulate over the weekend. PS. I also have blood clots in my legs so being on Coumadin doesn't help things either!
GOOD TIMES!
I'm just so glad I'm not alone!!!
Caroline

I'm 20 years old and take Topamax for migraines. It works miracles as far as reducing the number of migraines i get. I went from 4 to 5 debilitating migraines every week- to maybe 1 or none. I'm supposed to be taking 75 mg a day but sometimes i only take 50 b/c the lack of concentration holds me back from doing every day things. Instead of feeling awake during the day, i feel like i'm walking through a dream. The dizziness is bad too. Sometimes when i go to stand up i get so dizzy i will actually fall into a wall or all the way to the ground. The scariest thing is when i'm driving and forget that i'm supposed to be driving. It only happens for maybe 30 seconds at a time but it's sort of like falling asleep with your eyes open and very scary --and very dangerous. At first i had all the numbness and tingling and weight loss as well but TRUST ME, that is NOT what you will care about. The worst side effects are d/t to memory loss, lack of concentration and dizziness.

Try a very low dose of this drug at first and continue with that for a while-maybe even months to see if it helps. I think anything over 50 mg seems to produce side effects that are too dangerous and not worth it!

I have been on Topamax for 2 1/2 years at 250mg for migraines and have decided to get off because of side effects. I have had all mentioned: mood swings, dehydration, not sweating,tingling, dizziness, loss for words, short term memory loss,numbness, fatigue, GI problems, anorexic weight loss,rage... And this all began from the starting 25mg dose!
The migraines decreased from 24 a month to 12, at best down to 6 or 7, but I seemed to hit a plateau then back to 15.
I saw three different doctors and all wanted to simply increase the Topamax or add another med (Depakote, beta blocker, etc.)
Finally, I found that a problem with my neck may be causing the headaches and treating that has reduced them enough for me to try and get off the Topamax. I still rely on the Relpax to get me through the bad days, but I'm hoping I can get free of the Topamax for good!
I just encourage anyone thinking of starting Topamax to investigate all possible migraine causes before starting!! Topamax doesn't cure the migraine, it only blocks the pain! And the side effects are not worth it if you can find another way to alleviate the problem!

I started Topamax a month ago. My neurologist told me to start out taking 50mg in the morning and evening. I am a nurse and have read that this med needs to be started out on small doses and slowly increase every few days. When I questioned him about it, I was told that I should be fine. Although I did not follow his directions and start out small and increase it every 3 days. After about a week I was on the full dose of 100mg daily. All carbonated drinks tasted flat, I was having a funny taste in my mouth, and I was sleeping more. Within the past week, I have been having numbness in my hands and feet to the point that my hands go completely numb. The tighter I tried to grip something, the worse it got. I also am having severe dizziness. I am unable to stand and walk without feeling like I'm going to get sick and fall. Forget trying to drive. I work 45 mins away and have no other option on getting to work. During the time that I have started to have the dizziness, I have also noticed a drop in my blood pressure. I do not even have to be standing or moving to have the vertigo start, I can be laying down. When I called the Dr, I was told to abruptly stop the med. No weaning. Everything I can pretty much deal with but, my main concern is the severe vertigo (dizziness) and low blood pressure. Is anyone else having this issue?

Been taking Topamax 300 mg a day for the past 4 year. I also take 450 mg of Wellbutrin. This is to help with migraine. Although my total count of Zomig pills I took last year was 120 pills and some of those I broke in half so I wouldn't have to use a whole pill for a migraine. So that mean, with the Topamax and Wellbutrin combined, I still had at least 123 migraine this past year. Three months of migraines. That's insane. I can't stop the "Dopamax" because my doctor says it would be really bad with it. I have terrible memory loss, forgetfulness, and loss of words that is embarrassing. The nurses did not inform me of the side effects when I first started taking it and I thought I was going crazy. I started looking up ADHD on the computer thinking I had developed it as an adult. I was made at the nurse when she asked me how I was doing remembering things and and if I was stumbling for word......I wanted to slap her off her stool.........at that point it was NOT funny.

I have been taking this for about two weeks and have just ramped up to 50 mg. I had a closed head injury last November and have been suffering from balance, headache and memory issues since. Doctor put me on Topamax for headaches and I have had the eye checks after experiencing eye pain but I was fine. Have had slight tingling in my feet and my right eye has been red off and on since starting. My right eye has also been constantly hard to focus.

I have read over and over that the side effects usually go away after about 8 weeks, so I'll see how it does till then. I'm still waiting to see if it helps my headaches, it hasn't yet.

It seems to have made my balance issues worse, and I am constantly dizzy now, although in Topamax's defense, I have been having more dizziness since my injury.

The spinny thingies that used to be there when I close my eyes are gone now, at least they have been since I started at 50 mg.

I'd say the most disconcerting issue I'm having is a feeling of being doped up and becoming more afraid of doing things, like driving a car.

I have been taking Topamax (25mg twice a day) for about 2 years now and it has greatly improved the frequency and intensity of my migraines. (I used to have a minimum of 4 migraines per week, and though medications such as Immitrex and Zomig often work, it's still hard to function properly when you have so many headaches. The Topamax has brought that number down to about 1 per week.) The side effects are not too bad, but I am freezing all the time and very tired - complete lack of energy. I almost feel like my head is in a cotton ball, like everything is just slightly fuzzy and I'm a bit disconnected. I wouldn't call it feeling stupid though... I am still able to do my job well; perhaps a slight lack of concentration. Some dizziness, but nothing serious. I have recently started experiencing weight gain, rather than weight loss (not sure if this is related to the Topamax). When I first started taking the medication, I also had that horrible numbness in the tips of my fingers, but that went away.
I wouldn't want to give up Topamax now, because I just can't go back to having that kind of pain and vomiting 4 to 5 times per week.
Good luck to everyone!

I was on Topamax for 10 months at 100 mg twice a day. At first I experienced severe dizziness and actually passed out twice, so my doctor decreased the dose and had me increase it slowly, every two weeks instead of every week. The entire time I was taking Topamax, I was dizzy when standing, no matter how slowly I stood up, although I stopped passing out. I also experienced cognitive side effects such as memory loss, inability to 'find the right word' (I know everyone experiences this sometimes, but I was constantly having trouble speaking). I was in my first year of graduate school and had switched to Topamax, because I had been taking Depakote for over a year with little improvement in my migraines, and when I started my doctoral work I started having migraines daily. The Topamax did wonders for my migraines, reducing them to twice a month, but I had a severe decline in my academic performance due to its side effects. I had excellent grades as an undergraduate, but I had to take a leave of absence from grad school and switch to another medication and am now hoping that when I return to school I will be able to succeed. I actually considered changing my career choice and staying on the Topamax because it worked so well for my migraines, so if you aren't in school I would recommend you try it if nothing else has worked for you.

I have been on Topamax for two years had most of the side effects I am used to them. The only thing is I am freezing all the time . Anyone have this?? I am cold all the time!!! I also experiance, in the summer, the no sweating thing, that makes me dizzy in the sun, I have to stay under an umbrella at the beach etc. I never had to do this , I was always a sun worshiper and could take it.

I have been on Topamax 4 weeks. I see why they call it Dopamax and Stupamax. Fortunately I work with some pretty stupid people so no one has noticed yet that I am not on top of my game. I am no longer practicing as a nurse, therefore I don't endanger people in my job, so its safe to be dumb and ride out these side effects. I have read lots of the experiences of others and have noticed over the past 4 weeks as I have increased my dose gradually from 25 mg to 100 mg that the side effects have A) changed in quality and intensity and B) been transient and some are wearing off altogether. At first, on 25mg, I couldn't hold my eyes open and I could barely make a sentence. At 50mg I had to call into work one day because I was so gorked. By the time I got to 75mg I was hyped up, charging around the house cleaning, just a little dingy and forgetful, but a powerhouse of energy and no headache at all. Something I didn't expect was the very pleasant side effect of it making me feel as if I had taken an antianxiety medication all the time. This is great because I have a high stress occupation. I overeat and am a little overweight, I need to lose about 40lbs. Now food looks larger and I don't want to clean my plate. I miss diet Pepsi but I am going to group therapy for that (j/k). Granted the dizziness, forgetfulness and word finding problems really stink, but I have seen such an improvement in the side effects in such a short period of time its worth it to me to stick it out. I was having severe, incapacitating migraines about twice a week and less severe ones the other five days of the week. I haven't had a headache in over 2 weeks. My experience over the past 4 weeks is that having patience with the side effects and depending on others to be understanding and supportive, swallowing my pride and being ok with looking a little or a lot goofy for a few weeks while this med has gotten into my system has really started to pay off!

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.

I have been taking topamax for 2 weeks and started having dizziness to the point of not being able to stand up. Has anyone else had this?

Hi Everyone,
I have been taking Topamax 25 mg for 1 week. I can't stand it. Today I am to up my dosage to 50 mg.I am not sure if I want to do that. The side effects suck.. I think I would rather just deal with my migraines, at least I know how to do that since I have had them for over 25 years. I have tried everything and nothing has worked so the Dr. and I thought we would give this a try.
I am trying to keep my place of employment happy with trying to cut down on the migraines but nothing works.
Most days I just want to give up.
Hopefully we will be able to figure something out.

I can't stand the pickhands and feet, the stumbling like I am drunk( and I dont' drink) nothing tastes right anymore, I have the shakes and I ache.
And all it does is makes me sleepy and like I am in another world.
I went to work today and made it half an hour before I came home because I stumbled and almost fell over. And when the boss talked to me it was like I wasn't there. So I came home. I don't know but I don't like it at all.

I have been on Topamax for 4 weeks and although I have had some side effects, the drug had done wonders for preventing migraines. I was getting 4-5 migraine headaches a week and now I get none or only 1 a week. The side effects I got mostly occured on the weeks I was increasing the dosage and were nausea, dizziness, fatique, lack of appetite and of course cognitive disruption. I could not remember the little things and of course that made you just a little nuts, but I read up on the drug before I started on it and knew all that could happen. I was so miserable with the migraines that I had to try it and hoped the side effects would not be terrible.
I do not regularly drink carbonated beverages so the terrible taste now due to the medication is no big deal. I will continue with the medication as long as it controls my migraines.

Hi All,

I have been taking Topamax for about 3 years now for migraines, and it has been a godsend. I am taking 200mg a day, 100mg in the AM and 100mg in the PM. I experienced all the usual side effects, confusion, dizziness, bad taste, tingling, blurry vision, etc. but these do go away with time. Here are a few things that can be done for some of them. For the dizziness, your doctor can prescribe for you Antivert. For the tingling, your doctor can prescribe for you, I think it was called HZTC or something like that, it was a water pill, I am not sure of the name, but ask your doc, I am sure they will know the correct name when you ask them about it. All of the side effects will go away with time. I did not experience the hair loss, so I can't say if that will go away, but the others will. If you do decide that you want to stop taking Topamax, please do not go off it "Cold Turkey", I have read up on it, and you could put yourself at big risk by doing this, seizures, etc., remember, this was first a seizure med. Please wean yourself off.

My daughter has been on Topamax for 5 weeks due chronic head pain from a fall she had a few years back. This had made her break out, she is already slender, and it has caused her to lose weight. Nightmares have flooded her sleep and causing her to wake up multipul times a night. She experiences rapid heart beat, plapatations if you will, and dizziness. We haven't even come close to what the doctor wants her to be on for her full dose, and quite frankly, I think this medications side effects are worse than the chronic pain she still suffers on top of the side effects.

I have been taking topomax 100mg twice a day for one year. I began taking it for seizures and headaches. I weaned myself off of it in December feeling that it was unnecessary being that I've always been on lamictal as a monotherapy treatment for my seizures and that the dizziness, memory problems and tingly feelings were not worth it. Now the ten pounds that I originally lost and kept off for all this time has came back on and all the while I have been exercising 1 1/2hrs a day (which is new to me) and it isn't helping. I am back at my normal weight of 123 whereas I was happy to be 113 while on the drug. I am going to begin taking it again to see what happens... I don't experience the symptoms I spoke of before-unless I take too much because my memory is bad.

I started taking Topomax about two months ago for NDPH, a form of daily migraine..I have been on a number of drugs, the latest being lyrica, which resulted in bloating, weight gain and lethargy but finally gave me some relief from headaches..The addition of topomax has helped relieve them further. At first the side effects were brutal! Dizziness, sleepiness, stupidity, slight paranoia ..dis-connect from reality...I almost passed out cold several times and friends said i turned white then yellow...not good...I had this wierd thing happen where I totally forgot what I told a couple of people and vociferously denied having promised to do something for them, only to remember a few days later that I actually HAD promised to do it for them..I called them with abject apologies, blaming the drug..but was not believed. So, I lost a few friends PERMANENTLY due to topomax..I have never had a blackout but it sounds like one, except that I later remembered the event..My eyes have been super dry and irritated. The only lasting physical side effect is a horrible one. I hate to be indelicate, but there is no way to describe this in a pleasant manner...Since the day I started topamax, I have not had a normal bowel movement..I have nothing but what i would call "explosive diarrhea" morning and night..I have to wear those awful shields to bed at night now to keep from soiling the sheets..I am hoping it will go away and don't know if I should see a doctor or what. It atarted when i started the drug so must be related..I hate to stop taking it as it has helped my migraines a lot, and also the bloating..I now take 75mg a day. Any one else experienced thisz?

I am at the end of week 2 on Topamax for daily migraine relief. I am enjoying the low appetite side effect (-5lbs!) but am having a severe problem with my eye twitching. Was quite relieved to read through to see another had also experienced this annoyance. How long do the side effects last? My migraines are not as strong though they are still present on a daily basis. My main problem is dizziness - does anyone else have success with controlling dizzy spells? I was hoping the Topamax would help. Maybe when the dosage increases?