Topamax and medication

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.

My experience with Topamax was unreal. My doc gave i to me for anxiety/depression/weight loss. The weight loss began working right away but so did the disaster. By the time I had been on Topamax four months I was fired from my job, having an affair with my husband's best friend, spending $1000 on a credit card no one knew I had and spent 10 days in a psychiatric ward. There they determined that the Topamax had made me manic. A feeling of unreality had set in along with an intense feeling of well being, and aggressiveness. I am putting my life back together now after getting divorced, finding work in a new field, and trying to repair the damage done to my relationship with my kids.
My best friend called me tonight to tell me that her daughter who is also taking Topamax has become almost anorexic, is also getting a divorce, is now on medication for heart palpitations and will not speak to most of her family. It IS dangerous!!

I have been on 50mg of Topamax for the 2nd time for about 8 months. This time not near as much weight loss but so many more side effects. I have had 3 kidney infections and just found out I have an ovarian cyst which is now being linked to this medication. It keeps the migraines away but I am not sure if the other pain is worth it, has anyone had any luck with other migraine medications? This had been the best for keeping them away but now I am at a loss as to what to do. A little toe and finger tingling I could handle....cyst that make me double over in pain, NOT SO MUCH!

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 stared Topamax about a month ago and at first I was completely out of it. I couldn't remember anything to save my life, my speech was slurred and my brain was just in a fog...and I'm only 25. After about 2wks that eventually went away, however, I still cannot drink carbonated drinks, that taste flat and have a tangy taste to them as well, its gross. The one side effect that really bothers me about this medication as well is that I'm always nauseous. I haven't weighed myself lately but I definitely have lost weight because I never want to eat anything. The nausea seems to be more of an issue than the migraines. I was getting them about 3-4 times a week, now I get them about 1-2 times a week. By week 4 on the medication I started to break out on my face/chest/back really bad too, and I haven''t had acne since I was a teenager. The other odd thing is I feel like I've constantly had my period while on this medication too. Has anyone had any of these side effects as well? It's only been a month so I figure I will try a little bit longer and see if it helps or if I have to go up a little bit more in dosage if it helps but at this rate I'm thinking I may just need to try a different medication. The other bad thing is that I have become extremely agitated lately, which I'm sure my poor boyfriend can agree with because he gets the worst of it. I feel like my personality definitely has changed on this med...

My good friend is on Topamax and Trileptal for epilepsy seizures. She has developed severe paranoia. We cant call her on her phone or send her an email as she believes that her phone, computer and house are all "bugged". I have written a letter to her doctor to let him know what is occurring in her personal life as Im sure that he is unaware of her behavior. She lives in a world of fear and her medication needs to be changed.

I am a female in my mid-to-late 30's. I was on Topamax for about a year. The memory, vocabulary, concentration, focus, loss of words and 'confusion' got so bad it became a real problem at work and the rest of my life. When I started forgetting how to get home, the neuro doctor took me off of it. Those problems decreased a bit, but never entirely disappeared. After weening off the medicine, the full-blown headaches/migraines returned (Topamax only moderately relieved pain). So now in addition to the pain in my head, I have the lingering sides-effects to deal with. It cost me my job. I've been off Topamax for over a year and still have not regained control of my own thought processes. Among other things, it's embarrassing because I feel stupid. I no longer understand about half of what I read, have trouble following (and remembering) conversations, habitually forget what I'm supposed to do/have done/am doing. Forget being able to follow a series of directions. I am afraid Topamax has caused permanent damage to my cognitive brain functions and I have no idea what to do about it. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

This is not a medication that should be given to asthmatics. My son was started on this medicine for frequent migraines, >2 per week. He has asthma and is very small for his age 100lbs. He was taking the smallest dose of 25mg per day. He only took the pill twice and was already having shortness of breath and beginnings of sinus infection and upper respiratory issues. I really don't think this medicine should be prescribed to anyone with asthma.

I am 16 years old and i have been taking topamax for about 5 months now. I am taking 200 mg a day as a mood stabilizer. I have experienced nothing but horrible things on this medication such as, memory loss, inability to considerate in school or anywhere for that matter, loss of word for example stropping in mid sentence a lot trying to figure out what in the heck i am talking about, also i lost weight on this when first taking it i was 130 lbs now i am 110 lbs, and not only does it not make me hungry but when i eat after i experience nausea. This medication is horrible.

I just found this post by accident. I also am on Topamax 200mg daily. I have tingling in my feet especially in my heels. I find myself being very forgetful. I will be doing something and completely forget what I was doing. I am also having speech problems. This is very frustrating to me. I don't know that I could ever go off the medication. When I first went on the medication I lost a total of 80lbs. This was very scary. It seems now that I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound. This is weird. I heard that the FDA is trying to approve the RX for weight loss. Just wanted to post my problems too.

Hello to All
I'm 33 yr old female who began taking Topamax 2 years ago, after diagnose with Pseudotumor Cerebri,(elevated intracranial pressure),doctors still don't know why i have PTC, it is common overweight women, certain medications, secondary to disease, which all did not connect with me as I was not overweight, have never taken any medication, other than OTC allergy or pain relievers, and all secondary diseases I was tested, and nothing, with a history of migraines headaches, that suddenly became unstable, with vision disturbance I was put on diamax, it lowers elevated intracranial pressure, finally help for this horrible headaches, , I had a side effect it elevated my glucose levels to dangerous levels, due to elevated intracranial pressure I was hospitalize, undergoing several lumbar punctures and eye surgery for decompression of my optic nerve, doctors still unsure of my diagnosis, but telling me I must have surgery for a spinal fluid shunt, I was terrified, I decided to try and consulted with another neuro ophthalmology who had a totally different opinion, I switch doctors and this is when I was prescribe TOPAMAX 25MG to start, now I'm taking 250mg daily, at first the fact that I was going to be OK, that I can continue my life without shunt, no more lumbar punctures, the fact I was not loosing my eye sight, I can go running, rock climbing, after been told I couldn't, I was convinced TOPAMAX was a miracle. The 1st side effects constipation; decreased sweating, drowsiness, dry mouth, loss of appetite I lost about 20 pounds, family friends were really concern, after a while I gain it back, numbness, tingling, I was ok with it, because I no longer had debilitating headaches, had perfect vision, surgery was out the question. and I was stable, but then I suddenly experience seizure, 3 different occasion, no explanation, severe joint leg pain, trouble with speech, bruising, light sensitivity, severe acne, irregular menstrual cycle, vaginal issues, anxiety, heart palpitations, and the worst one yet, the reason I began to search on line mood swings, I'm in the medical field and the people that I work with tells me I'm just getting older, depression, 1st sings of menopause, I'm very active healthy women, with normal daily stress 2 children and 16 years marriage, I have seen my family doctor, had blood work done, and all normal. I have told my neuro about my experiences, and he says is not topamax, my ob says take birth controls it might help, im just lost any one suggestions?

My doctor put me on Topamax for ADD.... I am a 37 year old woman and I'm taking 100mg's of it. 50mg at night and 50 in the AM and have very quickly found that I have had memory LOSS very quickly. I have been on the med for 1 1/2 months. My vision is also getting worse and this medication is not helping me with the ADD. I am a Lab Rat to them... I am going OFF this medication. If anyone out there reads this... please do all the research you can. The side effects are not worth it! Today is Mother's Day and after 37 years.... I called her and could not remember her little sweet nic-name she has been calling me since I was born. My heart sank. IMHO.... This medication is very bad.

Hi...I've been on Topamax since October of last year. I take 50mg. in the morning and again at night. I haven't noticed any real significant decrease in the migraine frequency, just in the duration. Whereas sometimes I'd be in bed for an entire day, sometimes 2, now they only last until the early afternoon. A big plus. However, there are some side effects that I just can't live with. The dry mouth is a pain in the butt but that I can deal with. What I can't deal with is the almost complete loss of my short term memory. It's so bad that I will ask a person the same question numerous times in a 5 minute time period and have absolutely NO recollection of having asked the question previously. I have found myself walking down the street and not known where I am. I dial the telephone and not remember who is going to pick up on the other end. And I'm dazed and confused on a good day. On a bad day it's worse. I can't live like this. So...I was wondering if others had the same awful symptom that I'm experiencing. I have others that bother me but that one is the worst. Also, how do I wean myself off of this medication? Thanks for listening.....D.

I'm 38 years old and I started Topamax in July of 2008 for severe migraines. I've had an average of 12-15 migraines per month since my early 20's and nothing was working. While initially adjusting to Topamax I had the tingling in my hands and feet during the first month but then it went away. My neurologist increased the dose very slowly from 50mg to 100mg to 150 mg. The migraines have decreased in response to each dose increase. At 100 mg the migraines reduced to 10 per month and at 150mg they reduced to 6 per month. My dose is now being raised to 200 mg which the Dr. says is the maximum recommended for treating migraines. The worst side effects I've experienced are extremely dry mouth (from 150 mg+) and slight hair loss. My starting weight was 138 and I lost 11 pounds very gradually before my weight stabilized at 127. I haven't noticed any problems with food or drinks tasting different. For some reason, I always have insomnia for the first week after a dose increase but then it goes away. I've only had mild concentration problems but nothing notable or problematic. So far, the medication has been remarkable and I can't believe what it's like to live life without so much migraine pain! I hope other people can have the same benefits from this medication.

I have been on 100 mg topamax for a few months now, and i was actually having people try my drinks bc i thought they was flat, and i would feel my fingers and my toes go numb and tingle. I honestly never thought for two seconds it was my medication. The only side effects i was warned about was weight loss (which hasn't occurred with me) and that i would be very thirsty, which i am. But i have NIGHTMARES about things im not even afraid of, and i have trouble spelling words i didn't before, and sometimes i can't even remember what i wore last week to school. Im starting to rethink this whole topamax thing, does anyone know any other prescriptions that will help headaches without the crazy effects?

Hi there. A number of years back--maybe 8 or 9 years, I was prescribed Topamax for bulimia and mood swings. I was on a dosage that eventually went as high as 75 or 100 mg. At first it improved my mood and decreased my bingeing, which was very encouraging, but I began to have really awful side effects. First was the cognitive stuff: I couldn't remember people's names and even simple logic puzzles like how to fit a pair of shoes into a shoebox correctly stumped me. Soda tasted flat. Then my moods became somewhat erratic and I began to have intestinal discomfort. Then, even more oddly, my skin started having trouble healing from minor wounds. My hair became brittle and began to fall out. At that point I gave up and stopped the medication. It really felt like I was undergoing some kind of slow poisoning, like arsenic or something.

Now, I've developed migraines and my neurologist has put me on a small dose of 25 mg at bedtime. I've been highly reluctant to acquiesce after my former experience but nothing else has worked and I sometimes have headaches that last over two weeks at a time. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced side effects at 75 mg but not at 25?

Hopeful in NY

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 am a 42 year old woman. I started taking Topamax in March of 2008 for severe migraines. The migraines often caused vomiting and for my body to jerk similar to having seizure. I have had migraines for the last 15 years, but prior to starting Topamax I was having migraines almost every day (for about 6 months). My life had come to a stop. I had been through all of the neurological tests, and CT scans, etc. with no results. Topamax has nearly halted my migraines. I have a severe "head-ache" about every 6 weeks now that last 3 days. A huge improvement! However, my doctor had said that I should not be on Topamax long term so I have tried going off of it twice in the last year, each time on the 5th day to be hit with an all consuming migraine. I had come to this website to find out why I should not be on Topamax long-term to discover that many of the other health problems that I have been complaining about in the last year are probably a result of Topamax and the doctor did not ever suggest that was the case. I have TINGLING IN MY HANDS AND LIPS...the doctor thought this might be my thyroid, but that test was normal. I have had REDUCED VISION, the doctor said it is due to age and working on a computer all day. I have had JOINT PAIN which they are treating with an anti-inflammatory and suggested it’s probably the onset of arthritis. I have had WEIGHT LOSS, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, and the PAIN IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. These are all things that I see others describe as symptoms of Topamax! Wow! I wish my doctor would have told me this so I didn't think there was something else wrong. I WILL NOT STOP TAKING TOPAMAX. Even if taking Topamax meant that my life would be 2 years shorter or something like that, there is no living in that kind of daily pain. But I am grateful to know that the symptoms are normal. Topamax has giving me back my life.

I am going on topamax for the second time. I think the drug is going to be the best choice for me, personally. I am on it to treat both, epilepsy and chronic migraines. The first time I went on it, I titrated partially to my dosage (400mg) and had to stop because my potassium dropped dangerously low and I was pregnant at the time. I have since had my daughter and am giving it another go. I am having the loss of appetite, redness and tingling of hands and feet, some irritability. I am up to 100mg now and am titrating up to 400mg. I hope that it will subside after a while. I already don't care for carbonated beverages and you are supposed to avoid stimulants if you have migraines and epilepsy anyways people! So figure it a blessing that you can't drink carbonated beverages that MOST contain CAFFEINE aka STIMULANT!!! HELLO!!! As for the other symptoms, i guess you have to weigh the benefits to the risks. I certainly hope it works for me and everyone else. Last time I took it, it could have caused heart failure. That was a biggie! So I would say, Get your routine labs and so long as you can withstand the side effects and the reason you went on the medication is being controlled...... Thank you topamax!

I started taking Topamax for migraines. I had been on the medication (about 25 mg 1x/day) for 7 days. On the 8th day, my doctor told me to double my dose and take 2 - 25 mg pills each day. I did that on the 8th day.

It was Memorial Day, 2006, and I had taken a pill that morning. By about 10am, I was dizzy, had blurred vision, a pounding headache, and slurred speech. When I got home, I went straight to bed thinking I could sleep it off. I woke up about 2 hours later with the most horrible pain you can imagine and was completely blind. I called for my husband, who rushed me to the hospital. I spent 4 days in the hospital completely sedated. I threw up constantly and subsequently lost 14 pounds in those 4 days because I could not keep anything down due to the pain. I saw every kind of doctor and no one knew how to help me or what was wrong.

On the 5th day, the hospital had me see an eye specialist. He took one look into my eyes and ran out of the exam room. He returned shortly and told me that I had acute angle glaucoma and that I was lucky I had come in to see him. He told me that if I had waited, I would have been permanently blind in a matter of a few hours. He had to do laser surgery to blast holes into the backs of my eyes to relieve the pressure that had built up.

He asked me what medication I had been on. I told him Topamax. He did some research and found that glaucoma is one of the side effects of the medication. When I went back 3 weeks later for a follow-up visit, I had started getting my eye sight back. The doctor told me that since I had been in, he had 2 other people with the same diagnosis all brought on by Topamax. He then called the FDA and told them they needed to list that side effect in a more visible place on the drug pamphlet.

Like most of you all I am on Topamax 100mg. I am a 27 year old female that has suffered from severe migraines for over 20 years that would last up to 2-3 days and completely debilitated me. I would bleed from my tear ducts from the extreme pressure and I would need to be in a quiet, cold, closed off room to be left alone until the migraine was gone to continue on with my life. It was ruining my life and taking over my day to day routine. I could never really commit to anything without the constant worry in the back of my mind about a possible migraine until I found Topamax. Now on Topamax I went from 4-5 migraines weekly to 1-2 monthly, it is truly amazing, however there is a catch. Although the medication is wonderful and I will never get off of it at the rate of success that I am at, I do have side effects. I have extreme tingling in my extremities, (hands, feet) along with my face. It feels like they are constantly asleep. I also have noticed the poor tasting carbonating drinks along with my taste buds changing with certain foods that I use to be so fond of. I also have a very smokey haze where it almost feels euphoric if I wake up in the middle of the night. I have horrible nightmares of people that I have not seen in or thought of in years, memory loss and spelling issues-all goes away after 3-4 months of uses. I had shortness of breath, however that subsides as well with the use of the medications along with several other side effects. I have lost over 30lbs that is along with diet, so I can't say it is all Topamax. I have noticed little nodules that have been showing up on my hands since I stared taking the medication that I am in ? about I have a call in to my neurologist to see if he has heard of any such thing. Other than that I love the medication, because if not having migraines is one of the side effects-lol I can handle the side effects. I hope that this will help anyone that might have anything similar to what I am going through. If you can shed some light on my nodule situation please let me know. Thanks

First I want to say, after reading several posts, that it seems a lot of you are taking Topamax without food, which may be causing your "spaciness." My doctor suggested always taking it with food, even though it says with or without food, and I only experienced spaciness the few times I took it at bedtime without food. Once I started taking it with breakfast and dinner, that never happened again.

I am a 48 year old woman, prescribed Topamax in September of 08 for migraine associated vertigo without headaches, with facial numbness. The first thing I noticed was I immediately had headaches, which to me indicated it was dehydrating me as that is the only time I get a "normal" headache. So I knew I had to drink a lot of water. Soon after starting Topamax I developed a dry cough that lasted the entire time I was on the med. I did not relate it to the drug at the time, however. It never even occurred to me. After about two months on the drug I started having trouble breathing with extreme dryness in my airways. I was prescribed an albuterol inhaler which did not help. I was then prescribed a corticosteroid inhaler which also did not help. I thought the trouble breathing was from taking Nadolol which I was prescribed for occasional heart fluttering - the neurologist said this was a normal side effect of Topamax. I stopped taking the Nadolol but the trouble breathing continued. I also had more migraines with vertigo and facial numbness than before I started taking the drug. I hoped it would eventually stop and the drug would kick in to help the vertigo, so I stayed on the drug. I had very minor tingling in my feet, but it was tolerable. I became very stressed out, had trouble sleeping, depression, my face started breaking out in November (and still is), I lost interest in everything that I normally enjoy - reading, photography, following politics in the news (sort of an obsession of mine). In December I was so depressed that for the first time in my 11 year career I started canceling appointments and eventually took three weeks off from work to "re-group." In January the neurologist decided that we would increase the dose from 100 mg to 150 mg for one more month, and if it did not get rid of my migraines with vertigo, we would discontinue the drug. The first day on the increased dose I had a killer headache, and I drank 150 ounces of water before it went away. That night I did not have to go to the bathroom during the night, unheard of for me. That's a lot of water to drink and not have to pee. Within two days of increasing the dose, my cough became much worse, and within three days, the breathing became more difficult. Within five days, I was having trouble speaking because my airways felt so dry. I called the doctor the next morning and he said it was not the drug, but if I wanted to, stop taking it. So I went off it cold turkey, per his instructions. I had rebound migraines every day for a week or two and my heart was pounding, sometimes for three or four hours at a time. Eventually the cough and trouble breathing went away, however, I had to continue drinking lots of water or I would notice that I didn't have to urinate, sometimes not at all. Again, unheard of for me. I saw a cardiologist at the neurologist's urging and they said the heart pounding was just anxiety. I disagree, as did another doctor of mine. We both believe it was withdrawal. I have now found out (by getting copies of my medical records) that the neurologist is now attributing all of my side effects from the Topamax to "somatization." In other words, psychosomatic - not a side effect, but just a way of getting medical attention. I am seeing a few people on this board who have also experienced a dry cough and trouble breathing. Can I have the same side effects as other people and have them still be psychosomatic, even though I had no idea those side effects could occur? I don't think so.

I have a theory that Topamax interferes with hormones which causes a lot of the side effects like lack of concentration, memory loss, anxiety, depression, insomnia, acne, and hair loss - all symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause. Ask any woman in her 40's or 50's if she has these symptoms and most of them will say yes. My face has not been this broken out since high school! My hair is falling out at a rapid rate. I won't even bother mentioning these to the neurologist. He'll just say it's not the drug.

I'm very frustrated and not sure what to do at this point. The neurologist has me taking a supplement called Migrelief now, but I think it takes three months to kick in, so I have no relief at this point.

Has anyone else experienced the trouble breathing with dry cough? I don't believe for a moment that it was psychosomatic.

I am a 44 year-old woman. I have been taking Topamax for 13 years! I take 100mg at bedtime (would NEVER take it during the DAY--that's ASKING for sedation). I take it along with 400mg of Wellbutrin & 30mg of Lexapro!!! I've taken various doses over the years. It was initially prescribed as a mood-stabilizer for my bi-polar II, and so happened to control my migraines. Happy Days!

When I FIRST took Topamax I remember having the strange feeling of small miscroscopic "fish" (or something) swimming under my skin, across my cheekbones and over the bridge of my nose. I never got a rash or anything. I did not feel that this passing side effect was anything I "couldn't deal with" as the medication stablized my mood without the HORRID side effects of Lithium, Depakote, Valproic Acid, etc!!!

All this time I have done very well and have NEVER had any health problems from the Topamax. I am VERY confused by folks who claim it gave them "mood swings"--as its effect is to make your mood stable!!! I don't understand how that could happen. Also this is a LOT of people having MAJOR effects from VERY low doses of the drug (50- 75mg mostly). Perhaps folks are medication sensitive OR something else is going on as well???

I am a 24 Female that was prescribed 50 mg twice a day for my mood swings, migraines, and being overweight. I have been on topamax for two days now. My family physician prescribed this to me knowing that I am sensitive on medications at first. Well I had no idea that these particular side effects were from this drug until I found this website. I have had 24/7 nausea for 2 days straight, throwing up, BAD tingling in my legs (needle sensations), irritability, inability to concentrate or spell. It's terrible because my job AND FUTURE require me to concentrate, SPELL, and REMEMBER which are three things that I have completely lost while being on topamax. I cannot even type. The greatest impairment I have is what I call ZONING OUT which is - I will being doing something such as watching a tv show or reading an article and I must have dozed off in my brain for a few minutes and then came back. It literally feels as if I left my body for several minutes and then came back! It's a very strange feeling! I would only recommend this medication for someone that has tried EVERY OTHER HEADACHE medication!

Ok so im 18 years old and I pass out frequently, I have been unsuccessfully diagnosed with several different theories over the past two years, Recently some doctors though that my passing out may be an aura to the headaches and migraines i receive after, my doctor just prescribed Topamax to me and Im really nervous about taking it after reading about these side effects, has anyone else been prescribed topamax who has similar symptoms?

I am a 25 year old graduate student that began taking Topamax for migraines after I was involved in a bad car accident. I started taking Topamax in April of 2008 and by July I could barely formulate sentences, couldn't remember simple things like where I parked by car (in front of my apartment) and my family member's names, simple math was impossible, I was always tired but could never go to sleep, had numbness in hands and feet, and was very moody with suicidal ideations. I was then referred to a neuropsychologist to assess any possible brain damage from the accident since I was now having cognitive problems. They tested me for brain damage where I was diagnosed with Severe Brain Damage, I was reading on a 8th grade level, did math on a 4th grade level, needed to begin speech therapy immediately and my doctor felt I needed direct supervision at all times. I was initially told by my neurologist that the medicine would help with the migraines but would "make my thinking slow". That was a huge understatement. I was a 4.0 graduate student in the middle of my program and I suddenly couldn't perform basic daily activities. I have been doing much better since coming off the medication. I have the migraines less frequently but they are still pretty bad. I have regained most of memory, reading, and math skills back the rest is attributed to the car accident. I wouldn't recommend this medication to anyone and I think it should be taken off the market because it almost destroyed my life and had me and my family worried to death about a condition which symptoms were clearly being exacerbated by Topamax.

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?

Hello-
I am here to share my story about topamax in hopes that others may read this and not have to go through what I did. I went on topamax for the prevention of migraine headaches. It worked great to prevent my headaches but gradually I could not talk, I stuttered severely, and I have memory and other cognition problems. At my doctors recommendation I stayed on the medicine for about 6 months because he assured me that the stuttering would go away. I was in such awful pain that I agreed with him. Needless to say that 6 months was not me. I couldn't talk and I couldn't think. Now when I think back on it, I wish I had just endured the pain. When I went off of the medication I still stuttered. It was not quite as severe but it was bad. It effected my work, my personal life, and daily menial tasks. I could no longer communicate. I was devastated. My doctor was puzzled and said that he had never heard of this before. So to make a long story short I went to a speech clinic, bought casa futura techs small talk device, and tried some anti-stutter meds. My speech now, 2 years later, is much improved thanks to the smalltalk but guess what,? I still stutter. Manageable and not very noticeable to others at times but my speech has not returned to pre-topamax status. I looked into sueing the drug company to bring awareness about this issue but did not get much positive feedback from attorneys. IF YOU ARE ON TOPAMAX AND ARE STUTTERING, STOP TAKING IT. IT MAY NOT GO AWAY WHEN YOU DISCONTINUE THE MEDICINE. It is not worth it. You cannot put a price on speech. I don't care what the physicians desk reference says, what your doctor says, what the corrupt drug companies say. I know my experience and it has been a catastropohic effect from topamax. Find a different med if you have speech problems! Please, for your own sake. Thanks for letting me share my story.

Hello,
I'm a 38 yr old female who was prescribed Topamax about 8 weeks ago for Migraine prevention.
So far, the drug is working fabulously for it's purpose.
Here are the pros and cons that I have experienced:

PROS: No migraines. Yippee!, A small amount of weight loss. This did not happen until just in the last week or so. My mood has stabilized.

CONS: Flat tasting soda, Dry skin, Dry eyes, dry mouth, (drink LOTS of water to combat this). Blurred vision, bouts of memory loss and slurred speech, loss for words. Some of these improve as your body adjusts. Worst for me is that if I miss a dose or don't take it at the same time every day (50mg in the morning, 50 at night), I'll have middle of the night anxiety attacks or even amnesia.. short-lived attacks, but very terrifying.. I always think someone is out to kill me. But again, for me, it's short lived and it only happens when I'm not taking the meds on a schedule.

Overall, I am happy with the drug. I am not experiencing hair loss or tingling. I drink a TON of water because I hear kidney stones are common with this medication.
I will endure all of the above to prevent the wretched migraine....

I hope this helps someone...

Take care and remember, God can help in your healing.. ask Him for it.. :)

God Bless..

My 13 year old son took Topamax for 5 months for migraine prevention. The day he started taking it, the migraines stopped. We thought it was a miracle drug. After 2 months he was experiencing nausea and stomach aches for a couple days at a time. These then increased to 5 or six days of nausea and a couple days of feeling fine. He was prescribed medication to help with the nausea but nothing worked. On the fifth month he was in bed for 22 days straight. The neurologist didn't think it was the Topamax, but I insisted he be weaned off. After 8 days of no Topamax, the nausea finally stopped, the migraines returned. The migraines are more manageable than the constant nausea. So no more Topamax!

My doctor prescribed 25 mg Topamax every evening for headache prevention. I had headache and nausea for several days before starting the Topamax, then after starting the Topamax, the headache pain got worse and I also had pain in my back and ears. I did not get the tingling in extremities but noticed some decreased sense of feeling in my face for a few hours after taking the medicine. The pain got progressively worse then I became depressed and suicidal. I was convinced my life was so bad that I wanted to die. I take 100 mg Zoloft daily for depression and still feel a little depressed and was hoping Topamax would help with this, too. I took Topamax to help with headaches and depression and it made both much worse to the point where I was seriously suicidal. I stopped the Topamax after only 5 days and the pains and nausea have gradually decreased to the point where today I have been virtually pain free most of the day for the first time in 2 weeks. I read on the internet that there is an increased risk of suicide while taking anticonvulsants, but it's rare. I am convinced I am one of the very unlucky people who becomes suicidal on this medication. I have 2 beautiful children, a great job, excellent health other than headaches and depression, and plenty to live for. I still can't believe that less than a week ago I just wanted to die and didn't care about seeing my children and family ever again or ever getting back to my job that I love. It's so hard to believe a drug can cause that kind of thinking. I'm pretty sure my doctor doesn't think the Topamax caused me to be suicidal and has no intentions of reporting my case to anyone. I suspect it's not as rare as they say to become suicidal on this med, it's just not reported enough. I wouldn't be typing this if I were still taking Topamax because I would be lying in bed suffering in pain, sleeping, thinking about how good it would be if I would just die. I went for a CT scan of my brain soon after getting off this med and I remember thinking that I hoped I had a tumor or anurism so I could die. I found out today I don't have a life threatening illness and I am happy about that now and can't believe I was thinking such bad things only a few days ago. I hope doctors take more care in prescribing this medication to people who have a history of major depression because I'm afraid people are going to feel like I felt and kill themselves on this med. I think this drug is great for some people and should be available, but people need to be warned that they may become suicidal and given instructions on what to do if that happens. I had no idea if I should go to the ER or call someone or what, so I just got people to watch my kids and called in sick to work and stayed in bed for a few days. I don't miss work often and am very committed to my job and my children are first in my life, so not being able to care for my kids or go to work made me feel so much more depressed. My doctor referred me to a neurologist and I hope to find some way to get relief from the head, neck, and back pain and the nausea. A few days ago I thought I would kill myself if my doctor couldn't find what was wrong with me and I felt terrible for no reason. Now I have hope. It's just not right that a drug can take away the ability to have hope.

I have been on topamax for about 8 months. I started with 25, upped to 50, upped to 100 a day, then went to 300. now i have a raging diarrhea that I cannot control. I can't eat anything anymore. I have had seizures and at this point don't care anymore. So yesterday I simply stopped taking it. I am done. I just want to eat something and stop sitting on the stool. My poo has gone completely green at times....that is stomach bile. This medication is terrible stuff and should be removed from the market!

i was put on topamax for migraines back in aug 07.

well, i stopped it like 5 months ago. (2june 08) i still feel "out of it" like i'm here but im not. headaches came back but i would rather deal with them than all these side effects. i got severe panic attacks and nervousness, MAJOR HAIR LOSS, AGORAPHOBIA (FEAR OF LEAVING MY HOUSE CUZ IM SCARED TO HAVE ANOTHER PANIC ATTACK), i constantly feel dispatched from my family (i have 3 boys and a husband) every day i feel sick or tired, or both. which led me to stop the meds. (25mg am and 25-50mg pm) i weaned off over like 2 weeks (on my own cuz the neuro told me not to stop it and its all in my head.

i had to quit my job cuz of the panic attacks that just happen for no reason.

i still feel all the side effects even though i have been off topamax. hair loss, panic attacks, depression, "high" feeling all the time, cant hold a normal conversation. i have changed soooo dramatically from when i first went to the neuro and started this HORRIBLE DRUG. poor concentration, i don't feel like i want to be involved in anything- i just wanna lay on the couch with an ice pack on my head. i don't know what to do. my neuro doesn't know i stopped the drug and i was so mad at him for putting me on it that i didn't go to my last appt. now i have to wait until January to see him.

I recently started taking topamax for migraines. After increasing my dose to 75 mg twice a day, I am almost migraine free. However, my hair is extremely oily and having to wash it with a clarifying shampoo twice a day. Nothing else has changed other than my this medication so I am assuming it is a side effect of the Topamax. Has anybody else experienced this?

I have been on 200mg of Topamax for almost a year, which helped my headaches immensely so I tried to ignore the itching. The itching got so bad (especially when I get hot and would sweat) that I had to go off of it. I have been off of it for about 4 weeks and I still itch, does anyone know how long this will last or if it will ever go away? If I am going to itch without the drug anyway, I might as well take it and have relief from my headaches.

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 was only on 25 mg of Topamax for two months and had to stop due to the terrible side effects of mouth numbness, taste aversion and severe dry mouth. Unfortunately, the side effects have gotten worse and persisted now for six months after going off this medication. My personal thoughts: Topamax is the worst drug on the market, has negatively impacted my life, and my neurologist could care less. These symptoms are with me 24/7 and only mildly helped by expensive mouthwash and lozenges specially formulated for dry mouth. Actually, eating certain foods makes these symptoms worse and I am afraid this is permanent, but can find no scientifically plausible evidence to explain such lingering effects. If anybody else has experienced such long-term symptoms after going off this medication, please share.

I have been on Topamax since Jan of 08 for complex partial seizures. I was very pleased with it at first but started having
some more unpleasant symptoms. My hair recently started falling out about two months ago in massive handfuls! I was
and am very upset about it. I did have the tingling in the hands and feet when I first started taking it and I don't drink sodas
at all which I did all the time before. I did not lose weight at first but did a couple of months ago when I got very ill with a GI
problem. I actually lost about 20 lbs in about a month. This is when my hair started falling out. I have had a lot of labs
drawn and my TSH was undetectable but my thyroid levels (T3 and T4 are normal) and my antibodies are normal as well so,
there is no telling what is going on?? I just want off of this medication before I am bald!!

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!

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.

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.

I've been on Topamax for a year and a half now. I started with 50 mg. and am now up to 100 mg. I did have the usual side effects of the tingly fingers, feet and arms the first six weeks and then that went away. Food and soft drinks tasted funny for a while, but that too went back to normal. I did lose 15 pounds and I didn't really have it to lose in the first place, so I upped my workouts with weights to compensate. My migraines have gone from five a week to one, so it's helped me BIG time being on this medication. My eyesight, however, has suffered. I used to have 20/20 vision. I now need reading glasses. I'm sure it's because of this medication, but to be honest, I'll take the glasses over being in that severe pain five times a week.

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.

I have been on Topamax for 2 months and it has been horrible. I started at 25mg at bedtime and worked up to 50mg at night and 25 in the morning. I wish I never took it at all. I have had numerous migraines with the medication except now my tongue goes numb every time. I can't remember anything and I am in a fog all the time. I had to take a trip to the emergency room for tachycardia that occurs every time I stand. It goes up from normal to 166bpm. The cardiologist insists the Topamax is causing orhtostatic hypotension. I stopped all of the Topamax on Monday and it is now Saturday and I still feel horrible. Migraines are horrible but being stuck on your couch all the time because your hr increases sharply and you feel like you are going to pass out is worse. My hands and feet tingle all the time. I feel out of breath and I have always been very active. I now feel anxious all the time (never like this before). I feel like I am not myself and I am going crazy. I do not trust myself because I do not feel like myself. Has anyone else had these symptoms? Do they eventually go away? The cardiologist can't guarantee that they will ever go away.

I have just started taking this drug today for drug and alcohol cravings. After reading all of the testimonials about the drig on this website, I am definitely scared. I definitely won't go up to more than 50mgs a day. I just weighed the possible side effects against giving into a craving that might kill me. It took me 3 weeks since I've had this medication to start it. Wish me luck! Mahalo and Aloha from Kauai!

My psychiatrist started me on Topamax 2 yrs ago for depression from being 75 lbs overweight. Started at 25 mg/day up to 50/day for 2 yrs. Lost 70 lbs and kept off with only minor side effects. Also took 150/day Wellbutrin during this time. (For being kind of a neat freak and washing my hands a lot.- didn't affect my social or work life much) Have slowly started gaining the weight back (+12 lbs). Seem to have built up an immune to the 50/day dosage over the 2 yrs. So he added 25 in the am in addition to the 50 I've been taking in the evening. (1 mo. ago) Having some strange reactions. My memory seems to be taking a real hit. I am a CPA (passed these exams 15 yrs ago) and now I'm studying for the Cert.'d Internal Auditor exams. I am having a great deal of trouble trying to memorize for these 12 hour long tests! I feel fatigued every day. My blurred vision (that requires reading glasses) has gone crazy. I can't read the song book at church at all. And I'm only 47!. I've had acne like bumps all around my nose and face. How could such a slight increase cause so much change? Also sometimes my heart feels like it is going to beat out of my chest. And I'm losing patience w/my 13 yr old son who's pushing my buttons to see how much he can get away with. He seems to sense that I'm not at my best. But if I go off this Topamax and gain back my 70 plds I know I will plunge into a DEEP depression. Has any one talked to their doctor about the possibility of these side effects going away after time? My tingling hands and feet did and my slight hair loss did. And my weight loss is trying to go away but I don't want that. I'm majorly concerned about the memory loss and blurred vision eventually going away. DALIAL

I took Topamax for my migraines following a significant car accident. All I can say is this medication didn't help me at all. In fact, it made my migraines 10x WORSE! Before, when I had a migraine, they were debilitating and would last up to 48 hours. Once I was on Topamax I had a migraine that would not go away. It was almost a month of me being out of work so that I could be weened off this medication and feel better. Now I take something called Axert which you take at the first sign of a migraine. It is my miracle drug. It is not a narcotic like every other doctor seemed to want to give me and would make my migraine go away within an hour. However, I have noticed I have built up a little bit of a resistance to it!

Hello All,
I"m a 50 year old Mother and Grandma who takes Topamax as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder. I took it about 5 years ago and about 6 months after I started taking it I was struck down with debilitating diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, extreme weight loss ( 26 pounds in one month ). No one knew what was wrong with me. My psychiatrist actually upped my Topamax dose because I was becoming depressed and having severe mood swings. I was sick for 8 months. I saw a new psychiatrist and he stopped the Topamax because it just was too over medicating at that time and started a different mood stabilizer.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I just was happy that the diarrhea and nausea for the most part was gone. I still have nausea frequently but that is from a totally different cause.

In December we discussed that the new mood stabilizer was no longer working so we went back on the Topamax. In April the diarrhea and nausea this time accompanied by vomiting started. I was ready when it started tho even tho I didn't know the cause. I got hooked up with a GI doctor, started probiotics immediately, started eating organic yogurt with as many live active cultures in it as i could find. I would only eat plain boiled rice, boiled macaroni, toast, ripened organic bananas and drink lots of fluid. No gatorade but pedialyte because gatorade has citric acid in it which can be irritating. Pedialyte doesn't. I also drank decaf ice tea with small amounts of sugar.

Now today I read that Topamax can give you diarrhea and if you have a history of diarrhea tell your doctor. Great, just great. Trade my mental health for my physical health but having diarrhea at the most unopertune times does affect my mental health. What am I going to do?

I refuse to take a weight positive mood stabilizer and that is all I'm left with. Like Lithium, Depakote. they will make me as big as a cow. I'd rather have diarrhea to tell you the truth. I don't think I'm gonna tell him.

Missyk10atx

I started Topamax in November of 2007 the usual 25mg and worked my way up to 150mg. I have always had pretty thick hair and now have hair loss in the widows peak and top part of my hair. Needless to say I am devastated. I have cut myself down to 50mg in the am and 50 mg in the pm. My Neurologist states that she has not heard of hair loss but even this web site and the drug company states that it can cause hair loss. I have with the help of a very good massage therapist determined that my migraines are cervical so I am seeking a second opinion and taking myself off this drug. Not worth the hair loss if I don't need to be on this drug.

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!