Topamax and medicine

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?

i have been on topamax for a year now and the side effects change from time to time.but the worst is the taste of copper in my mouth at times or the headaches i just wish there was a medicine that didn't give all these side effects

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 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 have been on the med for 4 yrs now (I think). 300 mg/day. At times, especially during the winter I get cold hands & feet where they become numb (& tingly from med. I assume). Fingers may turn white. I have thin skin in those areas (can see veins, redness). I wear double layers of clothes during winter/some spring & I live in Missouri (during the day, sleep). Still have tingling some in toes & fingers, ringing in the ears, memory & word loss, little stuttering/thought process before speaking, dry mouth. Fatigue - but I am a busy person. Stomach issues - constipation (but I also don't eat very well). Anxiety - Welbution generic the whole time I have been on this. Weight loss has been nice. After reading a lot of your comments I am wondering if it is time to get off of the medicine & see how I feel

I am a 25 year old woman with 3 kids. I was prescribed TOPAMAX 3 months ago. I am on 150mg a day. My DR. told me to take them at night before bed and I have to take a TYLENOL PM with it so I can sleep at night and drink 64 oz of water a day and 8 oz of citus a day to help flush out my kidney's, cause TOPAMAX does cause kidney stones. I was having about 17-20 migraines a month before getting on this medicine. They have cut down to about 5 but I take RELPAX and in about 30min my migraine is gone. People who don't know I am taking the TOPAMAX don't notice my side effects. I do have some side effects, memory loss, loss of concentration, I have lost about 15lbs with the help of dieting I was 134 now at 118, spelling, sometimes my words come out abit slured, my eyes are sensitive to light I need sunglasses to go outside,.I feel tired sometimes no matter how much sleep I get. Well I hope this helps...

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'm a 38 year old female who took Topamax back in 2003 as a migraine preventative. I don't remember any diminished brain capacity, forgetfulness, etc., but then I also suffer from ADD, so who would know. Anyway, I don't see this particular side affect with anyone, but exactly 72 hours after starting Topamax, then 72 hours after each dosage increase, I would suffer from severe body aches. The worst I've ever felt in my life and I usually get body aches with the flu.......these were much worse. If I remember correctly they would last for several days then gradually fade away. The Topamax didn't seem to help my migraines because six months later the neurologist switched me to something else. I'm seeing a new neurologist now and he wants me to try Topamax again. I'm worried and stressed beyond belief. I don't want to go through the body aches again. Has anyone else experience this? Am I maybe deficient in something that I could beef up on while taking the Topamax to decrease the body aches side affect?

sd

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.

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 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?

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

I 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.

I've been on Topamax for almost a year. I've had auras for years which were misdiagnosed as hypoglycemia episodes, then started having grand mals after detoxing from alcohol (I'm sober now), continued to have them in sobriety (I guess I messed up my brain from alcohol). I tried Tegretol but it made me groggy. Anyway, a few months into using Topamax I stopped sweating completely and got the numbness and tingling in my extremities, which drives me crazy. I also have trouble with urination, I've been put on water pills. I live in a desert climate and during the summer had bad problems with overheating, had to drink so much water that I had trouble with water retention and my electrolytes got messed up. I had no idea that it was the Topamax--the doctors put me through multiple blood tests, I discovered it might be the medicine by doing my own research online. I'm tapering off Topamax and trying the Low Glycemic Index Treatment to see if I can be off meds and not have auras because I don't want to be on seizure meds if I can help it. The withdrawal is pretty bad--anyone else have the problems with no sweating and wicked withdrawal?

I just got off topamax after being on 800 mg/day for over a year. Unlike most of you, I used it to treat seizures. Because of the side effects (slurred speech, bad memory, and NO sex drive) my doctor to switched me to Lamictal.

After just one week, my sex drive is back to normal, my memory is better, and I'm more confident in my speech.

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

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

I have been taking 25 mg. at bedtime of topamax for the last week. I was prescribed topamax to end my chronic headaches. The last week has been very difficult for me. In just 7 days I have gone from being sharp, aware, motivated, focused and in control... to scattered, unable to focus, can't remember my pin # that I have had for 20 years, stop mid sentence because I can't remember what I was trying to say, unable to hold a conversation, unable to think clearly, unable to interact with my children. My family says I have turned into a zombie. I am not safe to drive and cannot work. I did not take my topamax last night and won't be taking it anymore. I would gladly have my headaches back if I could just feel like myself again. I had no idea it would affect me so negatively in just one week on such a low dose. (25 mg)

Be so careful before taking this medicine. My doctor didn't discuss any of these side effects with me, but I did research the drug online before I took it and was aware there were serious side effects, but it never seems that serious until you actually endure the side effects for yourself. The drug is not for me.

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!

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

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

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

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

I was on Topamax for 10 days with a few minor side effects but nothing serious enough to quit it. My husband and I went to the library about 6pm. I am 46 and never wore corrective lenses but was noticing that the shelves farther away were blurry, I didn't worry too much since I had been having ongoing thyroid problems and figured my eyes were swelling (though that normally happened only in the mornings). By the time we got home and were sitting down to dinner I noticed that when standing in the kitchen the people in the other room were completely blurry. By 11 pm I could only see clearly within 18 inches of my face.

I awoke at 2 am with a severe headache and almost complete blurriness, I had to hold the pill bottle very close to my eye to be sure it was correct and even then could not be sure. My husband gave me the meds and I went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until 1pm!!! When I awoke all light was painfully bright and I could see NOTHING clearly! I was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with acute angle-closure glaucoma caused by TOPAMAX!!!

Thankfully the docs were able to reverse the symptoms but said one more day I would have been permanently blind. My eyesight has never returned fully, though I can function just fine and do not feel depressed about it.

Please, be very careful on Topamax. The stuff is dangerous to many people though a life-saver for so many others. Also, may I suggest to those with the tingling that you get your calcium levels checked as this is a classic symptom of low calcium. I just wonder how Topamax affects the other body systems, such as the adrenal and parathyroids.

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

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

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

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

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

Hello, everyone. I didn't know there was a page like this, but I'm glad there is. I've been on Topamax for 3 weeks because the medicine I was on for 2 years didn't do anything and the headaches weren't going away at all anymore; they were continuous. The first week at 25 mg I had the tingling for a day or two, the involuntary muscle twitches, the terrible mouth taste, and the chest pain. All but the terrible taste went away by the second week at 50 mg but I started getting wobbly legs and dropsy. I read an article somewhere where a person on Tomamax called the drug Stupamax or Dopamax and said anyone on it turned into a box of rocks. The box hit me at 3 weeks and 75 mg. I'm not wobbly anymore, I'm still irritatingly dropsy, and I am doing things that only a person with half a brain would do. Plus, my ears have been ringing for two days, and today I feel like I'm in a tunnel and everything is far away. I'm getting ready to call my doctor. On the OTHER hand, I haven't had a headache that lasted for more than a half hour in 3 weeks. So what's best? Going back to headaches or continue to evolve into a box of rocks?

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