Topamax and sex drive

well, i guess i am not alone. this is the second time i have been on it. i weighed the pros and cons and figured that the migraines were worse than the depression, mood swings, and the inability to compute simple math. well, i feel differently now, and i think i am going back off of it again. my sex drive is also gone, but i have had a problem with that and the depression for years, just not this bad. i feel i have yelled at my children way too much lately, cuz it is making me so crabby, and i don't think that it is worth it. after reading some of your posts, it has helped me make the decision to go off of topomax for good. i could deal with tingling, bad taste, and weight loss (the only good side effect), but not the other horrible effects.

Be careful, do your research before taking Topamax. I took Topamax for 5 weeks for severe migraines. The first 2 weeks were fine, a slight decrease in my appetite. The third week, my memory suddenly got really bad, really scary. By the 4th week, my memory was non-existant and I felt slightly depressed. My Dr. assured me these side effects would soon pass. By the 5th week of Topamax, I plunged into a horrendous, suicidal depression. I cried all the time, I woke at 4 am with irregular heart beats. I have never been so uncomfortable in my own skin. I became a stranger to myself.

I much prefer my migraines over the side effects I suffered from Topamax.

My wife has been on Topamax for 6 months and I feel our relationship is in the gutter. Lack of affection , no sex drive and she zones me out (like a zombie). Doe anyone have the same problems with their loved ones?

Is loss of sex drive a problem when you are on Topamax? Also, does the weight loss stop?

My wife is getting really skinny. She pops off at me when I ask her a question....and I have given up on sex.

She's free of migranes though and I guess that is all that matters. She's been on it for about a year.

I have been taking Topamaz spinkles (30mg a day) for 3 months. I can't tolerate higher doasages. Migranes have lessened in intensity, although I still have a least 2 a week. I have toruble with my memory and hair loss. I have had a slight wt loss. I have no sex drive. Food does not interest me.
I started taking topamax because migranes were interferring with school. Catch 22 - I failed last semister due poor recall. I am taking myself off topamax. I may have migranes, but at least I will enjoy sex.

I've been taking Topamax for just slightly over two months to treat migraines and neuropathy and it has helped with both. My dr. also thought some of the side effects might be beneficial (i.e., wakefulness, weightloss, etc.). I wasn't prepared for all the negative side effects. I'm constantly thirsty (but everything tastes so bad I can't find anything to drink and I don't drink soda - so that's not the problem), I've have had a sore throat for the past two - three weeks, my tongue also burns and has streaky, red craters running over it. I'm incredibly crabby and my sex drive (which has never been a problem, is non-existent). I also seem to be craving sweets - maybe because they seem to be the only thing that tastes good. I'm currently taking 50mg 2x per day and I'm going to talk to my dr. about cutting each dose in half. If that doesn't help then I'm going to have to stop this med.

I have been on Topamax for 1 1/2 yrs. I woke w/migraines daily! I am now migraine free, except sometimes when it rains?? I am so torn......The Topamax has made me "Stupid", my feet tingle, no sex drive,(husband NOT happy!!) totally unorganized, I feel sad for no reason, vision a little blurry. But hey, I lost 10lbs & I am not in PAIN!!!!! I am now NUMB??I take 100mg./day. 2 am & 2 pm. Should I cut back??Anyone try anything else that works?? Which is the lesser of the 2 evils.......Pain or Numbness????

update....
i have begun to ween myself off topamax as of last week. i was taking 75 mg a day, now i'm down to 25 mg a day. i have noticed a HUGE change..i am pretty much BACK TO MY NORMAL SELF...i will continue until i am OFF THIS MEDICATION.
my depression has ceased, my fits of rage, GONE. i no longer have anger fits towards my poor husband (i feel so horrible for the way i had been acting towards him because of this medicine), and the whole sex drive issue, completely back to normal again (THANK GOD...my husband was about to go crazy..as was I! lol)
i am making an appointment with my doctor next week to see about another preventive, but until then, i have to keep a few hydrocodones on hand in case i get a migraine (and it's a definite that i will...). Hydrocodones are the only thing that get rid of my migraines...the Relpax and such make me feel like i'm about to have a heart attack and really dont relieve my migraines.
I just hope i can find a preventive that will work...WITHOUT these side effects (depression, etc). My migraines are so frequent that it is a must that i find some sort of preventive.
Best of luck to you all out there that are either still on this med, or getting off this med. i recommend the latter of the two.

well, after reading all of these posts,
i have hit a harsh reality. my husband has been right this whole time. My sex drive has hit ROCK BOTTOM....my fuse is so short i snap at him at absolutely NOTHING....our marriage is SUFFERING...and coincidentally...it all started right after i started taking topamax...i am only taking 75mg a day...2 in the morning, and 1 at night...
i was so excited because my migraines, that i was getting every single day, were FINALLY gone....and i lost 10 pounds...and i only had to suffer the change in taste in my sodas, the slightly irritating eye twitch in my left eye, and the tingling in my feet. i just thought the sex drive and mood swings were purely coincidental. now that i have read every single post from you guys, i am now forced to go to my husband with my tail between my legs and tell him i'm so sorry for blowing up on him every time he begged me to get off the topamax and i absolutely refused because i refused to go back to the pain of my daily migraines...
as far as the hair loss, i have thick curly hair and i already shed like a shaggy dog so i dont know if mine has really increased or not due to taking the medicine. looking at it now, i can probably say it has, a little, but not much.
i have always shed like crazy..lol
but mainly, my side effects were the change in taste with sodas and beer (beer aquired a "sweet" taste, sodas lost it's "fizz" on the front of my tongue if that makes any sense), my left eye had a constant twitch until i upped my dosage to 3 a day instead of 2, i get the tingling in my feet only, none in my hands or face like i've read, i started getting slight nausea when i added my birth control patch back into the mix with the topamax but that subsided once my body got used to everything.
Sitting here reading this has made me realize a lot about this medicine.

I took Topamax for a year(stopping a month ago) before I finally decided it wasn't worth all the problems.

When I first started the drug I had tingling in my face and feet, and tingling with severe pain in my hands.I was told it would go away after a few weeks, but after several months it was still a problem. I was tested and found out to have Carpal Tunnel,however after stopping the medication I have no problems or symptoms of it at all.
After 7 months on the drug I was diagnosed with multiple kidney stones. I have 4-5 stones in one kidney.
About 2 months ago I started losing ALOT of hair. It is falling out in clumps. I can actually feel how much thinner it is. I didn't realize it could be from the meds until reading other posts here.

I am tired all the time but can't sleep. I will go to bed and lay there for hours before getting back up. I average about 3 hours of sleep a night and then I have no energy to do anything during the day.
My sex drive is completely gone.
Also have extreme hot flashes and sweating episodes. I can just be sitting around doing nothing and will start burining up and sweating. It is terrible.
My Dr. said that most of these are not side effects of the medication but after reading here ,I am convinced that it is and am glad I quit taking it. I will have to go back to dealing with the migraines because I am not going back on this drug.

Hi all: My wife has been having problems for about a year and when we started talking about them with our counselor, I realized that the problems began the same time she started taking Topamax.
She takes 100mg a day, (4, 25mg pills every night before bed)
Thinking back and thinking currently, she has had memory problems, problems holding objects, NO SEX drive, has had problems thinking clearly, moody and is mad at me a lot. This has all lead to problems in our marriage.
I'm trying to see if these side effects are common!
I have read some posting from others that show some or all of these sypmtoms occurring in themselves or their loved ones.
I love my wife greatly and have mentioned not taking these pills anymore, but she has resisted. I'm hopeful with some research and some more first hand accounts, that I can convince her to give this a try and possibly save our marriage.

Thanks to any and all who can help.

I'VE BEEN ON TOPAMAX FOR ABOUT A WEEK AN DHALF NOW, AND I NOTICED SOME HAIR LOSS, IM VERY TIRED ALL THE TIME, I HAVE ALMOST COMPLETLY LOST MY SEX DRIVE WHICH I SUSALLY VERY HIGH, AND I HAV EMAJOR MOOD SWINGS. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IT WORKED WONDERS FOR MY HEADACHES AND IT CURVED MY APPETITE TREMENDOUSLY.