Topamax and sleep

Been on Topamax for almost a year. My dose was 150mg once a day for alternative treatment for chronic depression. I am also on Effexor and Lamictal. The tingling in the toes has lessened but not gone away. I have severe thirst all the time. My body seems to overheat easily. I lost 20 lbs but i was doing weight watchers and had just had a baby so its hard to give all the credit to Topamax. I definitely feel dumb. Words come and simply float away out of sight. My memory is extremely affected. I can fight with my husband and by the end have no idea what I had just said. Feel quite foolish. I am now titrating down and off by 50mg every 4 days. I am down to 50mg and have not had a good night's sleep since reducing my doses. My brain just turns on in the middle of the night. I am also pretty nauseated at this lowest titration. I just gained back 6 lbs but eating chocolate doesn't help either. I seemed to be able to keep my weight at 140 lbs no matter what i would eat. Not so anymore. Always trying to find the faster, easier way toward staying thin but it always comes back to that same bottom line. I have to discipline myself boooo.

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

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

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

My vision is blurred somewhat at times.

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

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

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

I have been taking Topamax 75mg twice a day since the end of April 2009. On some nights, just before I fall asleep, my mind begins to race. These racing thoughts continue for an indefinite period until I get up with a headache. I’ll take something for the headache, read for about a half hour or so and then go back to bed. Now I sleep to morning. When I arise, I forget the thoughts that had raced through my head the previous evening, which is good, because many times these racing thoughts are angry thoughts. Now. For the rest of the day, I am wasted, like I had not had a good night’s sleep; like I had been very active during that time that my mind was racing.
Note that these ‘racing thought’ episodes do not occur every night, nor immediately upon bedtime. They sometime occur if I rise to use the bathroom. They may not even be related to Topamax. They ONLY started right around the same time as I started using that drug.

I've been on 75 mg of Topamax twice a day since the end of April 2009. While on it there would be nights when, just before falling asleep, my mind would begin to race. All too often the thoughts would be angry thoughts at persons who hadn't really wronged me. These racing thoughts would continue for sometime until I would finally get up with a headache. I would take aspirin for the headache and read for a half hour or so, go back to bed and sleep soundly the rest of the night. When I awoke the next morning, I was wasted, as though I hadn't had a full night's sleep. - like the time my mind spent racing was spent fully awake. And, should those racing thoughts been angry thoughts, they would be shown to be totally unfounded in the morning. Note this does not happen every night and does not necessary happen at bed time. It may occur if I arise to use the bathroom during the middle of the night. It also may not be related to Topamax, but it ONLY started after I began taking that drug.

Last night I took my first dose of Topamax: 25mg for migraines. I didn't expect to feel any side effects with such a low dose but I feel very tired but restless at the same time. I feel like I should law down and sleep but I can't stop myself from shaking my legs or twinkling my toes. It's the only thing I've noticed so far. In six day I up my dose to 50mg a day. Wish me luck.

I was taking Topamax for about 4 years for chronic/daily migraines. It helped tremendously after I had taken almost everything else with no success. Then I had an episode where I ended up with 5 kidney stones. They passed but my neurologist wanted me off the Topamax in case that was the cause of them. I went off and my headaches came back with a vengeance. I had them daily until I begged my primary care doctor to put me back on Topamax. I honestly would rather have stones than daily headaches. I am a mother to four and have a husband and a job. I can't live with daily migraines. After being back on it for about two weeks the headaches have disappeared. I take 200 mg twice a day. I do have memory loss and loss of words big time. It is VERY frustrating. I feel stupid. But I can live with that. I have tingling cheeks , lips and hands. I'm sensitive to sun and have to wear my sunglasses a lot more now. I now talk in my sleep- a little nervous about that :) I lost weight last time around but haven't yet this time. I am very happy, not sure if that is the RX or just me reacting to not having headaches. I guess you have to weight the side effects with the benefits. The choice is ultimately up to you. Good luck everyone!

I have been taking Topamax for atypical trigeminal neuralgia for about five weeks - starting at 25mg and working my way up to 100mg each night. The first three or four days I was a bit headache, nothing unbearable but just kind of uncomfortable.

Right from the beginning I had this great side effect that I haven't read anyone else here mention - this feeling of clarity in my head, as though I've always had noisy background static that was now suddenly switched off. I just love it! I was not even aware of this noisy static that had apparently been going on in my head all my life until it had been switched off! And now I feel this wonderful sense of peace and calm. So I have no idea what that is all about, but I'm not complaining. I do remember once reading about generalized anxiety disorder and wondering if I perhaps suffered from a mild case of that (not a very severe case of it), if that is the case, that could perhaps explain the static-y background noise in my head - that is now thankfully gone after taking Topamax. So, I can happily say that I have a pleasant side effect from this drug (sounds like I'm one of the few from reading this forum!)

I'm not sure if it's a related side effect, but I feel more calm and more peaceful. Like it takes a lot to upset me. It's kind of funny, I'm watching my husband get all cranky and fired up about something and I'm just watching him and waiting for him to calm down, whereas once before I would have got hooked and gotten all cranky and fired up myself. Now I just don't get it and I'm thinking to myself "why's he getting so upset about this?" And he's looking at me all quizzically like "why aren't you getting all upset about this?" But it all just kind of slides right off... Interesting because some of the other posters are saying quite the opposite about feeling aggressive on Topamax...

Another really good side effect for me is being able to sleep really well at night, something I've never been able to do (I've always been a really erratic/light sleeper), I don't remember ever sleeping this soundly. I swear I now sleep with a big smile on my face : ) I'm just so happy to be sleeping soundly! And I actually think I might now be less sleepy during the day than before (so unlike other posters) which is likely to be because I'm sleeping better at night. Although if I'm having a lazy day at home, it is very easy to have a big daytime nap (but that’s not really that new for me!), and I definitely get very tired at bedtime, but otherwise my energy levels are quite okay, probably more than before Topamax, rather than less.

I'm still not sure yet if the frequency of my atypical trigeminal neuralgia is less as I usually only get it about once every ten - fourteen days. I think it has been less frequent but I will need to be on it a little bit longer to know if it's working for sure.

I had a scary experience one day after I'd been taking it for about a week or two where it felt like a water balloon had been popped in the back of my head and the water was running down the back of my head and neck. It was the creepiest experience and one that I didn't immediately attribute to the Topamax but after reading some of these posts made me think that maybe it was?

The tingling in my feet has been pretty bad, not just your regular pins and needles but really very uncomfortable/almost painful. Yesterday was the first day I didn't have it, I'm not sure if it was because I've been drinking more milk (I read that calcium could help) or taking potassium supplements. I'm also being mindful not to cross my legs or sit on my feet as I usually do. I've also been very constipated so I'm making sure I'm eating a lot of All Bran every day.

My biggest concern has been the cognitive side effects because I'm due to start my doctoral degree in a few months and need to be extra sharp. I have definitely not been feeling sharp! Again, yesterday was probably about the first day I started to feel a bit better with that side effect too. I've been taking folic acid supplements but I also took the advice of one of the other people who posted here who suggested taking the Topamax with food, so I take it with my dinner and maybe that's what's helping? I'm not sure, but I don't feel quite so dumb! One of the things I felt most ditzy with was time perception, I don't know whether other people experienced this also? Whether it was being aware of the day or the month I just couldn't work it out...

I'm also less hungry - loving that. Weight loss is very slow though (but all weight loss is good), maybe 2kg (4.5lb) in 5 weeks. I was on holiday for 3 of those weeks in my favorite food eating destination surrounded by all my favorite foods and I was pretty much uninterested - now that's a first. Normally I come back from this trip with an extra 5kg! If I wanted to I could still eat, but it definitely makes it easier to abstain, so I know I won’t have to worry about getting dangerously thin as some other posters have written about.

My side effects have definitely changed over time, I'll get something for a few days and then it will go. So I'm hoping that I'll continue to get the good ones and that the bad ones will go. Overall, I'm very satisfied so far with Topamax and seem to be tolerating it quite well, so fingers crossed that it continues to go well. Perhaps different people simply tolerate different medications differently. But from all the reading I've done on Topamax, here's a few tips I've picked up which seem to be helping me: I take it only at night (to help combat daytime tiredness), I supplement with a multivitamin, folic acid, potassium and make sure I'm getting enough calcium, I take my Topamax with dinner, I drink a lot of water, plus I don't take any other meds. I hope these may help some other people reading this and I wish you all the best of luck with your migraines/trigeminal neuralgia/epilepsy or whatever other nasty ailment has you taking Topamax. I’d also love to receive your replies to hear if any of you have experienced any of the same side effects as me.

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...

I am new to Topamax. Just started for severe/horrific migraine pain - I have been getting migraines that lasted 8 days long without relief for the past few years, popping imitrex like m & m's. Mine seem to be related to a drop in barometric pressure as well as to being perimenopausal. They were ruining my life. I am currently on the 25 mg in the am dose and 50 mg pm dose schedule to titrate up to 50 mg twice daily. So far I have had only 2 migraines in the past 30 days instead of 8-16!!! I am a much happier person- I can't even describe it. People at work even tell me I LOOK different! I do however, have some intermittent tingling/numbness in my fingers mostly, passes quickly, little back pain, and some little headaches that come and go. I can so deal with these. I have only had to take Tylenol or Motrin on three occasions in the past month. I used to take two imitrex and still had take 400mg of Motrin and 1000 mg of Tylenol just to numb my migraines. Can I tell you I used to be somewhat non-functional and still go to work everyday- I am a nurse!
So far Topamax has given me my life back because I seriously considered driving into a tree one day on my way to work before starting it. Wish me luck.

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.

Have been taking topamax for 4 months and now have hand and feet tingling. major spelling and memory loss issues. My question is Does any one else have HIP PAIN??? I can't think of any reason why I have it now... except for the addition of the topamax.Thanks, TL

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

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

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

I recently increased my dosage from 25 mg to 50 mg and noticed my hair has been falling out. I just feel tired all the time. I thought I was going crazy until I read this site! I will talk to my doctor very soon. I did not think there would be problems with a "low" dose.

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

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

I've been on Topamax for 3 years for migraine and it works most of the time. I am currently having a hard time with the usual side effects of memory loss, hair loss, word recall problems, coldness, depression, no sex drive, and am developing a cough. BUT I had a side effect that has not been mentioned when I first started taking it (25 mg in am and pm -- I'm now on 50mg in am and pm).
For about 2 weeks, I would get in my car to go to work and miss my turns because they would cognitively come up too soon (this is after 15 years of going to work the same way everyday). I had to be extremely conscious of my surroundings when I drove or I'd miss all my normal turns. I got lost in my own neighborhood once going home. At work, I'd get up from my desk to go to a co-worker's desk and arrive there amazing fast to my mind. I was experiencing time/space/distance distortion. It became fascinating to me, but it passed.

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 began reading all of the blogs about Topamax and was surprised. I have been taking Topamax as a mood stabilizer since February 2007 at 200 mg at bed time (I probably sleep off the fatigue). The only side effect I am concerned about is the weight loss. Short term memory is not an issue. As a matter of fact, I am attend college and am managing a 3.85 gpa. I wish all of you the best of luck and hope you find something that works for you.

Currently on and will be calling the doctor tomorrow to stop after reading everything tonight. I have the migraines still, I have the tingles in all the weird places, everything taste like pooh, which is wonderful, seeing that I myself am overweight and do need to lose the weight. I am not through my 1st full script,but up to my 100mg per day(50 in the morning and 50 at night). I have lost those first 20lbs. and Wow, how nasty those DP's taste now! I was up to 4 Zomig per day before the doc put me on Top and he thought it would help with the weight loss too, but the depression is uncontrollable. Can't sleep at all even while taking sleeping meds and very tired. Everything hurts.

I dont know if it has anything to do with Topamax but i think i may be doing some weird stuff in my sleep or not sleeping as much as i think i am. i would call it cat napping. other than that, the first 2 months were horrible. i had the numbness in the hands and feet and i could never find what i wanted to say and i would stutter and feel like a dope. the doctor told me to wait it out for awhile and sure enough, the worst of the side effects went away. I still have problems finding things to say and im a bit more spacier but my seizures and my headaches and everything that was wrong is gone. Overall. its all good. I would just like to know what the heck im doing in my sleep and if its ever happened to anyone else. Maybe i should call my doctor. hah.

I am feeling HORRIBLE! I can't taste anything normally either. My mind is mush, I cant go to the bathroom without breathing like I ran a marathon, I lost 20 pds in less than 2 weeks ( which puts me at 110). I slur, I have cotton mouth, can't sleep, I stare into space endlesly, my stomach and back ache, my mouth aches and I feel so tired. Everyone says I am acting abnormally. I am misirable and so is my husband, I am scared and feel so alone. To top it off, I still have a headache......

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 have been on Topamax for several years now for crippling migraines. I now take 125 mg at bedtime. I once tried to take myself off of it but, the headaches came back worse than ever So... I went back on. some say that it works because migraines are like a type of seizure. I sure don't know but I'll do anything not to have them like I used to. Recently at night my arms and legs get numb; sometimes one side sometimes both sometimes all I feel is my trunk. It is really scary, but more scary for me is the headaches with the intense nausea that accompanies them. You just can't function. Lately I also feel very tired too! Every one tells me it is just stress from work and "perimenopause" (just what I need more hormonal fluctuation to cause headaches) I really wonder if all this increased fatigue could also be the Topamax ... I mean I could easily sleep 11 hours per night if you let me! Has this happened to anyone? Did perimenopause complicate your treatment?

Has anyone experienced hypersomnia with Topamax? My son just started taking it a couple of weeks ago and now I can't wake him up in the mornings. Not just tired... but literally unwakeable. Then he has sleep drunkenness once he eventually wakes up in the middle of the morning. I have taken him off it to see what happens.

I've been on Topamax since Sept 2007 and the only side effects I have had were at the beginning were the tingling in the hands and feet when I was brining my dosage up. Soda tastes awful but I no longer drink it and that is a godsend after being a heavy drinker of it for years. I do find there are time when I can't find the right word to say, or I forget what I was doing, but I deal with it. I have lost 20 pounds since being on the medication. After being on it for 6 months the tingling is gone, I usually counteracted it by drinking plenty of water in the morning, that got rid of it. The drug has taken away the migraines, and regular headaches I have suffered from for years. It has also stabilized my moods and taken away my anxiety issues. I'm 36 and have never felt better. Topamax is definitely not for everyone. For those that are suffering, please do contact your doctors and try to get off the medication.

I'm on Topamax, Atenolol, and Citalopram...all for migraine prevention. We added the Topamax to the regimen (100/day) about 6 months ago. The first 6 weeks were the worst for side effects, especially the metallic taste, tingling hands, 'stupid' feeling, and fatigue. However, I did eventually adjust, and the migraines did decrease in frequency and intensity. They were not completely eliminated, but when I still get them, I find that I can abort them with the 'rescue' drugs easier, and they don't last as long.

If you like soda's and are upset by the 'flat' and metallic taste caused by Topamax, there are some sodas that don't taste quite as bad. Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi Max seem to be a little more carbonated and have a 'zingier' taste. After about 3 months, some of the carbonation 'feel' came back and I could drink things like beer again, without it tasting like I was sucking on a rusty nail.

I use to get the 'stupid' feeling to for about the first 2 hours after I took my morning dose. I couldn't remember words, and would forget what I was talking about in the middle of my sentence. I started taking my meds at 4 am, so that I had a chance to sleep the 'stupid' off by the time I got up at 6 and left for work by 7am. Then I'd take my evening dose after dinner, because my kids don't care if I'm an idiot...just as long as I'm not cranky :-)

When I have a migraine, I usually want to drive a pick-axe into my head, so all-in-all, these side effects aren't too bad in comparison, and make me a much more pleasant person to live with.

Recently my evening dosage of Topamax has been increased to 200mg. Since the very first night I have experienced nightmares. This is very unusual for me, however, these dreams are so intense I generally wake my husband from his sleep with horrible screams. In addition I find myself waking very early in the morning. Perhaps that is to my advantage since my dreams have been of the worst kind!

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.

Hi so I've only been taking Topamax for five days now and I have a question? I am black and I also have a problem where I woke up this morning and instead of hair loss per se, my bangs on either side were cut straight across about 4 inches missing (this is a lot for a black person, maybe even to anyone trying to grow their hair for their upcoming wedding). It's like someone used scissors to cut off 4 inches, of only the front of my hair (breakage). Has anyone else heard of this? Please help.

Hi all,
Unfortunately, I didn't read all of these comments before I started taking Topamax.
I have migraines for 25 years, and decided to try Topamax.
Week 1-25mg, Diet coke tasted strange. Tingling. Tiredness. Forgetfulness. Can't think clearly. Hard to spell. Or do any task.
Week 2-50mg...a zombie-all of the above and more. Couldn't remember how to get back to my house..and I was just 5 streets away.
I stopped taking Topamax 2 days ago.
I feel much better.
Plz beware.
Having migraines for so many years (i am 38 now) I learned how to control them and Imitrex does work for me.
If I need to choose between having migraines 3-4 times a week and the side affects of Topamax-I choose migraines.

I am going to begin taking 25 mg of Topamax at bedtime tonight. After reading all of these posts I am a scared. I was prescribed Topamax for bipolar disorder. I am currently taking Lamictal as well. I always gain weight on psychotropic drugs and need to lose about 15 lbs (all of which I have gained over the course of being on Lamictal). Any who-my psychiatrist said that this medication may help counteract the weight gain I have experienced. Although I do not consider my self an overeater now. I do hope that it helps me to not like the taste of sodas though. I am addicted to Mt. Dew and caffeine, which I wouldn't mind stopping. Anyway, I am supposed to increase my dosage by 25mg per week until I reach 75mg per day. I am also supposed to go back and see my doctor before I increase the dosage beyond 75mg. I just hope I do not have the horrible side effects I have read here. Some of them I know I can deal with especially if they are temporary but the anxiety/depression/shortness of breath/lack of energy/morbid thoughts are the main ones that concern me. My psychiatrist said that with this medication I should drink plenty of water. He said that it could cause headaches and other side effects if I'm not sure to drink plenty of fluids with this medication. So, I am planning on hydrating myself really well today before taking it this evening. I'll post back and let you know how the side effects are going. Is anyone else on a combination of Lamictal and Topamax or on it for bipolar disorder? I'd like to hear more of your experiences.

I started Topamax about 2 weeks ago; I still have the tingling in my hands, had headaches for the first few days, and I get so dizzy when I stand up that I usually have to sit back down... and I would love for the taste of metal to leave my mouth, I have already lost around 10lbs and didn't need to loose any weight in the first place, this makes me feel sick and frail. I'm already annoyed of people questioning my eating habits especially my parents, constantly telling me to eat; food just doesn't sound good. I am also very tired all the time. I just turned 20 and my doctor put me on this medication because I have been hospitalized for severe migraines even TIAs and he doesn't want me to be on birth control without being on something for migraines. I really don't like taking medicine every day, especially something that seems this serious to me, but I know that TIAs scare me more than a medicine. I increased my dosage last night and couldn't sleep at all. I'm really hoping that the dumb affect doesn't hit until after finals at least...

I've been on Topamax for over a year for hormonal migraines, and it's working great for the headaches. I started out at 25mg twice a day and now I'm up to 100mg twice a day. I've lost 40lb (mostly due to the drug -- but my appetite is starting to come back) and have just recently started experiencing the anxiety and tingling in the extremities. I've always felt I've had trouble concentrating and "finding the word", but I attributed it to lack of sleep because I have two small children. My most recent side effect, however, is most worrisome, which is the reason for my visit to this website. I am experiencing severe abdominal pain, almost constant, and it seems to be increasing. I had abdominal pain and diarrhea when I first started Topamax last year, but it stopped after the first month or so. I'm just wondering if maybe long term use can cause ulcers or other stomach problems. Anyone have any experience with this? I know from experience that Topamax dosages have to gradually weaned up and down, so I'm considering decreasing my dosage to see if my stomach problems will stop. I'm just in so much pain, yet my migraines have almost stopped now with 200mg a day, that I'm reluctant to change my dose.

Topamax is w/out a doubt the WORST drug I've ever been on. It made me brain dead. I couldn't find a job on Topamax. I would be in interviews and would space out and couldnt' answer questions. People looked at me like I was crazy. I felt like I had Alzheimer's at 38, especially when my neuro prescribed Exelon, the drug for Alzheimer's to counteract the cognitive side effects. As I said, couldn't find a job, had no insurance. My topa-lovin' neuro was giving it to me and getting me on the patient=ass program through Johnson/Johnson, the maker's of TM. She didn't want to help me get on another anticonvulsant PA program. Finally, I had to charge another med on my credit card because I couldn't take this toxic gunk in my body anymore. The decay of my mind has escalated to the point that I don't know if I will ever be back to myself again. BEWARE of this drug. I haven't even covered the eye pain, insomnia, headaches, leg cramps (i can go on).

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

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

I have been on 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.

I started taking Topomax three weeks ago and have been feeling spacey, dopey and drowsy since. My sleep is interupted, my feet and legs are numb and tingely much of the time and I have a hrad time concentrating. My skin is very itchy, too. But, what disturbes me most are the postings about hair loss. My hair is thin and fine to begin with -- I can't stand to lose any hair. My doctor didn't warn me about this. Also, I've not lost any weight on the drug, although I did give up drinking sparkeling mineral water as the taste changed dramatically. I am about ready to ask to be taken off the drug, although I haven't had a single migraine since I started, and before I was getting 4 - 5 a week and they'd last 1 - 3 days (and some up to 8 days), so this is a big improvement.