Topamax and sodas

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 have been taking Topamax for 3 years. I started out at 25 mg, ramped up slowly to 75 mg and have been on 100 mg for 1 year. Over the past 2-3 months, though, I've been feeling very weird, almost like I'm not here sometimes. It's hard to explain. Sometimes I'll get all the way to work and I can't even remember getting ready for work. My short term memory is shot, and that's bad for me. I used to remember everything. I just don't feel like me anymore. I did lose about 30 pounds when I started taking it, but I've gained that all back. I also had tingling and the carbonation in sodas went away for about 6 months. It did take away my headaches for the most part. Axert alleviates any that I do get now.

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

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.

I've been on Topamax about a month now for nerve pain. It really hasn't helped my pain much, but the side effects have been incredible. I've worked up to 150mg and have had side effects from the beginning. Unfortunately, I haven't lost weight, which I need to do and the Doctor said it was probably because I don't drink sodas.

Here are the side effects I've had:
memory loss, "can't find the right word", confusion, difficulty breathing, eyes burning when looking at computer and tv, trouble reading & spelling, slower movements, dry mouth and ears vibrating.

I forgot to fill my prescription and it's a Sunday morning, so I am cutting my dosage in half. I hope decreasing so rapidly doesn't cause any kind of reaction and I will have to see how I feel as to whether or not I continue at the lower dose. I probably will. My husband does not like me on this drug. It makes me quite stupid and slow, and it doesn't even help my pain.

The eye pain is what worries me the most. My Doctor warned me about glaucoma. I don't want to take a chance and over the last week or so my eyes have started hurting more and more.

Good luck to everyone.

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????

Haven't seen anyone mention any sexual SE's but I know I'm not imagining this. It's not a lack of libido but, it's as if my wiring has been disconnected.
A lack of sensation. Major bummer. I can live without sodas but not this!
That was my major reason for getting off the Topamax. My doctor was very incredulous about this being a SE of the Topamax but he didn't argue with me. I came across this site just looking to see if anyone else had experienced this. After getting here I can not believe all the things I have been brushing aside as due to something else. Stomach pain and diarrhea, severe GERD, depression and morbid thinking, oh and my gosh the trouble searching for words and connecting thoughts--I thought I was loosing it, shortness of breath and weakness that I was attributing to weight gain! I have only been on 25 mg a day for 6 months. The migraines did improve and the paresthesia in my hands subsided over time. But all this other crap that has slipped in and I have been passing off as aging or just wondering what else was up with my body and mind. Sheese! Thank goodness for this site! I am tapering off this crap-- and I feel like crap. Weakness and fatigue and a weird pain in the side of my head that is not a headache exactly. I hope I'm back to normal soon, this is awful!

Today is day 8 on Topamax. The only symptoms I've really had were the first few nights on it I woke up in the middle of the night but that has stopped. I had a few bad dreams but that has stopped. Drinks taste a little weird to me, but nothing like anyone else on here has described. I can still taste the carbonation at times. I just started taking 50mg today. I do 25mg in the am and I am going to take 25mg in the pm. For the previous 7 days I was only on 25mg per night. I have heard all this talk about weight loss on Topamax. That's part of the reason I am on it...to counteract the weight I have gained since I've been on Lamictal. Anyway, I haven't noticed a decrease in my appetite OR any weight loss at all so far. I was just wondering how long it took to start affecting you guys with the weight loss. Is there a certain mg you are on that it starts to affect your appetite/weight loss or a certain time frame or what? Any information would help. Thanks!

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 first posted about 6 weeks ago when I began taking Topamax at 25mg a day. I'm now up to 100mg a day, 50mg am/pm and surprisingly it seems that most of my side effects have subsided. I have the tingling in my fingertips and feet now that I didn't have before, but it is rare and not something that keeps me from any normal activity. Sodas still taste flat but I've adjusted to that, beer is something that also tastes flat and that is rather disappointing. The only thing I've noticed is that I tend to have a slight headache most of the time that taking Advil will cure. I don't know if this is caused by the Topamax. When I do feel a migraine coming on, it seems to take days and never fully matriculates and I have to get a shot of Toradol. All in all, this is much better than the weekly migraines I was having.

I am so glad I found this site! I had thought that all of the sodas I was buying were coming from the vendors flat, but now I realize it was the Topamax. I started taking this medication on September 15th, only 25mg at night and just moved up to 50mg a night after seven days. I've suffered migraines for five years and asked my doctor for a preventative rather than having to take something after the onset that knocked me out for two days. I can't work like that. I haven't experienced any of the tingling sensations, but I have definitely noticed the loss of appetite and severe nausea after taking the medication if I don't fall immediately asleep. No problems with depression, but I do feel like I am floating all the time. Neck feels heavy sometimes. Words seem to disappear out of my vocabulary on a daily basis, and it takes me three days to think of something, which is very frustrating. Haven't actually stepped on a scale yet but I can tell I've lost weight (which is okay) because my clothes are hanging on me. One side affect I haven't read about is anemia - I have noticed that I seem to be bruising very easily; my chihuahua sat in my lap and left little bruises where his feet were. Does anyone know if this is normal?

I have been taking Topamax for almost a year now (100mg once daily at bedtime) and don't have a problem with this drug. It is a mood stabilizer for me, and as a recovering alcoholic I am told that it may help with that issue as well too. The first thing I noticed was that my sodas didn't taste good and since I started taking it before I got sober I thought my beer was flat and old as well. My feet sometimes go numb but I chalk that up to being a smoker and having poor circulation or sitting in wierd positions too. I didn't know about hair falling out or heart flutters, nor have I experienced anything but pleasure from a more "balanced" feeling, partly thanks to this drug. I truly believe it is an individual basis as to how each person reacts to a medication. I could not take Wellbutrin- had every bad side effect and then some. For many it has been successful. It is helpful to be aware of side effects but certainly one can't stay away from a drug based on another's experience with it. I give Topamax two thumbs up.

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 was diagnosed petit mal epilepsy many years ago. My doctor thought we should try switching medications. I took topamax for about a month with no problems. I did experience the tingly sensations in my fingers and I also had to give up sodas due to the bad tastes. But once I increased my dosage to 150 mg, I started experiencing a new side effect that I have yet to find anyone else complain about. My doctor says it's not Topamax, but it only happens when I take this medication. My eye was twitching constantly. It would only stop for about 30 minute intervals every few hours. Once I stopped taking topamax, my eye stopped twitching. I thought perhaps I was just stressed or fatigued, so I tried to go back on it. Once again when I got back up to 100 mg I noticed it would twitch once the medicine was in my system. I suppose this is some sort of facial tremor.