Topamax?

[telecom_goddess]

I know I never make a new post...I don't have the same situations y'all do...guess I'm lucky :p

So anyway I'm prone to migraines...they used to happen every few years and then about 2 years ago they happened daily. Now it's a few times a month. So my Dr is wanting to try Topomax to prevent migraines from happening. Now I looked it up and it has a few possibly nasty side effects. Has anyone here taken it? Good -- bad -- indifferent?

Thanks :D

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

I lost weight on it. A lot of it. I don't if that's typical or atypical or what but I liked it. I actually want to go back on it. But everyone is different, and people react to the same medication differently.

[AccountingDrone]

Never tried topomax, but are the tryptans not working for you? I adore my frova....

[telecom_goddess]

I lost weight on it. A lot of it. I don't if that's typical or atypical or what but I liked it. I actually want to go back on it. But everyone is different, and people react to the same medication differently.

Yeah I was told about the weight loss and that is definitely a good thing. I was also told that I won't be able to taste carbonation in sodas/beer/etc anymore....:eek:

I'm mainly concerned about mood swings....any experience with those?

[bean]

Yeah I was told about the weight loss and that is definitely a good thing. I was also told that I won't be able to taste carbonation in sodas/beer/etc anymore....:eek:

I'm mainly concerned about mood swings....any experience with those?

I was on it briefly. Yes, you can't taste carbonation at all, everything will taste flat. Food in general will taste fairly bland.

It's also used as a mood stabilizer for people with bipolar, and if you have alcoholic tendencies, it cuts way down on the cravings. It's also pretty rough on the kidneys though.

[telecom_goddess]

I was on it briefly. Yes, you can't taste carbonation at all, everything will taste flat. Food in general will taste fairly bland.

It's also used as a mood stabilizer for people with bipolar, and if you have alcoholic tendencies, it cuts way down on the cravings. It's also pretty rough on the kidneys though.

Great.....I hate bland food and do everything I can to flavor it up now :cry:

I was warned about kidney stones....and told to drink LOTS and LOTS of water.

This drug doesn't sound too fun :cry: But it's supposed to stop the migraines so which is the lesser of two evils....

I'm still tripping out on the "not being able to taste carbonation" thing...that's just WEIRD!

One other thing I found out, it's also used as an anti convulsive for epilepsy....:eek:

[Der Cute]

hehe.

You didn't know? A LOT of psych control drugs and a LOT of migraine reducers are actually seizure control drugs. Topamax, Valium (used to be used mainly for sz), Depakote...

Ok. Topamax can be very....interesting. Weigh ALL interactions before you even go near it. A lot of people have used it for Epilepsy, and are happy with it. A lot of people have used it for Epilepsy and hate this stuff. It's either or.

A friend of mine used to take it for her sz control, but she literally was turned into a stupid rock. She would not take complex requests and process them "Get me the OJ from the fridge, with ice and lemon" She'd get the OJ and then lose track.
She was as dumb as a post on this stuff. I'm NOT KIDDING. I was there with her.

But I've seen it be good for people.

So....if you're willing to try it, make sure you have some human backup - my friend couldn't SPEAK well enough to get the dr. to see "Hey this shit sucks, can we change it". Got a roomie or a honey? :) You'll need it.

Good luck.

Cutenoob

[telecom_goddess]

Cutenoob -- yes I do have someone at home who can help me thank god. I was also told about the nickname "dopamax" ...:(

If that gets to be a problem at work I won't be able to continue taking it. I have to be clear headed and with it for this job....sigh.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Valium (used to be used mainly for sz)

That's what Pablo got when he had a seizure. :)

I've had migraines but I've never taken prescription drugs for them. I've always been able to get away with Advil or Tylenol and caffeine...and if necessary, naps. They've actually seemed to get better (less frequent and less intense) as I've gotten older.

[Heksubah]

Most migraine drugs are actually mainly used for something else, and in the process of treating that something else it was discovered that they help migraines too. Topamax is, yes, a drug for epilepsy but it also helps migraines.

I was on it. I never had an issue with carbonation, bland food or mood swings. The one thing that drove me batty was that whenever I'd take it I would get jittery legs really bad. I'd also feel like my face, my hands or various parts of my body were just waking up after being asleep. The tingly feeling is apparently fairly common and will go away after a month or two of being on the medication.

As far as it treating my migraines... nothing works for me, so can't help there to say if I thought it was good or not. It is worth a try. The only issue I had with it is there is no generic so it was spensy.

[telecom_goddess]

topamax has a generic now and is cheap thankfully. First dose last night and I feel weird a little but ok so far. Thanks for the feedback guys. We will see how it goes.

[wagegoth]

I was on it for several months. Some food tastes did change, but I don't remember food being bland. Maybe that's why I didn't lose much weight. One problem was that it seemed to cause a flare-up in my fibromyalgia, so I took cider vinegar tablets to balance it out. The other was that my short term memory sucked. That's when I learned about the "dopamax" nickname.

However, it was well worth the time on it. It seemed to break the cycle of the migraines. At the time, I was having almost continuous migraines; I would take Imitrex, the headache would mostly clear, then come right back. And my migraines occur on both sides of my head at once. When the Topamax kicked in and the headaches went away, I was ecstatically happy. If they were to return to that level, I would not hesitate to go back on it for a few weeks or a month to break the cycle again. Also, I did not have any withdrawals when I went off of it.

[KymmyKyller]

Didn't read through everything; however, I didn't care for Topamax. My doctor prescribed it as a weight loss pill for me (since a side effect is loss of appetite/losing weight). The first couple of days it was OK but then, some side-effects kick in.

My fingers and hands got tingly and sometimes even my mouth did. I randomly had a dizzy spell which led to nausea and it would make me tired as heck and then not be able to sleep at night. Needless to say, I didn't stay on it. I don't care too much for it; however, it says here Clickie! (http://epilepsy.emedtv.com/topamax/topamax-side-effects.html):

"However, not everyone who takes the medication will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it well."

[telecom_goddess]

I was on it for several months. Some food tastes did change, but I don't remember food being bland. Maybe that's why I didn't lose much weight. One problem was that it seemed to cause a flare-up in my fibromyalgia, so I took cider vinegar tablets to balance it out. The other was that my short term memory sucked. That's when I learned about the "dopamax" nickname.

However, it was well worth the time on it. It seemed to break the cycle of the migraines. At the time, I was having almost continuous migraines; I would take Imitrex, the headache would mostly clear, then come right back. And my migraines occur on both sides of my head at once. When the Topamax kicked in and the headaches went away, I was ecstatically happy. If they were to return to that level, I would not hesitate to go back on it for a few weeks or a month to break the cycle again. Also, I did not have any withdrawals when I went off of it.

Thanks.....it's good to know that I probably won't be on it forever and there are not likely to be withdrawals.

My migraines start while I'm sleeping...I always wake up with them. So I'm taking this at night and most of the flush of it is slept off.

I had one co worker say when she took it she lost her hair :eek: :eek: And she mixed her words up when she talked.

[telecom_goddess]

Didn't read through everything; however, I didn't care for Topamax. My doctor prescribed it as a weight loss pill for me (since a side effect is loss of appetite/losing weight). The first couple of days it was OK but then, some side-effects kick in.

My fingers and hands got tingly and sometimes even my mouth did. I randomly had a dizzy spell which led to nausea and it would make me tired as heck and then not be able to sleep at night. Needless to say, I didn't stay on it. I don't care too much for it; however, it says here Clickie! (http://epilepsy.emedtv.com/topamax/topamax-side-effects.html):

The tingling my dr told me about, but said it would be a sign of not drinking enough water...that taking in more water would fix it or prevent it.

I"m already tired as all hell and am used to that.....fatigue is like second nature :rolleyes:

[KymmyKyller]

Thanks.....it's good to know that I probably won't be on it forever and there are not likely to be withdrawals.

My migraines start while I'm sleeping...I always wake up with them. So I'm taking this at night and most of the flush of it is slept off.

I had one co worker say when she took it she lost her hair :eek: :eek: And she mixed her words up when she talked.

I'm always losing hair. =P So, that wasn't a side effect for me. I can attest to having my legs jitter and move. I can also say that when speaking, I'd stumble, stutter, and pick up sentences in way different places.

ETA:

Agreed with the fatigue. I can't sleep really at all anymore but with Topamax, I was tired for the day then up and alert at night. Now I am back to being tired all day every day because I don't have my sleep pills (surprisingly I take Lorazapam for that).

[telecom_goddess]

I'm always losing hair. =P So, that wasn't a side effect for me. I can attest to having my legs jitter and move. I can also say that when speaking, I'd stumble, stutter, and pick up sentences in way different places.

ETA:

Agreed with the fatigue. I can't sleep really at all anymore but with Topamax, I was tired for the day then up and alert at night. Now I am back to being tired all day every day because I don't have my sleep pills (surprisingly I take Lorazapam for that).

Weeellll I also have sleep apnea so I'm hoping the treatment for that will take over and make me sleep anyway......I dunno. I also take herbal supplements like valerian to help with that. Plus since I'm taking it at night it might just knock me out like it did last night....I may be pulling at straws here but I can hope :o

Argh I'm just not really looking forward to this but we shall see.

[tacohuman]

my wife takes it and has had no side effects other than some difficulty concentrating when she first started. that wore off after a few weeks, though. now she has none, and her migraines have gone from 3-4/month to 1 in the last 2 years.

[telecom_goddess]

my wife takes it and has had no side effects other than some difficulty concentrating when she first started. that wore off after a few weeks, though. now she has none, and her migraines have gone from 3-4/month to 1 in the last 2 years.

That's a good hopeful note! I know it reacts with everyone differently...so it's nice to hear someone who hasn't had evil side effects.

[KymmyKyller]

Haha. They just took the cough syrup I get off the market. It's illegal to give to patients now because some take it and don't wake up. Especially bad for father and I because we both have sleep apnea. Sometimes it's a pain in the arse to deal with.