Monday, November 05, 2007
Hello, I am 20 years old and in my junior year of college. I have been on topamax for about 6 months now and have been experiencing extreme stress/anxiety this semester. I recently began thinking that it could be due to the topamax and not just my work load, because it isn't just normal stress. I feel like I'm going to die from the anxiety. It's like depression, like I'm going crazy. My chest feels tight from how nervous I feel sometimes. Has anyone else had similar experiences on this medicine? How long did it take you to get off of it?
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
Is the "stress/anxiety" a new thing? Topamax can produce mood swings but it isn't common that this potential side effect would crop up after six months. That's not saying it can't happen, just not common. We do have a lot of information on topamax you can find HERE. I would speak to your doctor and explain that it is interfering with schooland you need some guidance.
If you find that topamax is not the right Migraine preventive medication for you there are many more available. Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up!
Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.
We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.
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Welcome again,
Nancy Bonk
MyMigraineConnection.com Expert
PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!
The anxiety isn't new. I started taking topamax at the beginning of the school semester to cut down on my number of migraines. I've been feeling this way since I started taking it but I thought for a long time that I was just super stressed because I had too much school work. I'm just now realizing that it isn't the work though. School has been dramatically harder for me since I started this medicine. I think it makes me dopey. I've been reading that it does that to a lot of people. I feel like my anxiety has increased the longer that I have been on it instead of me just getting used to it though.
It sounds like you need to have a conversation with your doctor. Even though you have a reduction in your Migraine attacks we need to consider if the benefits of the medication outweigh the risks of the potential side effects. Do you know what I mean? Some of them include generalized slowing of mental and physical activity and trouble concentrating. These are some important things to have in college.
Did you read that information on Topamax? What did you think? Let me know how I can be of more help, ok?