time for topamax??

By LauraJCopley Friday, January 11, 2008

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I keep saying to myself: I will see what happens next month. Each month goes by and I still suffer from these migraines. Abortives work great and give relief fast but do I want to keep taking them so often?? My question is: Is topamax that bad ( I mean the side effects)?? Will I be able to continue going to the gym or will I be too tired for anything. I know everyone is different but on average how does it effect an average person?? And will I be able to drink any kind of alcohol or will I feel too intoxicated?? My neuro isn't a migraine specialist but I have an appointment for April, 3 hours away. There are only 2 in florida (specialist I mean) Enless anyone knows more. On this site there is 3 listed but one retired. Should I start the topamax now and see how I am in april maybe I won't need to go. Thanks for any comments.

Finally preventative

Comments (8) | Add comment

Eileen Gray

1/11/08 3:44pm

I guess your doctor has discussed Topamax with you before? No one can say yes or no, if its a good idea for you or not....that's up to you. Yes, there are side effects...but will they happen to you? You won't know unless you try it.

If you are still having 3 or more migraines a month then you are a candidate for preventive treatment, such as topamax.

It sounds as if you are at the end of your rope trying to deal with these migraines. What do you have to lose giving the Topamax a try? See how you do? You may find something that works great for you and you'll wonder why you waited so long.....if not, you try something else.

good luck!

P.S. Are you in the forum? If not you can get there by going to the top of the page and using the pull tab on the blue "connect" pull down. Select migraine forum. If you have not signed up previously for the forum, you will have to do so. It is a seperate sign up from Share Posting, but it's well worth it. You can use the same name and email you use here if that makes it easier for you (that's what I did)

Hope to see you there!

MyHeadHurts

1/11/08 4:11pm

no, topamax isn't a cure, but it is a bandaid for some of us. the side effects are noticeable at first but eventually subside. the first side effect you will notice is tingling in your hands/limbs. if your doctor prescribes K-DUR 20 mEq to take w/the topamax it should go away (it usually goes away on its own but the potassium speeds it up--make sure to know your potassium level prior to taking the KDUR as not to induce cardiac arrythmias). Another side effect you will notice is a decrease in appetite, for most ppl it is slight.

Bad side effects of topamax that you should be alarmed about & titrate your dosage immediately (w/your dr knowing--Never stay on it if you get these side effects)---mental 'fog', difficulty concentrating, difficulty finding words, memory issues, dififculty speaking, difficulty forming words/speaking, losing your train of thought, knowing what you want to say but cannot get the words out, pain or numbness in your extremities that will not go away, alopecia, extreme weight loss, etc.

Laurelin

1/11/08 4:50pm

Unfortunately only by trying it will you know what kind of side effects you will get. Some people don't get any or they wear off in a month or so.

I got the mental fog and difficulty concentrating. I wasn't tired at all though and in fact I lost about 10 pounds a month and was rarely hungry (which was awesome for me). But the fog was too much for me and I decided that it was not the drug for me.

If you find out that it is not the drug for you, there are hundreds of other options that you can try.

So if you are getting headaches often it is worth trying out the preventatives. It's definately nice when you find one that works and you get down to very few headaches.

nutcracker1

1/11/08 7:48pm

It's probably a good idea to see the specialist and get established as his/her patient, even if you try the Topamax and it helps you. For one thing, what with having to increase the dosage slowly, you may not know by April if Topamax will help you. Also, if it doesn't work, or if you don't like the side effects (but you may not have any particularly troublesome ones, remember), the specialist will be in the best position to help you find something else. Finally, most people have to adjust their preventive regimens over time. When this happens, you want to have an established relationship with a specialist.

LauraJCopley

1/11/08 8:20pm

Thanks, I never thought of it that way.

MyHeadHurts

1/13/08 11:18pm

ive lost a ton of weight on it too. this is the only med that has made me LOSE weight, the others made me gain!! before topamax i was 146ish and im 5'3" (i used to play sports so a lot of my weight is..was muscle) but now im at 117 lbs. its true, you dont have an apetite WHAT SO EVER! BUT i make sure to eat at least one main meal and 2 snacks a day.

I even did an experiment (I get bored EASILY). I had noticed that I stopped going to the gym in june yet I started shedding pounds when my dr put me back on Topamax in July. I knew Topamax made you lose wt., and I lost a small amt of weight previously on Topamax but this seemed a little ridiculous. So I wanted to see if Topamax really had a Major an affect on weight loss. I ate fast food 4-5x a week and had junk the other days---it barely had an effect. i gained maybe 1 pound in 3 weeks of that? After 3 weeks my pancreas wanted to kill me so I went back to my normal diet, but I soon found that I wasnt hungry and my meals became half the size, then smaller than that. I dont think Topamax makes you tired, I think its the lack of food that makes you tired. So basically by eating normal (I dont mean salads I mean pasta, chicken parm haha the GOOD stuff) I have managed to lose about 30 pounds in 6 months without exercising or anything. But now its getting a little much and im starting to look a little skeletal because I always look lighter than what I weigh. so im def going to keep an eye on this.

Katinthecorner

1/18/08 11:44am

No one can tell you if preventives are right for you. But if your migraines are really starting to impact your life, it might be worth a shot. I tried topamax and it wasn't for me. All the "stop taking immediately" side effects noted in the posts above I seemed to get. Not to mention other stuff! So I am going to try depakote next. Topamax is the newest migraine preventive, but there are many options out there. You won't know if it works for you until you try, but don't be discouraged if it doesn't. Just try a new one. Unfortunately, any meds that effect your brain (migraine/ anti-depressants/ anti-anxiety) effect everyone differently. It is just a matter of trying until you find what works for you.

Frances

4/ 1/08 12:12am

For me the side effects were intolerable. I was in a fog, couldn't think, couldn't learn, felt like an idiot. Got off it, did some digging for cognitive effects of topamax. It's scary. There actually was a study done that showed that after being on the drug for 3 months, people's verbal IQs dropped an average of 20 points. And another study showed that 100% of patients experienced language disturbances, and not just in the first few weeks of adjusting to it. Unfortunately, there is a very misleading Reuters Health article all over the web that totally misrepresents the research results.

time for topamax??

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