I think topamax has a different effect on everyone. It is great that you have noticed a decrease in the severity of your headaches. I don't think that three weeks is long enough to tell what kind of success you will have. I have heard that it can take at least 2 months to see results from some medications. I did not do well on topamax. It didn't do anything to help my headaches and it gave me some really negative side effects. But the fact that you are already feeling less pain is a great sign! I am taking amitriptyline (it is an anti-depressant instead of anti-seizure) and I too had less severe headaches in the first month that I took it. I have been on it for 4 months now and I am seeing a major decrease in headaches. I don't think that I will ever be headache free. I still get major headaches when the weather is crazy and when I don't take the time to eat/take proper care of myself. I have come to believe that the medications only work when you work with them to be healthier. I hope topamax keeps working for you!

User beware!  I have suffered from migraines for over 20 years and took Topamax for 4-6 months a couple years ago.  I too slowly increased my dosage to 200 mg daily.  For me the negative side effects outweighed the good ones.  I must admit that I was happy to have lost 30-40 lbs since nothing tasted quite right to me while taking it.  My headaches improved slightly (a bit further apart), but continued to be just as painful when they occurred.  I was no longer able to drink any carbonated beverages, as they all tasted like chemicals.  I stopped taking the medicine due to the constant nausea and occasional vomiting.  Oh, I should also mention the blurry vision problems and mental blankness.  I could hardly carry on an intelligent conversation and felt kind of spaced out.  I suggest you pay close attention to your body while taking Topamax.  All of the drugs have their own set of side effects for each person.  I guess it's a tradeoff of sorts.  You might try Feverfew supplements (with Butterbur) or Feverfew herbal tea.  I find they both help a bit with migraine prevention, but I keep the Imitrex, Midrin, and Compazine standing by just in case.

I tried Topamax for a few months, and it was bad for me. My headaches didn't decrease, and I was constantly sick to my stomach- vomiting etc. I lost at least 10lbs and did not feel like myself, as someone else mentioned, "spaced out". Be very careful!

Hi Bridget,

I have been taking 200mg daily of Topamax since 2003, 100 mg in the am and 100 in the pm and have had migraines for the last 24 years.  I takes a minimum of 6 weeks to get on the full dosage of the drug (at least that was the case for me).  This is a drug that must be gradually introduced as well as a gradual tapering when going off the drug. You said you have been on it for 3 weeks, give it more time to work it's magic.  It is a preventative, but migraines can still get thru just not at the rate you might be currently having them.  For me, Fiorecet works if one does get thru and if it is bad I take lortab and go to bed, as sllep is the only cure.  For me I saw a 50% decrease which was a miracle because I had a headache almost daily and was diagnosed with multiple headache syndromes and several types of migraine including the ever pleasant "Alice in Wonderland".  There are many side effects and well as some great benefits to this drug.  Be sure and have a good long talk with your doctor about this very powerful and serious drug and let your doctor know about any side effects you might be experiencing as some could actually be differnet forms of the migraine.  Everybody reacts differently to meds, I hope yours is a positive experience.