i have been on topamax for the las 3 months i take 100mg twice a day seems to help with the migrines..just hate living in a fog ..does it ever get any better or is this my new life?
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Q: i have been on topamax for the las 3 months i take 100mg twice a day seems to help with the migrines
Answers (2)
1/14/10 5:52pm
Mary,
-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-•*Welcome to MyMigraineConnection!*•-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-
How long have you been at the 100mg twice a day dosage? Whether the cognitive side effects lessen varies a great deal from person to person, and it seems to be worse as the disage increases. If you've been at this level for three months or more, it may not get better.
That said, even if those side effects continue, that doesn't have to be your "new life." You have other options. Topamax is only one of over 100 medications that are being used for Migraine prevention. You can find a listing of those medications in Migraine preventive medications: too many options to give up! There are several medications of the same type as Topamax that could work for you just as well. Of course, trying them is the only way to see. For example: Topamax made me dumb as a rock, but Zonegran works for me better than Topamax ever did, and I haven't had any side effects from it.
Bottom line, Mary, is that you don't have to put up with the side effects. Your doctor should be willing and able to help you with this.
Please keep me posted?
Good luck, and welcome again,
Teri
1/12/10 9:47am
Hey,
I'm glad that you are having success with topamax. I took it for almost a whole year and I didn't see an improvement in my migraines. My doctor just kept uping my dose.
I had a very negative experience on topamax. School got a lot harder. I was a communication major and I loved talking in class. I had a lot of trouble finding words and forming sentences quickly, which has always been one of my strenghts. I felt like I was always on the verge of a panic attack and often felt extremely anxious for no reason. It got so bad that I didn't know anymore whether I had always been like this or if it was the medication. I began feeling a bit crazy on the inside.
Pay very close attention to your symptoms. Write them down if you have to, and talk to your doctor about them. I wasn't aggressive enough with my doctor - who I no longer see because of that experience. Figure out if these are symtoms that you can live with. I'm on a different perventative now and the only problem I have is that I'm gaining weight. I have determined that I can live with that over having daily headaches. If you can't live with the symptoms then it's time to try another medication.
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By mary Migraine— Last Modified: 12/26/10, First Published: 01/11/10
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Hi. I was on Topamax for over 2 years and it helped me with migraine prevention for quite a while. The symptoms you mentioned went away for me within the first year and I had been up to 400 mg at one point and the symptoms didn't get worse with the increase of dosage. My worst symptoms were at doses under 100-150 mg. I felt better on 200 mg.
It stopped working as well for me and Topamax doesn't help with my chronic daily headaches 24/7 so I went off. I'm on Diamox right now but it doesn't seem to be doing very much. I'm thinking about talking to the doctor about mixing Topamax with something else - others on this site have had luck with combining so I think I'll ask her about it. I'm trying Diamox to see if it helps with my migraines when the weather fronts come in/barometric pressure changes.
The symptoms I had on Topamax were, initially carbonated beverages tasted horrible (this went away with higher dose), numb hands and feet, trouble finding words, trouble with remembering names. My family would laugh because when I was trying to remember a word I'd snap my fingers and they'd start throwing choices at me, if someone said the right thing, I'd be ok. If not sometimes I'd have to use different words. It was frustrating.
On the plus side, I lost 30 pounds without trying, and my dizzy feeling which I get a lot, was better on Topamax.
Good luck,
Patty