Topamax - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

punchi · 03-22-2007, 05:55 PM

Hi, i suffer from depression and serius anxiety since i was 17. Since then i been putting on weight. Now they put me in topamax and i have been loosing weight since then. The problem is that i been having problems to sleep. The few first day i was really sleepy but now i wake up in the middle of the night and i`m not abble to go back to sleep and i`m starting to get desperate. Have any of you had any of this problems with topamax.

Any info will be welcome

thanks

Isa

flowerbunnylove · 03-26-2007, 05:38 PM

It's my understanding that most people fight constant fatigue while on Topamax, not insomnia.

Are you sure that your depression and anxiety aren't worsening and affecting your sleep? Or maybe it's just how you respond to this drug. I'd talk to your doc. Maybe he can help you with sleep. Good luck!

rachelfern · 04-09-2007, 03:44 PM

I started Topamax about a month ago and I love it. It has helped me lose weight, I feel better, and I am not so jumpy. I was very tired at first also but then I started waking up in the middle of the night. I am still waking up in the middle of the night, but I feel well rested in the morning so it doens't bother me so much. I would talk to my doctor about it if I were you. Good Luck!

HarPoe · 04-09-2007, 07:00 PM

I hated Topamax.

It's either a 'love it' or 'hate it' drug...there aren't any 'eehhh, it's aight.'

Go to the doctor, tell him what's up. Remember though, Topamax takes at least 2 weeks to go into full effect. Your body might be adjusting.

tappyjoe · 04-18-2007, 02:07 PM

Hello, I was on Topa for migraines, and it helped a great deal for about 6 months. I also lost 30 lbs from it, but over the course of 2 years I have gained it back. I had and still have alot of problems with sleeping. Topa affects everyone differently. But like I said I am still having problems with sleep, and I have stopped taking Topa since it no longer helped with my migraines or weight. It is a good drug if you can tolerate it and its symptoms.

StuckInFatMode · 04-19-2007, 01:48 PM

I am on topamax for migraines...but, it took away those..and made me a bit depressed....so they put me on zoloft as well...which has made me gain weight...which I am not happy about.

BeccaBelle · 04-19-2007, 11:08 PM

I took topomax a few years ago. It was prescribed to me for nightmares from PTSD. I felt funny the first week but then my nightmares just stopped! It was wonderful - I had horrible night terrors because of a trauma I went through.

I stayed on for six months. My doc took me off and the nightmares never returned.

However I am considering going back on it because I'm having migraines.

Always remember the magic words: if things are really bad or scary CALL YOUR DOC!

Good luck!

soulnik · 05-08-2007, 01:11 AM

I've been on Topamax for 3 years. Doc tried to put me on Depakote - number one side affect is weight gain - and I though security would have me removed from the building. So we agreed Topamax would be a nice try. I lost weight at first but since then stabilized.

I have had sleep problems my whole life so I can't be sure what to attribute to the Topamax and what was there before. But I can say that after I started the Topamax, my insomnia became frustrating enough for me to see a doctor specifically about sleep. I had sleep study and was diagnosed with Restless Leg Syndrome. Now, personally, I think RLS is a load of BS. I think A LOT of people who suffer with depression and/or take meds for it have the same symptoms of RLS and don't need one more diagnosis (thank you very much).

All of that to say....

I wonder if the Topamax somehow affected(s) my sleeping patterns differently, making it noticable to the point that I needed to have my insomnia issue officially checked out.

Or maybe, after 34 years of not sleeping regularly, it just clicked for me that it wasn't NORMAL to be awake at 4 am every night. I don't know.

jane15 · 05-23-2007, 10:47 AM

I hate topomax honestly, but its the only thing that seems to work. I'm on a rather high dose for epilepsy, and the fact that it helps with my mania for bipolar is just a good side effect. My main issue is that it made me feel like my mind was in a fog. I had issues sleeping as well, but since I was usually still working on homework at night it didn't bother me so much. I went to my doctor and had my dose decreased. Topomax is really one of those drugs where you want to be on the lowest effective dose, because it does have nasty side effects at high levels.