Topamax experiences
 

Yesterday I started on Topamax to treat weight gain secondary to Lexapro. I am familiar with some of the literature on this drug, but I'd love to hear what real people have experienced. Are the side effects prevalent and horrible? Do they occur quickly, and do they last a long time or eventually go away?

Any input would be great!

I am on Topomax and Lexapro myself. (combo for bipolar) I have been on Topomax for about 4 or 5 years now. I can't remember having any harsh side effects from it. I do know that when I first started it, I did lose some weight. I do know that you do not what to ever just go off of it. It will cause severe headaches, unless you are properly weaned off the meds. I couldn't afford it at one time and stopped abruptly and ended up in the ER with pain in my head that no drugs could relieve. I don't ever want to relive that experience. I find that I have been on them for so long, the weight loss benefit has worn off for me. Just make sure you drink plenty of water, because they can cause kidney stones. Hope this is of some help.

Janice

Thanks for the response. :)

It's never safe to quit any med cold turkey, when it affects the brain. The consequences can be harsh.

I've been trying to drink a lot of water. How much have you been drinking? I keep waiting for some side effects, but none so far (knock on wood!). But I've only been taking this for a few days.

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I drink about 8-10 glasses a day. I probably overdo it (that's me), but when the doctor told me kidney stones, I didn't want to take any chances. I would say if you haven't had any side effects by now, you probably won't. Just drink your water, and keep taking them as the doctor prescribes. Good luck. If anything, you should notice a major decrease in headaches.

I'm only up to 25mg twice a day. So far the only side effect I've noticed is the nasty taste with carbonated drinks. I'm not sure if it's too soon for the side effects to really kick in though.

Everyone's experience on any drug is going to be different.
Personally, I was in **** when I was on Topamax. It made me so sleepy all the time. I was on it for a week and was probably sleeping 15 hours a day. When I was awake, I felt awful, not at all like myself. I was off it in the first month, I felt so bad.
I'm glad that you are not experiencing any bad side effects, good luck!

I hate hearing when people have such horrible side effects. I'm hoping that doesn't happen to me. I have enough problems these days! LOL

Take care.

8 glasses of water a day is for people who weigh their normal weight. people are supposed to drink one half ounce of water per pound of body weight...so if you for example weigh 200 pounds...you are supposed to drink 100 ounces of water....not the 64 ounces that are needed for a normal weight person. People who take drugs that effect the kidneys...such as topamax...need to make sure that they are doing this on a daily basis. If you start feeling crapy.....drink more water...it usually helps me.

As a rule, we advise all patients to drink 2000-3000 ml of water per day, providing they are generally healthy. If they are cardiac or renal patients, etc., those rules change. So, I've been sticking to that. So far, so good (knock on wood!).

Hmmm....I missed this thread. I've been taking topomax for about 2 1/2 years for pain relief from fibromyalgia. I first started at 75 mg/day and was zonked. I had sudden muscle fatigue problems, body temp control problems, couldn't talk straight, and generally felt stupid. I've dropped down to 25 mg. before bed and all the problems went away. About a year ago, I started having intense dry mouth. Guess what? The topomax can slow down or shut down your salivary glands! That causes all sorts of dental and periodontal problems, but lemon water, sugarfree gum and very good dental self care and frequent professional care has kept the teeth in my mouth. I tried to stop using the med altogether, but was in too much pain and went back on.

It's not a med I like to be on....right now there aren't many alternatives.

Mel

It's so sad that this drug seems so important to many people, yet is so hard on the body.

So far my side effects are altered taste with carbonated drinks, and I think I have some sleepiness during the day. I'm hoping that will resolve with longer use. Do you know if that sleepy side effect improves? I'm currently taking 25mg in the AM and 50mg in the PM.

I remember reading somewhere that it can affect the salivary glands, and have noted some excessive dry mouth off and on. Yikes! I'll have to watch out for that.

I was on it for two years in high school, and the only time I can remember from those years are when I see pictures. And if there aren't pictures, it didn't happen. I also lost a ton of weight and became underweight and had to gain it all back. So, it really sucked.

I take Lexapro and for awhile I tried topamax. It made me very ill to the point where I was nauseous all the time so I stopped taking it. Usually I don't have any negative reactions to medications so I was surprised the Topamax affected me like it did.

I take 25mg in the morning and at bedtime for migraines. I lost a couple of pounds when I first started it. I often forget one of my daily doses, but luckily don't experience ill effects because of that. I get dry mouth, some minimal hair loss, the soda thing, fuzzy memory at times, and the worst one for me, tingling extremities (mostly hands).

None of these side effects are prohibitive or so uncomfortable that I've stopped taking the med. The alternative is certainly worse, as my headaches are incapacitating and occur much more often without the med.

Hi!

I take a high dosage of Topamax. I have a history of seizures, so that's why I'm on it. I've been on it for quite some time. I'm now 4 years seizure-free! I also experience the sleepiness that others have mentioned, but I take another medication to counteract that. I'll take sleepiness over seizures though!

Hated it. It made me stupid and I couldn't do my job as well, not to mention I was tired all the time. I think I was on 75 mg/(25 mg a day). Also had metallic taste any time I drank carbonated beverages. Didn't lose any weight. I guess it wasn't for me, but whatever works for you!

I don't know if there is any point putting in my experience since this was posted a month ago but I thought I would go ahead.

I have been on it for approx. 2 years. I was put on it because of cluster headaches and the mood stabilizing effects. I heard it is supposed to have weight loss effects but it never happened to me. I started on 25mg and titrated up to 100 mg. At first I had the problem with the bad taste of the carbonated beverages but I don't know if it was because I switched to generic or if I just got used to it because it doesn't bother me now. I had the tingling in the hands and feet but that too eventually went away. Now we come to the problem that developed over time...the "stupids". They actually have a nick name for the pill" dopamax. Several times a day I will be talking and forget the simplest words. If my friend is with me she will usually fill the word in for me if not I usually try to make up some excuse as to why I am fumbling and pick a word to fill in and hope I don't sound like too much of an idiot. I remember when I first started it I read about a girl who said she was asking her husband to get her husband to get her a hamburger and she could not remember the word for hamburger so she had to describe it to him. I thought she had to be exaggerating. Now I completely believe it.

haha yes! I too am on dopamax and have the case of the stupids. I am so glad i don't work or i'd probably be fired because of howm stupid these pills make me. It's a wonder i can still walk straight. Oh wait, having issues with that now too. I originally went on it to counteract the side effect of resperdal for weight gain... kinda even it out. Now I'm not so sure if I want to keep on dealing with the stupids...

missed this thread too...been taking topamax for about 2 months for migranes. i worked up from 25mg to 100mg daily. i get the tingling in the fingers and toes, soda and other carbonated beverages taste nasty (but thats ok, i don't drink soda often anyway), and i occasionally forget if i did something- like did i take my keys, my pills, did i call this person back etc- i don't forget words or anything like that. i tend to tolerate medication well though.

I was on it in high school. I don't remember the exact dosage, but it was ridiculously high. especially for a kid.

I lost a lot of weight, but I think that had more to do with my eating disorder than the actual drug. Since that's the most popularly discussed side effect...I used it as a coverup for not eating. So nobody was worried about me, they just figured it was because of the drug, not because I had a problem.

I don't know if this is the case with any other people who've been on it, but yeah. I took it for over a year, and finally couldn't take it anymore. It just made me so tuned out and depressed. All I wanted to do was sleep, and it didn't even cure the migraines or seizures!!!

My mom has been on 100 mg for a year or so, and lost a LOT of weight. I don't know how many pounds, but I always go through her closet when I go home and she's gone from a size 16-18 to a 6-8. I don't think she works out, so I'm guessing it's all been through diet, and she attributes most of it to the Topomax.

I have been taking Effexor XR for over a year now. The side effects I have read and had a friend tell me about are insane. Some people say it feels like your brain is getting zapped. I have been reading about people literally opening the capsules and taking 3 grains of the meds out a day to ween themselves off with less side effects. Now when I went off Prozac to Effexor I came off quickly... to quickly. I remember at one point passing around my kitchen talking to myself about how crazy I was and doing these weird hand movements. Took a couple days to have it go away. When they say always consult a physician before stopping meds... they mean it! I have an apt Tues to start coming off mine. I have found that all the side effects that were in the way like drowsiness and what not went away after a week. Good luck but please be safe.;)

My mom was put on it about a month ago for weight loss. She pretty quickly became so confused and unable to form thoughts and to get any kind of coherent sentence that any of us could understand. She constantly couldn't find the word she wanted or she'd go off some strange tangent only she understood. She was just taken off it and she's getting better with the "stupids" but we'll see.

Topamax
 

When I was fourteen years old, I started high school and my doctor started me on Vyvanse for my ADD. A couple months later, I had a little accident and hit my head and suffered from various things that were really not that pleasant. With a combination of the accident, my ADD, and other complaints of my moodiness, sleepiness, and "depression," my doctor thought it was best to put me on Topamax. I started on with 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg in the evening regiment but I never would remember the evening one. Eventually we bumped the 25s to 50s, still never remembered the evening regiment. I don't remember feeling very many bad days. I lost a great deal of weight, going from a size 12 to a size 8-7, and gaining a lot of confidence. I eventually stopped taking the medication because a boyfriend had me convinced that medication "wasn't natural." I did not ever feel any severe withdrawal from the medication.
I stopped taking it when I was about sixteen. Now that I'm closer to eighteen years old and up to a size 16-18, my doctor and I decided that it was in my best interest to start me on these medications again. However, instead of adjusting me to them, I was added to 70 mg of Vyvanse (which I adjusted to quite nicely) and 50 mg of topamax 2x daily. Evidently, I am a little more responsible now and I remember to take it in the evening. However, I also now, for the first time, notice a lot more of the side effects hitting me harder and for longer than I previously remember. It's only been a week, so I'm giving my body and the medicine the benefit of the doubt.
We'll see where this all goes in a few month's time.

I know this is old but I was searching and if anyone has taken it recently I'd like to hear more as I started last week. I do get a little spacey but not bad. No tingles or anything horrible. All I can say is I've been working out 5x a week and eating healthy and I put on 50+ lbs due to antipsychotics so my doc prescribed Topamax. Before Topamax I was losing 1 pound A MONTH. Literally. This last WEEK I lost 2 pounds like a normal person. I'm so excited. I am also taking Biotin to help the hair loss just in case!