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Recently my doctor added topamax to my existing buspirone and welbutrin prescriptions. This is primarily for weight loss and treatment of binge eating episodes, along with other benefits like being relatively inexpensive. I had started out on 25mg twice a day and after sleeping more or less all day straight the first three days and some digestive effects in the first couple of weeks I seem to have settled down to no side effects. Today he doubled my dosage after I seemed to be responding to the medication and reported the lack of side effects. While I realize I'm still on a very low dosage and I for the most part trust my doctor's assessment that at this point the risk of developing noticeable side effects is still low, given all the various fun things on the list I am starting to become concerned about the possibility. So reading over the list again today it occurred to me that I don't actually know what exact symptoms are being described by stupid or cognitive impairment. Possibilities I can think of include working memory issues, attention or concentration deficit, difficulty with mathematical thought, and just a general slowing of thought processes independent of any memory issues. I'm sure I could think of more things that could fit the description if I spent a bit more time on it. Can anyone help with clearing things up a bit?

I'm currently on a cocktail of Seroquel XR at 600 mg and Lamictal at 150 mg. My Seroquel dose got this high because of a mixed episode, so as of now, thats likely where I'll stay for a while to keep things stable. I was at 400 mg which not only lacked the sedation of lower doses, but also came with a lessened appetite. But that all came back when I bumped up to 600 mg. I've put on 10-ish pounds or so in a month, and I'm not thrilled. I asked my doctor for a Metformin Rx to help with the metabolic side effects. She was hesitant, but agreed I may need something and actually leaned more towards Topamax instead. She wants me to try 1 more month of dieting and exercise to see if I can manage without adding another med. Now I'm leaning towards Topamax, since maybe it could have mood stabilizing properties to it, in addition to curbing appetite and helping me lose weight. I'm not overweight by any means, but I'm definitely hyper-vigilant about my body and tend to...obsess. Has anyone taken Topamax and found that it (1) helped with appetite or weight control and (2) had positive effects on their illness?

Hello, it has been awhile! Well, my old psychiatrist retired and I am now stuck with a new one. A tele-med provider. Without really letting me know if they read my chart (they even made mistakes when asking what meds I was on now) they prescribed me topamax to take alongside my usual anxiety med due to (duh) increase in anxiety. They said the added benefit would be that I would be able to lose weight as well, since my previous meds made me...ahem, chunky. And I told them I have body issues. Here's the thing. I did a little research about the weight loss and all studies said that it was beneficial to those who were bulimic or over eaters. I have history, and deal with restrictive eating. Making my appetite less would be a very stupid move in my opinion. My other concern is that there is a side effect where your eyes can suffer permanent damage. Not likely of course, but it is noted. I have a degenerative eye problem and I feel that it would be risky to take something that could make my eyesight worse. Of course there is the caveat that if I notice anything like that I can stop the med, but would my eyes regain the vision they "lost"? I talked to a pharmacist today and they told me it would be very unlikely that I would have any visions problems other than blurriness and that most symptoms are dizziness, hard time focusing, etc the usual. They kind of glossed over the eating part too, saying to just talk to my provider. I have an appointment in a month, and with the Holidays coming up, I decided not to start taking the topamax so as not to ruin any festivities I hope to have with my family. I guess I just needed to vent a bit because it doesn't seem like my new provider is listening to what I have to tell them...since they keep asking me things that are in my chart already! I miss my old psychiatrist a lot, and don't like this new tele-med set up. In any case, I would love to hear from others who have taken topamax for anxiety and how it worked for them. I know everyone is different, but I'd like to get some feedback nonetheless. Poem

Hi - started and stopped topamax 4 years ago after a three month trial of hell. I experienced all the terrible side effects like Alice in Wonderland, suicidal depression/thoughts, inability to sleep, etc. What I noticed after detoxing was that I experienced a metallic smell sometimes after getting up after lying down or bending over and toeing my shoe for instance. This has continued over the last four years and it is very brief but reminds me of the metallic taste associated with the drug. Given that information, I have also experienced extreme drug hypersensitivity since stopping Topamax. I have trialed 10+ other drugs and experience the same intolerable side effects on the lowest of doses. Side effects include racing heart, palpitations, and muscle or subclavian vein or arterial tremors across the left upper chest. Eventually after 3-5 days on every drug (Klonopin, Depakote, Gabapentin, Effexor XR, Nori/Ami, verapamil, etc.),this effect occurs where it seems like my system becomes overloaded and I experience withdrawl and inefficacy of the medicine similar to stopping an SSRI without the brain zaps. Thus, every drug works for my migraine condition but is intolerable after a handful of days. FEEDBACK HERE PLEASE: My hypothesis is that Topamax has permanently affected my l-type voltage calcium channels, sodium channels, GABA and/or something else, and thus why I experience this same effect with every medicine and why I have the metallic smell still since taking the medicine. I am sure my neurologist would think I am crazy but these are the same asses that said my migraine vertigo/vestibular migraine disorder was simply anxiety or allergies. I use to heavily "experiment/use" pharmas recreationally and now I cannot tolerate even a .5mg or .25mg of Klonopin once a day. This is simply unbelievable to me and the above is the only potenial reason why aside from some type of brain change due to the migraine disorder. REFERENCES BELOW. I would appreciate any feedback on my hypothesis and potential methods to detox even given the long period of time since ingesting this terrible mess. a)Voltage Dependent Calcium Channel Blockers b)Negative modulatory effect on L-type calcium channels Thanks!

Sorry to keep going on about side effects, I just want to know. Has anyone had substantial (diffuse, all over perhaps) hair loss from any of the AED's, that upon quitting that medication, eventually that hair loss reversed and it regrew? I know it sounds vain, and hair isn't everything to most people... but can it grow back - its diffuse loss for me right now. I am male, just turned 30. I don't have a recession or if I do its very mild. My hair had loss before, but it was controlled - and was due to Adderall just being on that a couple days actually (as strange as that may sound). BUT being on lamotrigine, years later - my hair no longer looks good, and is straw like and very thin. I had 80% of my hair and it looked amazing, as I started with a thick full head of hair. You could see expanded part lines and such when I had the incident on Adderall. ANd then I switched to Dexedrine eventually and used some Spironolactone cream at nights, to prevent shedding. When off Dexedrine I barely shed. Same with other meds. Dexedrine was less bad than Adderall. So that was my mid to late 20's hair and medication wise. And in the last winter till April, I really tried to "get used" to the side effects of Lamictal, but I couldn't. I liked it and it did make me feel more resilient and grounded and calm and less depressed - but it simply wasn't good for me to have the side effects. They were affecting my self-esteem. I've been off of it since April 22 I think, and I hope hair regrows. I am now on Finasteride - and have been since January, but am taking a small break from that and then restarting it at a micro dose (as they have similar DHT inhibition anyways, and hopefully I can reduce side effects). I didn't even realize that I was losing hair on Lamotrigine, until at least a few weeks later or a month or so. I was more concerned with the death rash, and the other side effects. EDIT: This is really disheartening... I guess it doesn't often reverse with Lamictal? I've read studies showing it's rare.

Hi everybody, I'm new here and this is my first post! I am a binge eater and have struggled with BED for roughly the past five years. I have always been slightly overweight, as is my entire family, and we also have a history of yoyo-dieting and eating disorders in the family. My sister and brother were both nearly hospitalised as a result of anorexia, and I too went through a time on which I can now look back and say that I was anorexic and obsessed with exercise as a means to rid my body of what I had eaten. I am an opera singer, and while i was studying opera in 2012, I developed nodules on my vocal cords and had to withdraw from my course and all current and future engagements I had lined up. I was terribly depressed and anxious about what the future might hold, but mostly bored, and so I ate, and ate and ate. I gained and dropped weight over the next few years as food became a crutch for my anxiety--I tried to eat mainly salads and high protein meals, but whenever things went wrong and i felt chaotic and without a sense of centre, I would reach for food I didn't even really want. I would buy binge foods and eat them in secret in my room or in my car, or in (cringe) public bathrooms, and sometimes i would come to my senses half way through eating a supermarket bag full of food and go and throw the lot in the trash ( a huge waste). I went to see a CBT therapist who painstakingly tried to drag details of a tortured childhood (which i didn't have) from me, as a way to get to the bottom of it, and then gave me some mental exercises and an 'emotion wheel' worksheet to fill out at home whenever I felt a binge coming on. But I felt silly and like a pathetic child with a colouring book so I never really committed to that. Then phentermine (in the form of the pill duromine) came into my life, and I became addicted to it. I lost a ton of weight, and when it stopped working I doubled and then tripled the dose, making sure to fit in a bikram class, kickboxing class and 10km every single day on an almost empty stomach. I also became obsessed with the idea of intermittent fasting and would go days at a time not eating a thing. But i felt confident and happy and finally myself, free from the physical and emotional burden of extra weight. But of course, this rosy existence couldn't last for long. i knew I needed to stop taking phentermine because it was dangerous, and I was obtaining it illegally, and I had also noticed it was affecting my voice negatively and totally drying out my throat. I moved to scotland to study my masters in opera, and the first few months in this totally different environment, having to make friends and 'prove myself' as a singer in the international opera school there.. well, it was intimidating. And I ate, continuously and with reckless abandon, and gained weight. I was prescribed a combination of topirimate (starting at 25mg and worked up to 100mg every evening) and wellbutrin (150mg twice daily). Eventually I felt more settled, opened a gym contract and even got a lovely boyfriend who i eventually moved in with. i never really felt the medication made a difference, but I was feeling happier and more relaxed and so stopped taking it. I did continue to gain weight, and to eat foods that were previously 'forbidden', but I wasn't bingeing. Fast forward to now-- I have been living in Italy for a month and a half, taking a course in opera directing, and I would estimate I have binged on average 5 out of every 7 days I've been here. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I feel so isolated and anxious and unsettled and I cannot stop EATING. I always find it difficult getting used to a new place, and it is extra difficult when it is a foreign country, although I am semi-fluent in Italian. I do still have topamax and wellbutrin with me and have started to take it again. I think it is working and I don't feel nearly as hungry-- I don't feel that uncontrollable urge to binge-- But I am still bingeing. Why? I still feel like I HAVE to do it for some reason. The habit is so engrained. if there is food in the cupboard and the fridge, it must be eaten (even if it's something I don't like). I go to the supermarket, stand around for hours trying to make the 'right' decisions, end up making some slightly dubious ones, take it all home and eat the lot. I am unable to save things for later, or for instance, buy a slab of chocolate and consume a piece or two after dinner. I am still in the gym most days, and love to run, swim and lift weights--it makes me feel light and powerful and free--but I'm sabotaging myself every day with this terrible condition and I need to kick it.

Hey All, I'm newly diagnosed with what my pshychiatrist put to me as "mild bipolar", whatever the hell that means, but I've had depression and severe anxiety disorder for years. I've been taking 300mg wellbutrin for my anxiety for a few years now, and I've been on 200mg Topamax for chronic migraines for almost 4 years. My new Psychiatrist just added Lamictal to my regimen today to try to aid with my mood swings. Has anyone been on this combo before? And Did it help? just looking for info on what I might be expecting. Thanks ?

I went inpatient back in June and the doctor there added depakote er 1000mg to my regimen along with rexulti 2mg to go with the zoloft 100mg, and topamax 100mg twice a day that I was taking. It was working wonders. I was finally stable. I was also very sleepy. My original pdoc said if depakote er at 1000mg made me too sleepy then to try it at 500mg or one tablet at bedtime. I have been scared to do that because it was working so well! But, I was sleeping all day and all night also. This week, i decided to take my pdoc suggestion and try it at 500mg at bedtime. I am a little more awake but I still need a caffeine jolt in the mornings or I am down. What I have noticed is that I am quickly pushed into mania (I get so much housework done!!!!) And I stay wired until I take my ambien at night to go to sleep. I have done this since probably Tuesday or Wednesday when I started. Now today was different. Today, was more complicated as it was .... more on the depressed side. My husband asked me what was wrong and I said nothing and everything! The slightest thing could go wrong and wreck my entire world and I started bawling. I haven't felt like that since I started taking my new regimen. I am fixing to go back to the way I was taking it before, it's just overwhelming thait feels like I have to choose between stability and the ability to function!

What medications have you found that have worked for binge eating disorder or bulimia? Topamax kinda helps, but I hate the side effects (depression, hair loss, slowed thinking, tiredness, etc....) and was wondering if anybody else had success with any other medications. Or if you've found ways to deal with the cognitive side effects of topamax? Thank you.

Hello, I have been having issues for the last 15 years or so, and I am 29 now. I started with a Dx of MD and I was loaded with a deep depression, rage, and anger. Self-loathing, despair yada yada. Anyways, after a while it progresses due to life. November last year I speak with my pcp and break down in tears because I can no longer handle my life. I was not suicidal, yet, but more than overwhelmed to the point I was beginning to worry I might hurt one of my children without realizing it. Action before thought... he put me on risperdal. It worked like a dream after I adjusted. Not fully but I was much better. I began going to therapy, and seeing a pdoc? And had a psych eval done and was Dx as being bipolar 1, general anxiety,, and ptsd. The risperdal, while it helped, I felt it still needed tweaking of some sort or something added to it. I also gained 50 lbs with it. I was already on zoloft btw) I was still randomly raging and crying. Temper exploding. The first pdoc put me on celexa with the risperdal and zoloft to try. It made me beyond super happy. I was so happy it felt like I could fly. It was a terrible wonderful feeling. It was terrible because if the tiniest thing did not go my way then I would just blow up at the drop of a hat. I already had an appointment with a different pdoc that my pcp made that I had planned to keep so I went in. The first one scared me anyways. She was..overwhelming. this one had a ponytail. He said celexa made me manic and took me off of it. And just increased my zoloft to 100mg. I didn't feel any different. I tried making an appointment with him after I received my dx about changing my meds somehow because I was gaining so much and that was depressing me too. Next available appointment was 5 months away and before I couldn't get through when I had trouble with wellbutrin side effects (forgot about that one) so I changed pdoc again this time to the place I go to therapy at. I so far like this doc. She seems human enough. Smiled. Laughed. I think I even stopped shaking. I told her my issue with weight gain and meds not working fully. She switched me from risperdal (cold turkey) to abilify 5mg and topamax 50mg twice a day. I had massive withdrawals and mixed episodes for over a week. Fought and argued with my husband, made him feel like shit. It was like my mouth was out of control. My mind was racing o fast I could think. I screamed and yelled. I threw things. I hated. I isolated myself. I shook worse than usual. I cried for no reason. I cried about everything. I considered and daydreamed about suicide. I even shoved my dad and I have NEVER raised a hand against my parents. Now my therapist is considering asking my pdoc about how I might do with lithium. I'm beginning to be leery of med changes, but I'm still not sure how abilify and topamax will work for me as they are still working into my system. I tried going inpatient. Didn't meet criteria. Sorry this was so long winded, I'm still mixed/manic...

I apologize if this has already been posted.. I'm newly diagnosed as bipolar 1. I took risperdal 2mg for about 5 months along with zoloft 100mg. I tried not to miss it because I tended to get even cranking than I was when I did take it. Then I started taking Risperdal 3mg but I was still a grouchy old hag half the time, but was gaining a lot of weight...that's besides the point. I now take abilify 5mg and topamax 50mg twice a day. Friday night I fell asleep early and accidentally forgot to take my medicine. It was totally unintentional. I woke up the next day in the very very best of moods. I had sooo much energy. I was so happy I got on my own nerves? Could have randomly burst into song days? I explained to my husband that it felt good but it was a scary and terrible thing because that state is so unpredictable. I did end up doing and saying some very regrettable things that night that warranted a trip to the hospital but I refused. Anyways, long story short, I switched from one antipsychotic to another. Why does missing one make me super mean altogether and the latter one make me start offeuphoric until set off by any triggers? Then I became violent/hostile with SI. I was mouthy on risperdal, but with this new combo I destroyed my kitchen! With a broomstick! And the things coming out of my mouth have been even worse :/

I apologize if this has already been posted.. I'm newly diagnosed as bipolar 1. I took risperdal 2mg for about 5 months along with zoloft 100mg. I tried not to miss it because I tended to get even cranking than I was when I did take it. Then I started taking Risperdal 3mg but I was still a grouchy old hag half the time, but was gaining a lot of weight...that's besides the point. I now take abilify 5mg and topamax 50mg twice a day. Friday night I fell asleep early and accidentally forgot to take my medicine. It was totally unintentional. I woke up the next day in the very very best of moods. I had sooo much energy. I was so happy I got on my own nerves? Could have randomly burst into song days? I explained to my husband that it felt good but it was a scary and terrible thing because that state is so unpredictable. I did end up doing and saying some very regrettable things that night that warranted a trip to the hospital but I refused. Anyways, long story short, I switched from one antipsychotic to another. Why does missing one make me super mean altogether and the latter one make me start offeuphoric until set off by any triggers? Then I became violent/hostile with SI. I was mouthy on risperdal, but with this new combo I destroyed my kitchen! With a broomstick! And the things coming out of my mouth have been even worse :/

Hey! This is actually my first time creating a topic, but I've been googling this all day. I have medicare, so it's super hard for me to get a hold of my neurologist when I want to! He actually has to get special permission from the hospital to call me because I have an out-of-state number (whhhhaaaaattt!?), so I'm turning to you guys for some help and hopefully peace of mind in the meantime. I just started taking Topamax for migraines a couple months ago and went from an initial 50 mg to 25 mg a day when my pop culture trivia started going out the door. Everything seemed to be going a lot smoother minus a few *regular* headaches every so often UNTIL the past week. Suddenly, I finally started getting that pins & needles side effect I had been warned about... or at least I think that's what it is... My feet seem to be tingling on and off for the whole day sometimes. I try to drink a whole glass of water when I take the pill too. Sometimes the pain is actually painful and distracting. I'm a bit worried this is neuropathy and not a side effect as my grandfather had diabetes and hashimoto's thyroid disease runs in my family....BUT I'm led to believe that topamax is given to patients suffering FROM neuropathy sometimes?? Sooooo....does this type of tingling as a side effect sound normal? Do some people feel the tingling on and off for the whole day and is it almost painful or actually painful for some people??

My insurance pooped out and it's going to be another day or so before I can fill my dexedrine prescription. I'm entirely out. In the past, when I've tried to take a break, I've experienced crushing depression, even after a day. I've read it can start after 12 hours, and I took my last dose around noon today. Hopefully will be able to pick up more tomorrow afternoon, but I'm worried that I will go way down and not even be able to leave the house to get to the pharmacy (agoraphobia/depression). So I've taken the advice I've read online: tyrosine every two hours, continuation of clonazepam, and magnesium/b/c. Wondering if I can (or should) combine it with one of the other many drugs I have around the house that I've previously taken: Topamax (saw clinical study showing that has been shown effective in preventing relapse in meth addicts) Olanzapine Cymbalta/duloxetine (saw some doctors prescribe for this purpose) An increase of the celexa I currently take Trazadone (again, saw that is recommended) Does anyone know whether this would be advisable, on a very short-term basis, given the other meds I take (hopefully included in my signature). Would really appreciate any help to head off crippling depression tomorrow (or even longer, depending on how long my damn insurance company takes to get it together). Thanks.

Why would lithium exacerbate o.c. symptoms? There's several small studies, as well as numerous anecdotal accounts, of other mood-stabilizers being helpful with o.c. symptoms. Lamictal and topamax in particular. However, I've read that lithium can exacerbate o.c. symptoms? Does anyone know if it does the opposite of inhibiting glutamate perhaps?

I've come across a few academic papers that seem to give hope to people with treatment refractory OCD. These papers suggest that not all OCD may be serotonin-related, and may be related more to high levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate. In which case a number of drugs could show potential benefit. Has anyone here given any a try?

For anyone who is successfully using Topamax for mood stabilization, how long did it take after you first started taking it for the mood effects to start being noticeable? Thanks in advance.

I have heard of some studies done in which Topamax has been investigated for the efficacy in treating alcohol dependence, cocaine dependence, etc. (I don't have any citations off the top of my head, but after college I worked in an addiction research center, and one of the psychiatrists was running a study on using Topamax for treatment of alcohol abuse. I have also separately heard that Topamax can help with "impulsive behaviors" in general (binge/purge, self-harm, etc). Has anyone ever used it for purposes of reducing substance cravings and/or specifically to target impulsive behaviors? I have been struggling with substance abuse (DXM/"robotripping") with increasing lengths of abstinent time, but still using impulsively and having cravings. I also struggle with self-harm and binging behaviors with very rare purging (hx of full blown bulimia-- I'm afraid with increasing sobriety (12 days clean) that my ED and self-harm behaviors will exacerbate. I was on Topamax before for about 10 months, and it seemed to have a positive impact on my binge eating, at the very least. I was not having substance use problems then, so I can't comment with that. It probably helped with mood stability to an extent. (I'm not bipolar, more like borderline personality traits or full blown BPD, depending on which provider you ask, so a mood stabilizer is not imperative nor are medications the cure-all). And to top it off, I had less frequent headaches (working with gdoc to figure out if the chronic headaches are migraine, tension, or combined). And the Lamictal headache had not seemed to truly go away-- I always have at least a dull headache to an extent. My current pdoc doesn't have much experience with Topamax, so that was part of the reason for the switch from Topamax to Lamictal. (The other reason was I wanted to go on the BC pill, but boy was that a disaster!) I was thinking about talking to her about Topamax again and seeing if we can trade out the Lamictal for the Topamax. But I wanted to get some feedback about whether anyone here has used it for addiction, self-harm, binge eating/EDNOS, PTSD and BPD symptoms, etc. Thanks!

I'd been on Topamax for migraines for several months (25mg - it worked). I started itching intensely - first my scalp and then my crotch. I didn't make the connection until I forgot my meds one day. The next day - no itching. At all. It was amazing. (The migraine sucked, but not itching was GREAT!) I forgot the meds a second time about six weeks later and, again, the itching went away suddenly like someone flipped a switch. (That time I didn't get a migraine.) I thought I could hack the itching, but it got so bad I scratched my scalp to the point of bleeding in my sleep. I told the doc I could not continue and she had me switch to Depakote that night (250mg, with the idea of titrating up). The first two days the itching backed off, then came back much worse than before. I also had intermittent intense burning sensations on my butt cheeks - so painful that I actually jumped up and ran around the house! Also, my toilet was full of blood every time I pooped. Six days after I stared, I stopped the Depakote. My doctor is only in one day a week so I could not reach her but I left a message. That was five days ago. I expected the itching and burning to stop. It hasn't. For a few nights I'd been able to stop the itching in my nether regions when I went to bed by putting ice on my crotch, but that no longer works. I woke up tonight with burning pain there and I'm currently in such pain that I can't sleep. Again, no rash. My scalp itches, my back itches, my outer thighs itch. I'm terrified that the depakote did something permanent. Have you had this happen and if so, how long did it take to go away after you stopped the meds? Is this permanent? Because I'd take the migraines any day over this! (Yes, I am calling the doctor tomorrow - but when I told her about the itching she didn't seem to think it was that big a deal so I'm concerned she won't take me seriously and will just think I'm being a baby.)

Hey Everyone, I know this has been addressed somewhere on here but I have been doing a search for 30 minutes and I cannot find the thread anywhere. My periods have become really irregular since increasing my Topamax to 100mgs and my Lamictal to 200mgs. I'm actually supposed to continue to titrate my Topamax up to 200mgs (but I might discuss this with pdoc next week at my appointment as I feel like I'm doing really well where I'm at now). I have absolutely no other side effects. I don't even have the flat soda taste or the tingling or the "dopey" forgetting from the Topamax. I've been on the Lamictal at 200mgs for longer than the Topa, which is why I suspected the Topa, since I just started increasing the Topa the past two months (25 mgs every 2 weeks- we wanted to do it slowly after a long time on 25mgs with no results there). Prior to the change in meds I have always had a very regular periods so this is weird for me. Also, I have all of the symptoms and signs that I'm going to have my period, but it just doesn't come. Headaches, breast tenderness, slight cramps, but then nothing. I know that I'm not pregnant because I haven't had sex in months and recently had a pregnancy test at the ob/gyn for my annual checkup which was obviously negative. So, I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this or if it is a known side effect of either Topamax or Lamictal. I had not experienced this side effect until I got up to 100mgs. I have been researching the internet but I can't really find this as a "side effect" just some conflicting experiences from people who are on the drugs for different reasons. Thanks in advance for any advice!

...have actually experienced the most common side effects of this medication? Dizziness? Forgetfulness? Numbness? Weight Loss? Ive read the info and was just wondering. Also, does this help you with sleep? Or does it make you restless?

I am trying to step down off of Topamax and it is aggravating my GAD like crazy! I am having heart palpitations and crying spells and winding up yelling at people. I am having a really hard time calming down! I am already on 45 milligrams of BuSpar per day, I don't want to go on anything habit forming because I am an alcoholic in recovery. My anxiety has been out of hand for months! I have started to trying "mind/body" work to get the anxiety under control, like affirmations and working out and stuff, but I don't know if that will be as effective as just going on some stronger drugs. Have any of you had success with mind/body work, or should I just bite the bullet and call my doc to get some stronger meds?

I binge eat. I recovered for a couple of years, and then relapsed hard this fall. My psychiatrist put me on generic Topamax at the end of November. I've been titrating up very slowly (about 25 mg/week), although I went up about 50 mg/week this week. I'm at 300 mg. a week now. Things got a little better at about 75 mg. Compulsive eating habits (overeating at meals, thinking about binging and food all day) went away. The big evening binges, although they are not as big or as frequent, remain, and have not improved since about 150 mg. Part of the problem is that I still f***-ing enjoy them (sigh). To me, this means it's not working all the way yet. So, my question to anyone who has taken Topamax for binge eating/bulimia: 1. Did it work for you? 2. What did "working" mean? (Did you no longer have urges? Did you have them but no longer act on them? Were they reduced or completely gone?) 3. At what dosage did it work? 4. How long did you take it, and if you went off of it, did your symptoms come back? 5. Were side effects a big issue? I'm debating whether to throw in the towel on this drug. I've gone on PubMed and read study after study and it sounds very effective, but I need some anecdotes from the trenches. Thanks!