treklexa Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Hi. I'm sorry if this is already in the forums but I couldn't find anything on it. Everything I googled for Topamax turned up nightmares as a side effect. I'm a little confused. I was prescribed this med today to prevent frequent nightmares. I feel weird about taking it because I'm already on 3 meds (well, 4 including PRN). I know some people are on much more, but this is all kinda new to me. 10 weeks ago, I wasn't really on anything. Right now I'm on Lamictal, Spironolactone, Birth Control (Orth Tri Cyclen), and Ambien PRN. My pdoc told me once we get to 300mg Lamictal he will prescribe me an anti-anxiety med (which I am very much looking forward to). I asked him how it helps prevent nightmares and he said no one knows. He is a great doc and I trust him. I'm just not comfortable being on all these meds at once. Especially when everything I dig up on Topamax has nothing to do with actually preventing nightmares, but causing it. Knowing that I'll be getting another med rx in the near future, I wonder if I should just try to stick it out for now? I mean, if I had less anxiety and was on optimal Lamictal dosage, wouldn't the nightmares possibly subside because of the anxiety subsiding? I'm wondering if anyone has experience with taking Topamax for nightmares. And I'm wondering if it is in my best interest to take it, or if not, how can I go about telling him I don't want to be on it? I feel like I'd be insulting his expertise or something. And does my theory about nightmares subsiding due to less anxiety make sense? I'm wondering if I should just stick it out and ditch the Topamax. I will deal with horrifying nightmares if it means I can get through the day easier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have never heard of this usage, but I think there is actually a different med that is prescribed for preventing nighmares that I can't remember the name of. This is very confusing. I think some people here have taken it, they may chime in. Did you call and ask your doctor about it? I would. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenllama Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have never heard of this usage, but I think there is actually a different med that is prescribed for preventing nighmares that I can't remember the name of. This is very confusing. I think some people here have taken it, they may chime in. Anna I've not taken it but are you talking about Prazosin (sp) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blart752 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 For me topamax made my experiences subjectively much more vivid, so say i was watching a tv program, i would get frightened by things like spiders(well this one recluse spider) or tarantulas. So, these made my nightmares that more vivid, and actually gave me nightmares since everything was pretty clear. For me, with lamictal so far there has been no nightmares. and im glad im on lamictal instead of gabapentin, even though both helped with nightmares, I was just too stupid on gabapentin to think clear enough at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NullChamber Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 it looks like topamax can do both, prevention and cause.. though cause seems to come up more often. (regarding prevention) you might want to look through this http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC1088011/ if i were you i'd try not to worry so much to not make things more difficult than they need to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treklexa Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Ok thanks, everyone, for your input. To answer some questions, my thyroid is normal. My doctor is aware. He knows everything that's going on with me and he's very knowledgeable about meds so I figured he was doing it in my best interest. I'm glad I'm not the only one confused by this. I do realize the it can prescribed for other things "as your health care provider determines is necessary". I guess it falls under this category. NullChamber - thank you for the link. I had actually read some of that, but only glanced over the main points. I think it would be worth while to go back and read everything else as well. Anyway, I've started taking it regardless of how apprehensive I am. So I'll see how things turn out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazynotstupid Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Anyway, I've started taking it regardless of how apprehensive I am. So I'll see how things turn out... Yes, let us know. Mileage varies! I've never had any dream effects from it either way, you may have some benefit or not. I've said it a hundred times: this is one hell of a wacky med. Damn unpredictable. One of those "you don't know til you try" things. If it doesn't work or makes things worse, call your doc ASAP. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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