jenpolar Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I'm starting Topamax- tonight will be my first dose. With every med change I am hopeful, but yet a bit scared. Especially with side effects. Does anyone have any first hand experience with this medication? If so, what do you like? What don't you like? Did you lose weight? My psychiatrist said that a common side effect would be weightloss- which would be awesome. Anyone lose weight on this? Any info would be appreciated. Crossing my fingers! Just coming off of Saphris..awesome drug, but my mind goes non-stop on it. Not for me! -Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Topamax gave me prickly pins and needles on my hands and feet. It didn't help me, but it might agree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitohoney Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Topamax works for me and I did lose weight at first! Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meganhalley Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I read somewhere that it really only works to help you lose weight if you already have glycemic issues, which I do, so in that regard, it helped. It also makes me dumber than a box of rocks, hence my affectionate name for it: dopamax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurf2050 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 terrible crazy making drug for me. I think I was allergic. Got a rash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 What are you going to be using it for? I started taking topiramate in 2008. Originally my pdoc wanted to use it as a mood stabilizer. I was taking 50 mgs twice a day. The side effects were awful. Nausea, a feeling like sea sickness, stomach pain, other GI issues, and big time stupids. I would be useless for a couple of hours after taking the afternoon dose, really sedated and brain fogged. And I did lose weight at first, probably because I was queasy and had stomach pain every single second of the day. I would eat two bites of something and be full. But I wasn't at all overweight to start with, so that was kind of bad. I had to stop taking the daytime dose. Couldn't function at my job,and I was working full time at that point. The side effects went on for two months, and then just went away. I stayed at 50 mgs a day, at bedtime, until last fall,when we upped it to 62.5. This involved cutting pills. So! That's the shitty part. And the other bad news is that it doesn't really work for me for mood stabilization. It does, however, work as a treatment for my anger/irritability. This fact was confirmed for me last summer when I inadvertently switched generics for a while and found that the new one didn't work. It also has worked as migraine prophylaxis. I think I've only had three or so migraines since I started it. I've found it a good medication all in all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyheart19 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Hey Jen, I love Topamax! My doctor and I use it as a mood stabilizer and it really helps out a lot. Despite the other meds I take, I was still experiencing symptoms of both poles (specifically suicidal thoughts and high energy/takativeness) nearly every day. It really has stopped my rapid cycling right in it's tracks. The addition of it has made me much more functional. I did not lose weight on it, however it did keep my appetite in check. I didn't find myself overeating in times that I normally would (around my period). The only real side effects I experienced on it was prickling/tickling in my hands and feet and an aversion toward soda pop (lol) but those both eventually faded with time. I hope your experience with Topamax is as positive as mine has been! P.S. My sister has fibromyalgia also takes Topamax to help with her migraines. She still gets migraines but they are not as frequent as they used to be. And now that I think about it, I don't remember the last time I had a headache. So that might be an added bonus as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essbe Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Topamax gave me prickly pins and needles on my hands and feet. It didn't help me, but it might agree with you. I definitely have this problem. Dealing with pins in my heels as we speak. It also makes carbonated drinks taste really odd. Not such a bad thing as I could always drink less coke! I lost quite a bit of weight on it the first time I was taking it (was on it and Welbutrin alone). Now I'm taking it along with Seroquel and Pristiq and it's not having as much of an effect on appetite at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpolar Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 What are you going to be using it for? I started taking topiramate in 2008. Originally my pdoc wanted to use it as a mood stabilizer. I was taking 50 mgs twice a day. The side effects were awful. Nausea, a feeling like sea sickness, stomach pain, other GI issues, and big time stupids. I would be useless for a couple of hours after taking the afternoon dose, really sedated and brain fogged. And I did lose weight at first, probably because I was queasy and had stomach pain every single second of the day. I would eat two bites of something and be full. But I wasn't at all overweight to start with, so that was kind of bad. I had to stop taking the daytime dose. Couldn't function at my job,and I was working full time at that point. The side effects went on for two months, and then just went away. I stayed at 50 mgs a day, at bedtime, until last fall,when we upped it to 62.5. This involved cutting pills. So! That's the shitty part. And the other bad news is that it doesn't really work for me for mood stabilization. It does, however, work as a treatment for my anger/irritability. This fact was confirmed for me last summer when I inadvertently switched generics for a while and found that the new one didn't work. It also has worked as migraine prophylaxis. I think I've only had three or so migraines since I started it. I've found it a good medication all in all. I'm using it as a mood stabilizer. Took it last night and this morning. So far only thing I've noticed is I have been a tad sleepy from it and I have a sore throat this morning but that could be unrelated. I guess I'll keep taking it and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I took topamax for about two years, mostly at a 200mg a day dose. It really made me stooopid. I would talk and forget the word to stuff like "chair". I'd point at the object, snap my fingers until the word came out about 10 seconds later. The main reason I took it as a mood stabilizer was due to my migraines. It was very efficient in stopping migraines for about 18 months, which was great. Then it stopped. However, it never really had any effect on my mood stabilization. I also did not lose weight on it, though it did curb my voracious appetite somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antigone Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Topamas doesn't work as a mood stabilizer for me, but works to prevent migraines brilliantly. I am a writer (was) but it makes me dumber than dog shit. I describe regular words with hand signals. It's ridiculous. I have lost weight on it in the past. I'm on Abilify now, which creates a massive carb monster, and it has modified that a bit, but not totally. I had pins and needles the first time, but not now. I had trails with my vision the first time, but not now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apetasticaL Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 i was on it briefly with depakote as an adjunct mood stabilizer. it was given to me because of self-harm and rages that the depakote didn't seem to properly handle. it seemed to help for the period of time that i was on it; my self-harm urges and rage/irritability seemed to go down. it did make me really spacey, though. my doctor took me off of it right after i got out of the hospital because he doesn't really believe in its efficacy in treating bipolar disorder. i hope this medication change goes well for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I was on Zonegran, which is a metabolite (contains the same mechanism, but not the rest of the topa formulation) of Topomax, for about a year. I took it for migraine, and I never thought it worked, but my neuro did. I had the stoopids, and all Gearhead's side effects were the same as mine. For me, the gastro stuff was just awful. I lost weight, but it wasn't by eating better, it was by eating what I could tolerate, which carbs, but not very much of it. So I lived on carbs. Then I also started showing higher creatinine (kidney) levels, and had to go to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who took me off of it. Yay! We thought there was permanent damage, but it actually seems to have improved to very close to normal, if not fully normal in the last 7 or 8 years. It seems from what I see around the boards, that Topamax is hit or miss. A lot of people use it for migraine prophylaxis, and adore it. Others use it for mood related issues, and are pleased. And everyone else seems to hate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't remember side effects, but it took me out of one helluva manic episode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpolar Posted April 29, 2012 Author Share Posted April 29, 2012 Not sure if these are side effects from the Topomax, but I feel like crud. Like the flu. My hands and feet also feel weird. Best way to explain it. Eh...I hope it subsides. I have my hopes high as usual for this med change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joachim Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I've been using 300mg at night for a few years now...pdoc started it when we dropped dose of Lamictal from 400mg to 300mg. I mighta lost a couple of pounds...haven't gained any though! pdoc said it had the same risk for the SJ rash but wasn't a problem for me I had initial side effect of dizziness but that went away...I sure am stupid though! the other day I could NOT recall my pin# on my debit card which I've had for years and used almost daily...so embarrassing, but it works as credit too luckily ..stephanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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