that crazy TV guy Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 In the 6 years or so since going on the seroquel/depakote combo I have gained 100lbs. I've always been active, have never been a crazy eater but have always just blamed it on myself. I play organized sports, bike, active with kids........but the weight just comes on no matter what I do. The doc has added topamax as a hunger suppressant. The first few days were great. I hardly ate a thing. I was lightheaded and had to force food down, but I lost 6lbs in 10 days. Now I am just thirsty all the time and the hunger suppression seems to have gone away. Anyone else dealt with topamax for this kind of use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meganhalley Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I've had it added for my Ragey McBitchface issues with the added benefit of it from keeping my girth from ever-expanding, but really, I kinda did well with it at first, and now all it seems to do for it is just make it so I don't constantly stuff my face all of the time. I think I read on crazymeds that the appetite suppressant part is really just a bug in the med that only works if you have underlying glycemic issues, which I did, so it worked for me. Then I started Metformin, which seeks to correct those issues, which made the Topamax less effective for hunger management stuff. I never lost the kind of weight that you did on it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I tried Topamax. It didn't work very well for weight loss but it sure did help my headaches. I tried metformin as well. It helped keep me from gaining more but didn't help with weight loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llama44 Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I was on 200mg of it for quite some time. I am now coming off of it. It does nothing for me. I did not lose any weight on it either. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catnapper Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Some years ago the pdoc prescribed it for binge eating disorder, but after a few months I dropped it as I couldn't see any benefit. I forget what my dosage was. At the time, it was a fairly new idea and the pdoc wasn't sure it would work, but we were both willing to give it a try. Fast forward 12 years, and I still binge eat, although not as bad as I used to. The only thing that's helped me is CBT / mindfulness eating, or basically stopping after a bite or two and asking yourself why you're eating, and was that one bite or two enough to satisfy your craving? Or do you actually need to eat the whole cake? It's often effective, but falls apart when I'm under a lot of stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
that crazy TV guy Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Has anyone used a metabolic boosting regimin similar to what athletes use to offset the effects of seroquel on metabolism? Maybe I should make a separate post for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I took topamax for migraine prevention for I've two years, and it never decreased my med-induced appetite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvara Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I take Topamax to prevent migraines and the side effects have been aphasia (losing words when speaking) and less tremor in my hands from benign tremor. I sure wish I was losing weight like I'm losing words. I feel like I have dementia or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Yeah, it has the nickname "Dopamax" for a reason. I used a metabolite of Topamax, Zonegran, and I hated how it destroyed my thought processes. Then it damaged my kidneys, so I had to stop taking it. I honestly think it was weight neutral for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I am on naltrexone for weight. Have you gotten your thyroid checked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Navel Cord Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I was put on topamax by a former pdoc that I had for a little while - not as an appetite supressant but to help with depression, which is weird because I thought it was migraine medication. For the first week or two that I took it, it made food seem like a foreign substance that had no business being inside my body. It was really weird. I had no inclination whatsoever to eat. That wore off however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrankyMe Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Have you noticed any health issues from the weight gain? Increased cholesterol, higher BP, higher BS, etc? Are you still able to be active as you described? Are you including fruits, veggies and protein in your diet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 As to how/why Topamax causes weight loss, as I understand it it does work like Metaformin with some CAI thrown in. I lost about seven pounds during the first two months I took it, which sounds like no big deal until you consider that my starting weight was about 115. And I lost it all because of the horrible side effects I was having: constant GI pain and cramping, nausea, and dizziness. Food was utterly revolting and I could hardly bring myself to eat more than a few bites of anything. When the side effects wore off my weight stabilized at about 111 pounds and stayed there for years until increased Seroquel consumption edged it back to 115. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I read somewhere that topa is only effective for weight loss about 10% of the time. It's more of a handy side effect than a primary reason to take the drug. It's more likely that your pdoc thinks the topa might help some of your other symptoms and the weight loss would be an added bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahalo Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 I was on Topamax for headaches but hoped secretly that it would cause weight loss. It didn't. And it didn't help my headaches either :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
error_message Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 i only lost ~10 pounds on topamax (200mg), but it kept my weight steady instead of constantly increasing from risperdal/everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Flanagan Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Both times I was put on Topamax I lost 60 lbs., however it caused major confusion. Be careful with the dosing and don't skip doses because that will make the confusion worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnxietyGirl74 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm on 400 mgs of Topamax for migraines in combonation with Zanaflex and Depakote (my migraines are very stubborn), and I have lost hardly any weight on Topamax (actually, the generic Teva). A long time ago when I was on 200 mgs of the name brand I remember I lost a lot, but that has not happened the second time around. Whether it's because of being the second time around, or if it is because it's a generic, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.