Got a minute? (Topamax)

[Sonny]

OK here is my long story. I am looking for feedback from some med-vets.

18 years ago. Bad depression. No meds (I was a punk kid). It subsided.

10 years ago. I felt that my 'switch was tripped' too easy. Doc gave me Paxil. Mellowed me right out. Couldn't handle sleeping 24/7 so I tried everything else. Wellbutrin (too wired). Zoloft (is there a diffeence between this and paxil?). Effexor(not toooo bad). but Yuck Yuck and Yuck.

New Doc. I tell him that yes I should have something that makes me less 'volatile' but my big concern now is that the past few years I have noticed a gradual but significant decline in my focus, attention etc. He tries Strattera and Ritalin (at different times). These might be great at parties, but daily? yuck. These burn me right out.

He tries Depakote. I had my first taste of true insanity. I think the word is a paradoxical? I was wigged out. yuck.

So I took a break. Went back to Effexor for a while (37.5) and now came to him and said lets try again. He suggested Topamax. Now here is where I am having a moral dillema. I definitely eat like a person shouldn't. Frequently and incessantly. I like the idea that this is used for controlling binge eating because thats probably what I would be a candidate for. I weighed 265 (fatass) and really went gonzo and got down to 215 (semi-fatass) but it was a 24hr/day struggle. Not a weight loss plan but a maniacal war on fat that absorbed my life - not a sustainable weight loss plan. I now weigh 255 - 2 year cycle from beginning to end.

I like the idea it controls moods. And I like the fact it makes you lose weight (I know, I know MAYBE - but at least I wont be a tank like on Paxil).

Here are my concerns: Day 3 and I already feel like George Bush could outsmart me. I know I know everyone says it goes away - but in my job I have to think HARD. Will I ever be normal (or near it) on this drug? I am on day three of 25mg for christs sake!

Am I doing what Jerrod warned against and using this as a vanity drug?

Why cant these answers be simple? Like Nuclear Physics

[Jenni]

Welcome to  the world of Dopamax!  For me personally, I found that the first 3 days after increasing the dose each time was the worst as far as side effects.  The side effects DO go away. 

My advice would be to warn the people that you are around a lot.  Something like "Hey, I just started this new medication, blah, blah, blah, so if I'm a little stupid....."  I had to warn my boss because I type and edit doctor reports for a living!  The first week on Topamax, one of the doctors was talking about taking a patient "over to CT" (the CT scanner) and I could not figure out who this T person was that they were going to go see.  (over to see T).  DUH!  I said a few other things that made me sound like I should be riding the short bus, too, but it does all get cleared up in a pretty short time. Or at least it did for me.  Good luck!

[frosty]

I use topamax at 150mg daily and Ido not find i am any dumber than i was before.

It is a good drug and I think you need to get used to it,  Stress it the number one reason for memory loss and lack of concentration not really the drugs in general so keep on it ans see what happens.

Good Luck

Frosty

[Lisa_K]

Topamax has some wacky side effects at first, but do ussually go away either in time...or when the med hits the sweet spot. I was a space case briefly and food tasted like crap for a little while til I got up to 100mg.

[Guest Llamanator]

Yep. If it's the right med for you, it's likely to go away once you hit the right dose for you. Or the effects will lessen somewhere around that sweet spot.

I had no side effects at all until around 75mg (tingly hands, head), got hit with a mild case of the stupids at 100mg which lessened over a couple of weeks, and they're lessening more at 150mg now.

While it has leveled out my moods and the worst of the mundane anxiety so far, I do still have the binging going on. Luckily, not even close to as badly as before, however. Less compulsion (Topamax has its uses for OCD too, apparently) and more self-medication.

Hope it helps.

Mimi

[dianebea]

I'm on topamax for the second time and am currently taking 100 mg. I have none of the cognitive side effects I had before at much lower dosages and very little tingling. Also, I have more of an appetite and am less nauseous, although I went through a bad spell a week or so ago. I take it for migraines. I think I will stay at 100 mg. It's strange that, even though I have a decent appetite, I'm not gaining weight. At the beginning of October, when I first started back on T, I was losing a 1/2 pound a day. I seem to have leveled out and am maintaining my weight. Carbonation still sucks.

Diane B

[Guest FrannyNZooey]

Welcome to  the world of Dopamax!  For me personally, I found that the first 3 days after increasing the dose each time was the worst as far as side effects.  The side effects DO go away. 

My advice would be to warn the people that you are around a lot.  Something like "Hey, I just started this new medication, blah, blah, blah, so if I'm a little stupid....."  I had to warn my boss because I type and edit doctor reports for a living!  The first week on Topamax, one of the doctors was talking about taking a patient "over to CT" (the CT scanner) and I could not figure out who this T person was that they were going to go see.  (over to see T).  DUH!  I said a few other things that made me sound like I should be riding the short bus, too, but it does all get cleared up in a pretty short time. Or at least it did for me.  Good luck!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Jenni, that is just pricesless as the mastercard goes on to say.  They should have one to follow us Topomax users for first few days, then again each time after significant increase, make great medical journal ad, do you think not, all us with our different moments?Honestly I had those trying to do jobs I knew shit about, kind of compulsive about that in interviews, so your story struck note on job while in college and took job in hospital lab not as assist but tech, it was true joy!

I just had increase of from 50 to 100 end of last week, so my story. Hubby on Friday brought me home newest powerbook, I had told him way back hate the dangling mouse thing so why want this getting away from ny Imac, well it has since been more of a challenge than I thought. whole keep doing enter thing taking flying up screen than down post, so on.

But yes it does get better, promise, and for me I have always been small around 100# naturally lost no weight, soda food taste great, I still go for them, I am also on 10mg Lexapro, so my depression just may lay in temperal lobes for no bad things, except those moments, and this has worked to calm the very dark thoughts of nothing ever being good again, you know hopelesness, now that really is priceless.

Goodluck,Aly

[Anelize]

Will I ever be normal (or near it) on this drug? I am on day three of 25mg for christs sake!

I've taken Topamax for a little over 3 years now, and still notice that I have word-finding problems.  That was a MAJOR issue for me in the first 4-6 months after starting the medication.  Everything was on "the tip of my tongue" but I just couldn't get the words out.  Frustrating as hell.  I also had some pretty severe short term memory issues which were very upsetting.

My original dose of this med had been 800mg in divided doses, ramped up over a month.  It was dropped to my current dose (600mg in divided doses) to alleviate some of the side effects, which it did.  However, it still took that 4-6 months before I felt cognitively capable of doing my job (at the time I was an operating room nurse).  I was out on disability, and was not going back to work until I was able to think clearly enough to do my job appropriately.  Topamax was part of that process.

As to it's mood stabilizing properties, it worked really well for a long time with just the Seroquel.  I'm older though, and seem to be going through that "kindling" effect.  I had to add Lamictal recently as my depressive episodes were getting closer together, and I needed the extra boost.

Weight wise, I lost 20 or so lbs, but gained it all back and then some.  Seroquel kicked me in the gut, so to speak, and continues to do so.  Bleh.

Good luck.

[zsandoz]

OK here is my long story. I am looking for feedback from some med-vets.

18 years ago. Bad depression. No meds (I was a punk kid). It subsided.

10 years ago. I felt that my 'switch was tripped' too easy. Doc gave me Paxil. Mellowed me right out. Couldn't handle sleeping 24/7 so I tried everything else. Wellbutrin (too wired). Zoloft (is there a diffeence between this and paxil?). Effexor(not toooo bad). but Yuck Yuck and Yuck.

New Doc. I tell him that yes I should have something that makes me less 'volatile' but my big concern now is that the past few years I have noticed a gradual but significant decline in my focus, attention etc. He tries Strattera and Ritalin (at different times). These might be great at parties, but daily? yuck. These burn me right out.

He tries Depakote. I had my first taste of true insanity. I think the word is a paradoxical? I was wigged out. yuck.

So I took a break. Went back to Effexor for a while (37.5) and now came to him and said lets try again. He suggested Topamax. Now here is where I am having a moral dillema. I definitely eat like a person shouldn't. Frequently and incessantly. I like the idea that this is used for controlling binge eating because thats probably what I would be a candidate for. I weighed 265 (fatass) and really went gonzo and got down to 215 (semi-fatass) but it was a 24hr/day struggle. Not a weight loss plan but a maniacal war on fat that absorbed my life - not a sustainable weight loss plan. I now weigh 255 - 2 year cycle from beginning to end.

I like the idea it controls moods. And I like the fact it makes you lose weight (I know, I know MAYBE - but at least I wont be a tank like on Paxil).

Here are my concerns: Day 3 and I already feel like George Bush could outsmart me. I know I know everyone says it goes away - but in my job I have to think HARD. Will I ever be normal (or near it) on this drug? I am on day three of 25mg for christs sake!

Am I doing what Jerrod warned against and using this as a vanity drug?

Why cant these answers be simple? Like Nuclear Physics

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hiya,

everyone gets different results.  i just started the med too and ive been eating MORE and havent gotten any dumber really.  the only side effect ive noticed is a stomach ache if i dont drink enuff water, and that it makes me silly (like saying things like "hey baby, wanna wrestle?" to girls in my beavis and butthead voice, hehe).  hang in there, but consider as the dose goes up that this might be the wrong medication if the side effects persist and/or get worse as you get higher.

now to geek out a little bit:

as far as the weight loss goes, if you read the PI prescribing sheet, the weight loss is only significant side effect at 400mg/day when they compare it to the dose of 50mg/day and 200mg/day.  that means this is not a good drug at all for losing weight unless ur not going to feel like a total idiot at 400mg/day and you are willing to deal with all the other nasty side effects (kidney stones for instance) that everyone has some chance of getting...

[pacanuck]

I was a blithering idiot on 100mg

went up to 150 and things are much better.

I think finding your "sweet spot" makes the difference.

Good luck...