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Topamax used as antidepressant weight loss drug

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Posted 10/2/2006 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone else out there been prescribed Topamax as a med used to lose antidepressant weight gain? I'm curious if and how it works.
Posted 10/3/2006 3:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I take topamax for my migraines and it has helped me lose 40 lbs as well. I visited a psychiatrist and she said it is also used as a bipolar medication. I can only take so much of it before it makes me really weepy. I suffer depression as a result of migraines (I think). We're not sure if my migraines cause depression or vice versa. If I take my anti-depressant I'm fine but without it I can't tolerate the Topamax. Others who take Topamax from the migraine forum have had much better success than me.

Posted 10/3/2006 11:37 AM (GMT 0)
I also take Topamax for headaches (not dx as migraines). There are many physicians that believe it works to help with weight loss and I tend to agree as when I started it years ago I did drop a few pounds also.  I think it really is going to depend on the dosage that you are taking.
Posted 10/3/2006 12:59 PM (GMT 0)
I take 100 mg/day.
Posted 10/3/2006 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
I started on 100mg a day then went up to 200mg after 3 months or so. I think I lost about 15 pounds or so...it was a while ago so it is difficult to remember.  I now take 125mg and have been on it for 5 yrs and there is not anymore weight loss from it.

I do recall when I first started it I had a difficult time remembering to eat...the day would go by and at 5 or 6 I would be like "oh, I forgot to eat today" but after a few months on it that went away.

I hope it works for you... :-)

Posted 10/3/2006 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Did you have "brain fog" problems at first or nausea or gut cramps at times when you first started it? I actually started out at 25 mg, then 50 mg at first. I seem to feel happier on the Topamax than I ever did on any antidepressant. Sounds weird but, true.
Posted 10/3/2006 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
No, I dont recall having any problems or side effects from it. I started on 50 mg and worked up to 100 mg then to 200 mg eventually. I have Multiple Sclerosis and started the Topamax soon after I was diagnosed as I was having some pretty bad headaches. I was also already on several other meds for the MS and taking Zoloft for depression. 

 

Posted 9/6/2009 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
 I just started using Topamax for wieght loss. I have been taking 25mg a day for the last 2 weeks. Tonight I start 50mg for the next 2 weeks. So far I haven't noticed hardly anything. If ther is anything at all I noticed is during the day it seems like I don't think about stoping and grabbing a bite as often. I hope that intensifies. I don't eat large quantities, just very often.  I am 300lbs and feel misrable.Anybody else out there have any positive info about this drug??? idea
Posted 9/7/2009 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
worked great for my migraines, but watch out for kidney stones
Posted 9/22/2009 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
I have been taking 50mg of Topamax daily for 2 months now for bulimia and depression. Within the first week all of my eating disordered behaviors stopped and within a month i had lost 20 pounds. I feel great emotionally but cognitively it is very hard...it is kind of like thinking in a "brain fog" sometimes and you have to make sure you drink a ton of fluids to avoid kidney stones. I get tingling in my hands and feet, stomach aches and have short term memory loss. I hear some people tolerate the drug just fine up to 200mg or more!
_____________________________________________
Joe
Topamax-Pristiq-Neurontin-Lamictal-Ambien
Posted 9/22/2009 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Joe,

I see you take pristiq. Wondered how you are doing on that. I just recently started it.

Thanks,

Karen
Posted 9/22/2009 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
Karen,

I hope you're doing well. I started Pristiq a few weeks before the Topamax. Within a couple of weeks I noticed my mood was better and I had a ton more energy despite it dragging me down to start off with. I give it two thumbs up! I've tried a few others with no luck, Paxil put me in a coma almost and I took Lexapro for a few years but it quit working for me.

Pristiq is derived from Effexor which is arguably within a class of molecules called arylalkanolamines which also contain adrenaline. They think it does some fancy stuff within the brain to help transport dopamine. I have a problem with fatigue too which is why we tried it and it has helped but despite all this some people find it very sedating. I hope it can help you out with your chronic fatigue also!

I didn't have any problems with my blood pressure going up and I managed to get sick in the same week so I'm not really sure of the effects other than an initial loss of energy. My best friend has taken it for a while and says it's a gold standard for him. I hear it's hard to come off of it if you take it for a while.

_____________________________________________
Joe
Topamax-Pristiq-Neurontin-Lamictal-Ambien
Posted 9/22/2009 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the positive information Joe. I really appreciate it. I do take adderall for fatigue, but have been working and I find I could use a little more help. I am so hoping that I can take it, as I have been on the effexor for so long at a high dose.

Again, thank you.

Hugs, Karen
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