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Topamax causing joint pain???

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Posted 10/13/2008 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

I normally post on the arthritis board, but have also been taking Topamax 100mg per day since 2003, and I recently read that it can cause joint pain.  I began seeing a rheumy in 2004, for joint pain in my knees and it slowly went from there to now I have it in my hands, hips and knees and have taken a ton of meds.  All of my tests are normal, and I'm starting to wonder if it could possibly be the Topamax.

Has anyone else ever had joint pain caused by the Topamax? Swelling, redness, painful joints? 

Thanks in advance

Posted 10/13/2008 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
I rarely post in this forum but was on Topamax due to chronic headaches and nerve pain (plus the weight loss hopes)
I had to go off of it because it caused horrible costochondritis for me. I thought I was having heart attacks! It also made my leg bones hurt!
Posted 10/17/2008 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Everyone

I usually post on the MS forum, but my daughter and i both seem to be dealing with migraines and i needed to know more about this med on her behalf. She has been on it for less than two weeks now and has begun complaining about joint pain in her knee and the base of her neck. Can the topamax be the culprit and if so, does this mean this isn't the med for her?? Thanks in advance for u'r help!
Posted 10/17/2008 12:53 PM (GMT 0)

I have been on Topomax since 2004.  I have never had joint pain from it.  I do get occasional numbness or tingling in my hands and feet, but this is a normal side effect.  This is the list of most serious and most common side effects:

Other serious risks include decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and increased eye pressure (glaucoma). Call your doctor immediately if you have any decrease in vision or eye pain. These problems can lead to blindness if not treated right away.

More common side effects are tingling in arms and legs, loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea, diarrhea, taste change and weight loss.

Hope this helps!

LC

Posted 10/17/2008 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear that your daughter is having joint pain..it is difficult to say if it is the Topamax or not.  I've been on it for several years and I'm wondering if is causing mine as well.  Right now, I have weaned off it and will see if it is or not (hopefully).

Low...Joint pain is also a side effect of the Topamax, however rare it may be.

Posted 11/24/2008 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
ok ive been on topamax for a good 2 years now and it has really helped me with my migraines.. but ever since i started taking the topamax i started cracking my joints alot more.. i crack everything, my wrists, my back, my knuckles, my knees, my ankles, and my neck.. its worn my joints down.. but before i started taking the medicine i could never crack the simplest things like my back, now when i sit up strait my back cracks multiple times.. its really hurting my joints.. and im not sure if this is the definition of joint pain but, im i only 16 and im terrified im gonna get arthritis when im young.. can some one tell me if this medicine makes me crack everything
Posted 6/25/2009 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
hello

m 23 years old, i have been suffering from migrains for 7 years treated by many medicines, and nw i changed the doctor he is treating me with topamax

 i started 1st week with 25mg till nw with 125mg i feel m not fine

m always in bed i can't handle any sound i can't study neither concentrate on any thing when talking i become confused even before i took the medicine no order

nw with the medicine the doctor asked me to order my sleep times but m not able m always like sleepy with headaches at morning so i sleep day so night i cant sleepor i sleep very early at night and i woke very early, m always tired my body,tingling in arms and legs and taste has changed all the above side effects with the joints are hurting every while and then as if i feel i cant move them well i can move them but they hurt

i wish there is a reply

m afraid that topamax would be harmful cz m not getting better m having side effects

 

Posted 6/25/2009 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome!!!

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble...I was on 400MG of Topamax daily and did not have the same side effects. If you think its not working enough for you and causing more side effects than you can stand, tell your doctor and adjust the dosage or switch to something else.

(tingling in arms and legs, change in taste and "losing words" are all common side effects. As far as the joint pain I think it does happen but is a little less common.)

Call your doctor and at least tell them about everything going on and see what they say.
Posted 8/1/2009 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I did a search for topamax and side effects and came up with this forum. I am on Topamax for nerve pain. AND it is working for the pain.
The "losing words" for me went away after the first month and a half or so ..I called it my stupid pill at work. I've been on Topamax for almost 7 months now. The dry mouth went away around the same time as well. I tried to make sure I drank lots of water every day.
The Tingling was very bad at first.
I started off slowly and now have been on 225 mg a day for almost 2 months now. I take 100 mg morning and late afternoon and 25 mg before bed. I was having a hard time remembering to take the pills on time and I found that when I did forget , the tingling was worse. JUST my hands and the very bottoms of my feet. and sometimes around my mouth.
The other side effect I am blaming on the pill is diarrhea. I get it about 2-3times a month, and it very bad when it hits . my two doctors are hesitant to say it is the topamax but it started in January when I started the drug. so....
But.. no weight loss. Drat.!

I had one day a few weeks ago, joint pain in my left wrist but it went away and hasn't came back. So, not sure if it is from the drug or not. I will pay more attention to it now, if it comes back.
This drug works for some and not for others.. Desert_Rose, I think you need to talk to your doctor.
Posted 3/20/2010 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
My name is Amy. I have had migraine headaches most of my life and they have recently gotten more severe as I have gotten older. My doctor prescribed 25mg twice a day. I started today and started having the normal burning and numbing sensations but was not aware that joint pain was also a side effect.

I still plan to say on them
Posted 8/19/2011 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there,
I have MS as well severe migraines every day. My doctor prescribed 25mg twice a day about 2 months ago. Since I've been on it, its helped with my headaches, I haven't had one, until I ran out of my percrisption and had to wait to get into see my doctor again, 3 days later. But, since I did start it, I have had very severe joint pain in my knees as well as my shoulders, which my doctor figures is due to the medication. The pain started getting better when I was off of it for the 3 days, but like I said the headache was coming back. My doctor prescribed an antiinflamitory as well as medicated gel to apply to my knees and shoulders. For now, unless it gets to unbearable, I will take the pain over the migraines.
Posted 4/15/2012 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
I can 100% confirm that it may cause knee pain. I started topamax 3 weeks ago for migraine phrophylaxis. Starting at 25mg i was experiencing already tingling in my fingers, fatigue, stomach issues etc... When I upped the dose on the third week I started experiencing severe pain in and around my knees making it hard to get up and down. When checking with my doctor, this is one of the symptoms (joint/ arthritic pain).
Posted 7/2/2012 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on generic Topomax (Topiramate) for 3 months, gradually increased up to 100 mg taken at night. It is the only migraine preventive I've tried that works. I still get mograines, and I have meds for when I do, but they are much less frequent, and I don't suffer from every-day-of-the-week headaches, and can live my life again!! I have a knee and a shoulder that I'd previously injured. Both had healed (somewhat), and were at least not too painful doing just everyday movements, as long as I was not weighlifting, or doing lots of squats. Now they hurt all day, even waking me up at night. Boo!! But my head doesn't hurt. What's a girl to do? It started worsening shortly after starting the Topiramate. It acts a little like arthritis, in that when I'm active and moving around more, they feel better. When I'm working on the computer, or doing paperwork, sitting still for periods of time, they get stiff and more painful.
Posted 2/18/2013 7:19 AM (GMT 0)
I def had issues with Topomax... I had such severe pain in my joints that I could only take the med for a week.... and then it took another entire week or so for me to get enough of it out of my system that i could move my shoulder again without screaming...
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