How many are taking Topamax?

Hi, all.  I started taking Topamax over a year ago in June.  Immediately, I started getting relief.  I don't think it works as well now as it did in the beginning, however.  My question is.......those that take it, how many turn into complete idiots?  I understand that it has nicknames such as Dopamax and Stupimax.  I'm a blonde anyway, which already goes against me, lol.     I had the "finger and hand/feet tingles" as a beginning side effect, which finally went away.  But the higher the dose I take, the dumber I get.  I recently asked my primary if there was anything else out there yet.  He said, "No".   

Also, I've been reading through the posts about folks getting headaches after waking.  My headaches tend to do different things in different phases, all of their own choosing, no less.  Lately, I would wake up and 5 or 10 minutes it would set in.  Mine are considered chronic mild to moderate with severe time to time.

Thanks!

I cannot believe that your doc said no when you asked him if their is anything else out their. Docs like to try Topamax because it is one of the most effective, but their are litteraly tons of medications that are used for headaches. Have you seen a nuerologist? I myself have been on AT LEAST 8-10 different preventative meds, plus trying them all in different combos with different stuff for acute pain. The point i am making is that their are lots of meds to try. I definately recommend going to a nuero if you have not yet because they may be able to help you more. It can be a long process finding a med that works. I have very severe chronic daily headaches so I understand what it is like to want to find something to just get them to stop, eventually I ended up on pain medication and I am doing much better, but I still am looking for preventatives. So understand there are lots of preventatives to try.

Also I am currently on topamax and going to college, though I just started. As long as my pain is under control I do fine in school, the topamax seems to affect my thinking some but it is not too severe, though I did lower the dose before coming into college. I also had the hand and feet tingles but they went away. Other than that I dont seem to have any side effects, except I often forget the word I am looking for in the middle of a sentence. Like I am about to say it, and then I cant think of the word, but that could be from the pain meds or from the lyrica I am on, I dont know. I know for a fact however the other side effects I mentioned come from the topamax because they were present before I started the other meds. Overall i dont do too bad on it, though I do not think it helps really.

Good luck finding some help for your headaches, make sure you either talk to your doctor about other preventatives (mention nortrypaline,gabapentin, lyrica, depakote, though depakote was a nasty one for me,and Inderal) or, even better than talking to your current doc, because he sounds like he knows little about treating headaches, is to have your doc refer you to a nuerologist or a headache specialist.

Good luck and may everyone have a great day.
Circa

I recently came off of topamax because it did not work for me. I was on it for about 8 months. I too experienced stupid moments. Especially at the beginning. I would sit a stop sign for 5 minutes trying to figure out which way to get the the doctor's office. I just couldn't concentrate on where I needed to go. As I was on the medicine longer, it got better, but my mind was never 100%. I also had the hand and feet tingles, and more odd my nose would also go numb at times. It did stop after about 5 months.

I am currently taking Topomax and have been on it now for a month or 2. I can't tell its done anything for me all it does is make me nauseas, light headed and sensitive to light, i think its been making me a little depressed to me and my boyfriend have been fighting a lot more now ;_;. My head is still always hurting and when i talk to my Neurologist about it he just says give it time.... Well i don't have time I'm almost out of a job cause of this ;_; I work at Wal Mart and they want to fire me so bad they can taste it >.< luckily i can get up to a year off but I've only been getting small amounts so hopefully ill be able to go back sooner. I haven't noticed myself doing anything stupid yet and now reading some of the reply s kinda makes me scared I'm kinda glad I'm not at work what if i gave someone the wrong change back ;_;

I took topamax back in 2004 my neurologist at the time told me it would make me stupid but, he told me I'd nolonger have migraines. WRONG I was on a fairly high dose and my feet and hands did tingle and I felt so very unlike myself. I was easily confused and really couldn't think straight.....in short it made me feel crazy. He kept telling me to keep on it and the tingling would go away. But, after 7 months my right eye had a horrific twitch it got so bad that my eye lid was really badly swollen. I also couldn't sleep because that crazy twitch NEVER stopped. My neurologist ignored my concerns so I took myself off of topamax and eventually got a new neurologist. about 2 weeks later the eye thing stopped and my hands and feet stopped tingling.