Topamax

Yes, Topamax is a very popular preventative medication. When I first started taking it (actually both times) it made me very drowsy in the beginning. I wanted to tell you too...make sure that you take it VERY VERY SLOWLY....and DO NOT increase it too quickly....and regardless of what the doctor says...if you take 25 mgs and then increase to the next dosage and you feel like you have a side effect you don't like or something feels off #1 don't stop taking it without talking to your doctor and #2 if you have to step down and stay at 25 a little longer do that...just don't jump up too fast. A lot of people and doctors even will make that mistake all too often.

I took Topamax twice. The first time my doctor was an idiot and made that mistake and I had side effects that were just too much...I was at 100mg and even 200+mg way too fast and there were some things that I just couldn't deal with. And now, I am at 250mg and I LOVE TOPAMAX AND WOULD NOT GET OFF IT FOR ANYTHING....AND I DO MEAN ANYTHING!!!

Now, I will tell you that I did have side effects in the beginning. I was exhausted in the beginning, I went to work and had to come straight home and go straight to bed (but I'm not sure if that was migraines, Inderal or Topamax...its one of those things, which came first...the chicken or the egg???) anyway, I also had tingling in my arms and legs...I also had a little bit of, as I like to call it "Dopamax" syndrome where I would be in the middle of a sentence and lose a word...but now that I have been on Topamax for a while my headaches have decreased in intensity and frequency (even through some horrible things I have been going through) I have also lost 30lbs!!!

Anyway, I am sure a few people are going to post both good and bad experiences and you are going to have to weigh your options here- of course everyone's experiences are going to vary as are yours. Just be careful and keep in touch with your doctor. Most important, keep a record of how you feel that way you can truly see how this is working for you.

I just noticed something...you are already taking Neurontin??? are you going to be taking this with that????

Sara

I have been on Topamax for about 3-4 months. I really like it. I found that if I stayed at a dose for about 2 weeks before upping it, it worked well for me. The side effects that drove me nuts where- my teeth & gums hurt every time I upped my dose, stuttering & you know how you feel drugged up & out of it on cold meds that is how I felt when I upped my Topamax. My Dr told me to stop at the dose that works for me so I am only at 75mg. I have not experienced the weight loss that others have talked about, but I still would not stop taking the Topamax seeing that it is one of the fewer drugs that I have tried that has not made me gain weight.

Diana-

Are you taking Topamax and Neurontin both for migraine/headache prevention? (and no other reason?)

Sara

I started Topamax this Summer I am up to 100 mg (I also only weight 104 lbs). I was taking it 50mg in the am and 50mg at night but the side effect of concentration and recall was interfering so much that I began taking 50mg late in the day...around 5pm and the second 50mg around 10 pm. I am not sure that my doc would approve but it has helped my concentration levels. This side effect has not gone away despite the fact that I have been taking 100mg for at least 3 months. As far as headache relief...it has helped a great deal...prior to starting topamax I was using Zomig 5 to 6 days a week (I had headaches 5 to 6 days a week) and I was taking 5 to 10 mg at a time. I am now worried about long term effects that the Zomig has had on my retinas. Research on lab mice showed toxic levels accumilated in their retinas after long term exposure. I have been taking Zomig since it first hit the market several years ago...Every thing else had stopped working for me.