Topamax Side Effects And Headaches Facts

Topamax Side Effects And Headaches Resource

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Topamax Side Effects And Headaches Resource in Answers

Topamax Side Effects? I just was placed on this drug for pain and migraines. I am in week two at 50mg titrating up 25mg per week to 100mg. I think the worst side effect for me is headache, neck muscle pain and a little bit of anxiety and confusion. I can deal with the anxiety and confusion because it seems to go away after a few days of ramping up on the dose. But the headaches are really bothering me. I am thinking of titrating once every two weeks instead of once a week. Does anyone else have trouble with this? Do the muscle cramps eventually go away too? One side effect I really like is the weight loss I've experienced. Just looking for some personal stories.

RL26380 replied: "Hiya, I'm just reducing my dose of Topamax, having been placed on it originally for migraines and then to see if it helped with PTSD symptoms. I started off on 1 x 25mg tablet, which was enough for me to control the migraines. The only negative side effect I had was pins and needles in my hands and feet, mainly in the mornings, but that was only minor, really. I have had 7 months now without a migraine plus I lost about 7lbs in weight without really doing anything! I started to increase the Topamax, though, as we wanted to see if it would help with PTSD symptoms, such as flashbacks and nightmares, as has been reported. I went up gradually, under supervision to a daily total of 100mg and then I threw in the towel. I have to say, I never once experienced headaches, or a single migraine, but the pins and needles - well, it changed to more like daggers, that's all I can say. Quite seriously, it was excruciating, in my feet in particular, although in my hands as well, and it happened pretty much throughout the day rather than just in the mornings. The other major side effect for me, having now reduced the dose to 2 x 25mg per day, is the major effect it had on my mood. Initially, the slight increases helped stabilise my mood, but as I increased the dose more I became more and more tearful and despairing. My therapist had warned me to look out for suicide ideation as a side effect and said he'd also be keeping an eye on things, but it wasn't what I'd have expected - not specific suicidal thoughts, just more a case of symptoms of severe depression really. Having now reduced back down (nearly) to the dose where I originally was, I'm fine, and the change in my outlook / mood was virtually overnight. If you're struggling to cope with ramping things up at your current rate, I'd have a word with whoever's meant to be supervising it - surely it can't hurt to take it a bit slower, can it? Good luck with it."

Are these side effects of taking Topamax? I was recently switched to Topamax for my migrane headaches. I have noticed that I am feeling very fatigued and am having difficulty sleeping and staying asleep. I dont know if these are related, but strangely seemed to start after switching meds. Has anyone else experienced this or similar? If so did it resolve after taking the meds for awhile? Thanks in advance for your experience with this medication.

FlyfreeIzzieUCSD replied: "I take Topomax and have been told by others that it can havre a lot of side effects but for me, it didn't.... the doctor started me first on 25mg than to 25 twice a day and it seems that taking the divided dose has always been a good p;lan for me. It doesnt take away my migraines but it does help them not come as much. A common side effect is weight loss... good one for me. :) The sleep and tiredness issues would concern me. It might be your body adjusting to it or the shock of the switch over. Most side effects last a few weeks and settle out if they are going to at all... maybe you need to lower your dose before taking on the full dossage... of course you should ask your doctor about this... but this often helps with adapting to a new drug... maybe the dose is too much with the switch over or something.... anyways, i hope it works out for you.. oh yeh.... im sure your doctor told you this but i was told to make sure you drink lots of water daily because Topomax sometimes increases the risk for getting kidney stones or something crazy like that so drinking water is important if you aren't good at getting in the daily rec. ammt. take care"

A question on topamax side effects- have I been spared? I've been taking topamax for like a year now. at 150 mg per day for migraine prevention. My headaches are 100% gone. I'm a little bit overweight, and I recently started noticing some pretty fast weight loss that I think is related to the medicine. But besides some slight tingling in my feet I haven't noticed any real adverse side effects. My language recall is still perfect in English and I'm not even losing any of my Spanish. What do you all think. Have I just been spared of all the adverse side effects? What are your experiences?

J replied: "Topiramate (Topamax) is a clinically demonstrated weight-loss agent, even though more potent ones are available. If I had to guess, I do believe the cause of this is reduction of a major stress hormone."

sls replied: "I have been on Topamax for migraine prevention for almost a year, and had the exact same experience as you! I lost a total of about 22 pounds within a few months, then the weight loss just stopped. I also had tingling in my feet, and occasionally hands. But now even that has almost disappeared; it only happens maybe once a month now. I thankfully have not had any problems with language recall either, but I did know someone who did. She would get her words all backwards and say the wrong things. If you have been on it for a year I would say you have experienced all of the side effects you are going to! Isn't it great not to have migraines anymore? :-)"

What side effects have you had with Topamax? I was put on Topomax today for migraines. I am to start with 25mg, then move up to 200mg. What side effects should I look for? How much weight did you lose while taking this medicine? How long will it be before I can see its affects? I suffer from daily headaches, and 2-3 migraines per week. I have read some other q&a about this, and saw that hair loss was a side effect, has this happened to any women? Thank you in advance for all your help!

ProudMomof3 replied: "My husband takes it, and he's always drinking water because his mouth is always dry."

eHealthMe replied: "other SE you may be looking for: Nausea, Depression, Dyspnoea ... "

Side effects from decreasing Topamax dosage? I currently take 100mg Topamax once a day for migraines and I can barely function in life anymore. The side effects are so severe. Daily headaches, chest pain, loss of concentration, "zoning out" for minutes and HOURS at a time, feeling generally "doped up", doing poorly in school (college courses), etc. I called my doctor and she is reducing my dose to 50mg (without personal consultation...I don't have an appt till next month). This week I will take 75mg once a day and then drop down to 50mg per norm, gradual decrease. Now, I am going to be doing strenuous activity this weekend with classmates on an overnight trip and I'm wondering, should I tell someone I'm getting off this medication? Am I going to have issues? We're not going to be near anywhere I can get immediate medical attention, we're gonna be in the woods. I didn't think of mentioning this to my doc cuz I spoke to her assistant and not directly to her so she doesn't know what's going on with me really. (we don't have a very good relationship...not my fault...she's never in her office). So, I got a bunch of 25mg pills. Should I take my normal 100mg dose over the weekend to play it safe so I don't get side effects from the decrease or start decreasing immediately? I don't know what to do and I don't have a doctor to talk to!

Stephanie W replied: "I have been on Topamax for 3 years after having such severe migraines I would pass out. When I was reading what you were writing I felt as though I was typing it myself. I felt the same way 3 years ago and have never been the same since. Topamax has only lessened the number of migraines but has given me a headache everyday of my life. I tried lowering the dose as well but my migraines came back with a vengence. If I were you I would talk to your primary care doctor. I am assuming you have already gone on your trip. I hope things went well. Try to see what another doctor says about maybe switching to Immatrex or Treximet(Spelling ?) They are not preventives as Topamax but they are way less expensive and they help eliminate a migraine right away. The only bad thing is you have to have one to take it or feel like you are getting one. I hate Topamax. I am in college too and I feel so much more under par than the other kids but my neurologist says don't worry it's working so I stayed on for 3 years. The only up side is I haven't passed out in over 2 years. But I hate not being able to think of the word I'm looking for or as you said "zoning out". People think you're mentally handicapped or something. I would just try to talk with your primary doctor until you see your neuro. Then if neither one do anything for you and it only seems to get worse find another neurologist. I hope everything works out for you. Please don't let them control you...don't be scared to speak up...tell them everything that you are feeling. Have a good day. Good luck."

Side effects of Topamax? Anyone take Topamax? Here is why I want to take it: weight loss migraine headaches (associated w/menopaus) Here is why they prescribed it: Hypo-mania It's only 25 mgs. I'm concerned about the cognitive side effects.

Kim S replied: "It helped a grea dieal with my migrains and it did help me lose weight...."

nora replied: "I took it for about 4 months for headaches. I lost 5-10 pounds but it wasn't worth the cognitive side effects. People call it "dopomax" for a reason. I actually had to drop my comp 2 class because I couldn't think to write the papers. For me it wasn't worth it. I hope you find something that does help with your migraines though."

Kat replied: "I've taken 100mg every night before bed for migraine and it helps immensely, I have no side effects"

kaliluna replied: "My doctor prescribed this for me as an addiction to the Lamictal that I take. After a couple of weeks of taking it I had to stop. I experienced bad vertigo and actually an increase in my hypomanic episodes. I felt crazy on it. I kept taking it because I thought my body would get used to it, but it never seemed to, and my hypomanic symptoms got worse. I didn't experience any weight loss on it, but I probably didn't take it long enough. I wasn't warned about these side effects when I started taking it, I was just told that it would help with my depression (I'm Bipolar 2). I would talk to your doctor about the side effects of it before you start taking it, but I have heard that it works well for some people, I just wasn't one of them."

MomSezNo replied: "Go to the library and look it up in the PDR [p. 2404 in 2007 ed]. Or go to WebMD.com, where you can also find info about hypomania. There may be other medications that would be better for hypomania. But Topamax is listed as a migraine therapy agent as well as an anti-convulsant in the psych PDR."

has any one tried topamax for headaches and weight loss? I get head aches on a regular basis and i am also over weight one of my co wokers told me i should ask my doctor about topamax that it helps greatly with the headaches and alos as one of the side effect of decreased apititte. has any one had any personal experiances with this medication?

Sprig replied: "This is a good medication for headaches and for weight loss, but it is also NOT a medication to mess around with. The side effects are seriously intense for a lot of people and it's generally prescribed for epilepsy (it's an anti-convulsant) or migraine. It's important to understand that migraine is a not just a bad headache. Topamax is usually given to people who have severe migraine disease which includes a combination of severe headaches, visual changes, often numbness and tingling, nausea, vomiting, hearing things, seeing things, and a series of other neurological problems. If you just have headaches and need to loose weight, learn what's triggering your headaches and take care of that first, then try to manage your diet and exercise. There are a lot of less intense drugs that can be used to prevent headaches and even less severe migraine disorder that have less side effects and are much cheaper. Trust me, topamax is not a drug that should be taken without absolute necessity. I take it because I have migraine headaches everyday which take away my vision, make me sick, make my face and hands numb, etc.... i.e. I really have no other choice. My PCP thinks it's such an icky drug that he sent me to a neurologist to prescribe it because he didn't think I should take it unless it was really going to work. The side effects are horrible- I'm dizzy all the time, I feel like someone is stabbing needles into my feet, my mouth is dry, I'm drowsy all of the time, I have trouble forming words when I talk to people, I have a hard time concentrating, and so one. Really, I just want to stress, don't take this drug unless it's the only thing that works for you and you really cannot function in the world without it. It sucks and it's expensive, even with great insurance. It costs me $90/month for a relatively low dose and my husband works for the federal government so we have excellent insurance. It's a gross drug."

my doctor prescribed me topamax for headaches, and i've read some really bad things about it. anyone take it? I've read a lot about serious side effects, and while not even knowing if this is gonna help me, I'm scared to begin taking it. anyone have any experience with it, positive or negative?

Melody replied: "Well, I took it for severe tics, from my extremely severe Tourette's syndrome. It first would put me in this grey, dull, dreary fog. I'd get up in the morning exhausted and crawl over to the couch from my room and sit there and vegetate all day long, watching TV and sleeping and eating junk. And each time we started to raise the dose, it would take around a week and it would lose effect. So we'd raise it again. And I continued to be sluggish and then increasingly more depressed. To the point the doctor I was seeing thought I was a threat to myself. After a nightmarish attempt at inpatient treatment, I quit the Topamax. And I went back to being my relatively happy self. It was one of the worst drugs I've ever taken. (I'm seemingly very prone to side effects) Anyways, yeah, watch for depression! Cognitive dulling (feeling in a fog) is another (maybe more) common one. I just feel like you oughta know what it did to me. I don't want you to go through that. Mine was definitely negative. But like I mentioned earlier, I have a history of unusual tendencies to be prone to negative side effects. Maybe it will work for you, I don't know. I took it for Tourette's. Good luck!"

Should I stop a drug if I don't mind the side effects? They're not that pleasant (fatigue, taste perversion, dizziness, pins and needles), and I'm not sure it's working yet (still getting headaches), but one of the other side effects -- in over 68% of people! -- is significant weight loss! And I could really stand to lose some weight! Topamax 25mg as migraine prophylactic. Next doc's appointment in 2 months.

wrey1 replied: "LOL can I get some of that? Keep taking it to see if it starts working, and if you lose any weight."

Secretlab replied: "to be honest... i wouldn't stop it, it's up to yourself though. i mean see how it goes for a little while longer and then if the side effects get to much then you can go back to your doctor."

Matthew V replied: "Depends on what the drug is for. Alot of people take drugs, especially pain medicine, specifically seeking out the side effects."

bobby m replied: "i'd give it a bit to see if the benifits were worth it. sometimes it takes awhile for the pills to start working. please be careful though and don't try and use it as a diet pill."

xxsweetGxx replied: "well if you really want to but its pretty dangerous coz you could get addicted [not in just the medicine but also the fact of losing weight really fast] so take it easy but DONT overdose, not worth losing weight or even better just try losing weight yourself, atleast you'll feel a lot satisfied if you lose weight all by yourself. good luck"

Has anyone had leg pain as a side effect of taking Topamax? I've been taking Topamax for almost 5 weeks for migraines. It's been working great so far. It's helped with the headaches and I've lost almost 15 lbs. due to the taste change side effect (had to give up drinking soda cause it tastes horrible to me now). In the past week, however, I have developed pain in my legs that I've never had before. I take my Topamax dose at bedtime and the pain wakes me up in the middle of the night and makes it difficult to sleep. I am wondering if the Topamax could cause this and why did it take 5 weeks for it to start affecting me? Also, has anyone else had this side effect and what was your solution? Were you able to continue the medication? I hate to stop taking it because it has made me feel better in so many other ways. Please only answer if you have been on this medication.

Michael C replied: "I've never heard of anyone complaining of leg pain as a side effect from Topamax. Usual side effects are memory loss, difficulty concentrating / impaired thinking. Many call it "Dopeymax" because of the way it may make you feel as it slows you down. I had to stop taking it after 11 months because of repeated kidney stones developing (requiring surgery once). I also took it for "headaches"."

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