Topamax...

kayfrog

I was on it temporarily for migraines and my mom was on it for years for her severe migraines and she freaked out when I told her I was put on it.

It made my hands and feet numb/tingly. It made my thinking ability dull, I was slow and just out of it all the time. Nothing tasted good to me and ended up loosing a lot of weight on it. And the biggest thing? I still had migraines and stopped taking it.

Since I've started exercising and eating better I haven't had a migraine in 3 weeks (I used to have 1-2 a week)! I was afraid I had inherited my mom's condition... vertebrobasilar migraines.

NAcetoLang

I'm allergic to Imitrex as well, so when they gave me Topamax, I thought it was supposed to be the wonder drug... I had a terrible reaction to it. I became very "unstable" mentally, very quickly. I dropped it quick. I have heard great reviews from others, though I had no success.

I have found, after years of suffering, that what I eat plays a HUGE role in whether or not I have migraines. One example is spicy food- I love it, but some spices in Asian or Mexican food can trigger a headache for me. It may sound weird, but I will smell a trigger food, and almost immediately start to get the woozy "pre-migraine" vision. Some chemical smells also trigger it for me, so the instant I feel it, I back away. I know a few folks that are sensitive to gluten, and find that they no longer had migraines, once they cut it out of their diet. Just some thoughts for you. Good luck to you!

redmagpie91

I'm allergic to Imitrex as well, so when they gave me Topamax, I thought it was supposed to be the wonder drug... I had a terrible reaction to it. I became very "unstable" mentally, very quickly. I dropped it quick. I have heard great reviews from others, though I had no success.

I have found, after years of suffering, that what I eat plays a HUGE role in whether or not I have migraines. One example is spicy food- I love it, but some spices in Asian or Mexican food can trigger a headache for me. It may sound weird, but I will smell a trigger food, and almost immediately start to get the woozy "pre-migraine" vision. Some chemical smells also trigger it for me, so the instant I feel it, I back away. I know a few folks that are sensitive to gluten, and find that they no longer had migraines, once they cut it out of their diet. Just some thoughts for you. Good luck to you!

One huge chemical that can induce migraines is aspartame! Seriously, I tell most people to avoid for this issue let alone all the other issues it can cause. This is a great reason why diet foods are a no! Chocolate and certain spices are also big triggers for a lot of people. I have been suffering from migraines since I was 5 and am learning good tools to control rather than medicate them. I would rather have a migraine than take Imitrex, Treximet or Topamax any day!

monicalosesweight

I wish I could print but there's just too much information and I suspect the scanner couldn't handle the itty bitty print. Remember though, not everyone has these effects. If she feels good on it (not dopy or any of the other stuff people here got) then I wouldn't worry. Basically, the key idea is to make sure it's working and look to see if there are effects. Hopefully, she's one of those lucky ones that can use it.

I did find an article published by an air force doctor that has some interesting facts about Magnesium. You can read through the article for additional information. I know I take magnesium and it does seem to help with my migraines.

Magnesium. A good-quality RCT of 81
adults given 600 mg of magnesium or placebo
showed that by weeks 9 to 12 frequency
of attacks was reduced by 41.6% in the
magnesium group and by 15.8% in the
placebo group compared with the baseline

(P<.05; NNT=3.9).

https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/3508/WhatDietaryModificationsMigraines.pdf?sequence=1

The one part I did find interesting is that he mentions some studies where they compared Carob to Chocolate and didn't find any sort of real difference between the two. I think the trigger is just something that's personal. I know some people eat two foods within a certain time period and that can trigger the migraine. The only way to know is to keep a diary of everything. Luckily, we do that here so looking for trends is pretty easy. Luckily, chocolate doesn't seem to trigger mine. I'm sorry that it does yours. That's sad.

thesarahsundae

I have been on and off Topamax for the past 9 years. I take it for my depression, anxiety and weight loss. When I’m on it, I love it. I am a gym rat, a health nut and feel fantastic mentally. When I’m not on it, I gain weight, feel terrible and get incredible depressed. I have never had any tingling or numbness when I take it, but I do tend to have moments of “forgetfulness” at times. I just laugh and tell everyone I’m having a “brain fart”.

divediva2

I am on it for migraines as well. It has cut the frequency of my migraines from 4-5 a week to 6-7 a month. That is a significant drop. I do have the side effects of tingling in my feet and hands, shortly after taking it, not consistently though. And the worst side effect for me is the word loss. It is effecting how I perform my job at times. Fortunately my coworkers are a pretty understanding group of people (I work in health care). I also take Magnesium supplements, magnesium citrate 500mg over the day.

I highly recommend a book called The Migraine Brain. It has a wonderful amount of information and helpful hints on how to deal with the trials of living with migraines and headaches. I found it so helpful while I was waiting to see my neurologist/specialist.

I am no longer able to take a triptan as "rescue" medication for my migraines, so I am now taking Ponstan 250mg 2 tablets, Magnesium 150mg and Topamax 25mg (part of my regular dosage for the day) when I get a migraine. Kind of a drug cocktail to combat the headache, it has been working about 50% of the time so far. I think my next visit to the specialist I will be pushing for something different. I need more than 50%!!!

monicalosesweight

That's great Mockingbirdgi! Some are very lucky and these medications work great for them. It's just helpful to know the side effects in case your one of those that find themselves trying to figure out if the medications are working for you. This has been a pretty nice thread. Everyone seems very informative and intelligent. :happy:

coohead

I suffered from migraines for 20 years. Topamax helped decrease the intensity but made my brain foggy. If you want to get rid of your migraines for good, get How to Heal Your Headache - the 123 Program by Dr David Buchholz and do what it says. I got a used copy at Amazon for $5 and have been migraine free for 10 months. Blessings!

monicalosesweight

I highly recommend a book called The Migraine Brain. It has a wonderful amount of information and helpful hints on how to deal with the trials of living with migraines and headaches. I found it so helpful while I was waiting to see my neurologist/specialist.

Thanks. I'll look into that one. It sounds interesting.

...it has been working about 50% of the time so far. I think my next visit to the specialist I will be pushing for something different. I need more than 50%!!!

I totally agree. That article I mentioned earlier said that Riboflavin might be helpful. They said the following:

Riboflavin. A good-quality RCT compared
riboflavin 400 mg/d with placebo
for prophylaxis of migraines.9 Using intention-
to-treat analysis, riboflavin was superior
to placebo in reducing attack frequency

Have you tried that supplement?
(P=.005) and headache days (P=.012).

thesarahsundae

That's great Mockingbirdgi! Some are very lucky and these medications work great for them. It's just helpful to know the side effects in case your one of those that find themselves trying to figure out if the medications are working for you. This has been a pretty nice thread. Everyone seems very informative and intelligent. :happy:

I was on other medications before Topamax and they did NOTHING for me. :sad: I go off once every couple years because I want to see if I can handle it without the medication and it's all good for a little while,. But...I guess I live and learn. :laugh:

monicalosesweight

I was on other medications before Topamax and they did NOTHING for me. :sad: I go off once every couple years because I want to see if I can handle it without the medication and it's all good for a little while,. But...I guess I live and learn. :laugh:

I really sympathize. Migraine's can really be scary. They hit at the absolute worst moments. I'm always worried that I'll get hit by one at work. I commute at least an hour and that would be a bad situation to be in. Luckily, they always seem to happen afterwards. Weird.

I know that one night I nearly had to get a hotel room as I drove home because of how nauseous it made me feel. I actually had to pull over for a moment (not going to describe that event and why I pulled over). Luckily, I was close enough to home so I managed. I totally understand though about wanting to get off the medications but migraines can cause strokes so it's important to keep them under control.

Have you ever been tested for allergies? I know I found that my wheat allergy definitely seemed to cause some of mine and it's helped to get off of it.

I'm just grateful that I don't get the cluster version of migraines. That's beyond awful.

catiecupcake

I have been taking Topamax for about three months. I was told I would loose 10-15 lbs. But that hasn't happened, I GAINED instead. I wish I had known that was possible before I started taken it. Dieting does me NO good, I loose 2 but gain back 3.

I also take Magnesium but have to be extra careful with it, as it can cause loose stools. SO I usually take it (Magnesium Oxide) every other day.