Anyone else using Adipex and Topamax?

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  • jcm529
    jcm529 Posts: 36
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    I've been on topamax for migraines for years. The side effects in the beginning are insane. Memory loss (I would forget my passwords to log in on work computers I used all the time) and numb hands and feet. Now it isn't so bad. But I never saw and still don't see weightloss from it. Weird to use an anti-seizure drug for weightloss.
  • carter1092
    carter1092 Posts: 15 Member
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    I've been taking Topiramate (Topamax) since April of this year for migraines and I've had just about "6" side effects that happened over a period a time, and I still have them (except the first one I'm about to say). The first one happened within the first day, "drowsiness". Then came the one where I can't taste soda the way I want to.

    I also have:

    Diarrhea (one of the unpleasant side effects. To this day I have it every-single-day. No cramps though, just the stool :I )

    Pins-and-needles sensation throughout my body on occasion (I got this side effect about three months later)

    This weird "ghost trace" of every object I pass by/move, only when I take my night dose and a few hours pass. (idk how to explain it right, but this side effect scared me the most since it's not a written one. I told my doctor who said it must be a side effect).

    Loss of appetite and weight loss (this just occurred last month where I lost seven pounds).



    I really hope I don't encounter more side effects with this medication. I can manage the side effects I have now, although, I think eating may be a problem. Yesterday I forgot to eat until 3 in the afternoon! Topamax really does suppress your appetite, so be careful. I don't want to pass-out knowing I forgot to eat :(

    EDIT: I forgot one more side effect that I have, short-term memory loss (occasionally). SO that's seven side effects.
  • emih29
    emih29 Posts: 21 Member
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    I take topomax for migraines and have for 2 years. I have lost and gained weight while on topomax. Me losing and gaining weight had nothing to do with the drug. It's been a life saver for my migraines but it does cause numbness in my hands and I had a really hard time remembering things for the first 6-8 months as I went up on dosage. It also causes my eyes to become severely dry. I have to wear daily disposable contacts because anything longer than that just falls out of my eye.

    I still don't see why anyone would take this drug unless they needed it for seizures or migraines.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
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    I take Topamax for my migraines (and Maxalt) haven't noticed a lot of difference in my weight because of it...

    but it can work for some people with the right reaction to the meds.
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
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    Another vote against Topamax here. They call it dopamax for a reason. I was on it for about 3 years as a preventative for my migraines. I started out at the lowest dose and had bad side effects but it helped the constant headaches and migraines. Then it stopped working. I up my dose and the same thing happens. I do another round and same issues. I only got up to 75mg but by that point I'd had enough. I couldn't remember conversations I was having, my motor skills went to hell, I'd go to say something and the words in my sentence would come out *kitten* backwards. Initially I had the issue of decreased appetite but I don't believe it ever assisted my weight loss.

    Read up on drugs like that before you willingly go on them. They can have some serious issues both short and long term. I've been off of it for over a year and I still can't taste anything with carbonation in it.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I think you should only take medications for what they are actually prescribed for. Topamax is a seizure/severe headache medication. If you want to lose weight, you won't find it in a pill - and even if you do, the risks are highly likely to outweigh the benefits. Give it some serious thought. Best of luck to you.

    If a doctor prescribes a medication for condition X then that is what the medication is "actually prescribed for." Off-label use is quite common, and I know that I have benefited from it at times. If the OP's doctor believes that the potential benefits of this medication outweigh the risks, then no one here is in a position to say otherwise because we do not know the OP's medical history, situation, etc.. If the OP has questions about the risks and benefits of a particular medication, and how they apply to her situation, she should talk to her doctor.
  • LiveLaffLoseLove
    LiveLaffLoseLove Posts: 104
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    My Doc put me on Adipex years ago when I was first diagnosed with my thyroid issues... I gained so much weight so fast... I went from 105 pounds to over 160 in like 3 months. Doc put me on it for 3 months to jump start my weight loss.... it worked too. Wish the Doc would give it to me again!!! hehehe..... Don't know anything about Topamax, except it has been used for migraines.
  • Fox_n_sox
    Fox_n_sox Posts: 283 Member
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    I was given a perscription for Topamax while I was pregnant with my daughter for HORRIBLE Migraines ( experiencing one right now) but I just had a bad feeling about it and really didn't want to take anything while I was pregnant. Thank goodness I did not take it or even have it filled because after I had my daughter they came out with a class action law suit due to the horrible birth defects that babies were born with. I'd rather deal with the migraines or work out than take something with those side effects. :(
  • tlsegar
    tlsegar Posts: 185 Member
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    I took topamax for nearly a year for migraines. Over the course of the year I lost almost 30 pounds simply because I had absolutely no appetite. I also suffered some pretty awful side effects - stomach and digestion problems and pain, weird sensory sensations like my depth perception was off and my head was full of helium, speech and concentration problems. There would be times I would sit in my office and just stare or zone out for extended periods of time. Problems recalling simple words. Changes in mood - I could go from zero to *itch in about two seconds and depression. I was convinced that I was dying from one thing or another. It was horrible. And DON'T EVER miss a dose. I made that mistake only once. I just couldn't handle it any more and weaned myself off without even talking to my doctor. It was that bad! Just be careful and carefully monitor any side effects. Funny smooth, I had less migraines after I stopped taking the stuff.
  • jcm529
    jcm529 Posts: 36
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    I had a Dr. prescribe me topamax as well. Horrendous side effects, memory loss, etc.

    Another thing my doctor failed to tell me: TOPAMAX MAY INTERFERE WITH YOUR BIRTH CONTROL!!! Luckily I was fine and did not get pregnant, but it's important to use another method if you don't want to possibly end up pregnant!

    I think you should only take medications for what they are actually prescribed for. Topamax is a seizure/severe headache medication. If you want to lose weight, you won't find it in a pill - and even if you do, the risks are highly likely to outweigh the benefits. Give it some serious thought. Best of luck to you.

    This too!! I have had to be really careful about what birth control I take. It interacts with the estrogen so I am on progesterone only bc... currently the implanon implant.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    I took Topamax for migraines a few years back. I had terrible side affects, I'd rather have the migraines.

    This was exactly me. Been probably 10 or more years.. i was skinny back then, and lost so much weight the doctor put me on a medication to increase my appetite. The side effects were AWFUL and I had severe withdrawls when coming off of it. I was on it for over a year. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE medication.
  • breasonable
    breasonable Posts: 115 Member
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    25 lbs lost in 1 month?!?! Holy Cow! Did you eat?
    Yes to funny! I eat and the wonderful thing is I am not hungry or obsessing about food or what I can have next!!! Like on every other Diet I have been on.. May not be for some people but for me I have never had something work so well and keep my mind off obsessing...
  • StephanieKidd83
    StephanieKidd83 Posts: 41 Member
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    I did pretty good on the Adipex when I started taking it. I didnt like the side affects though so I stopped. Im a moody person as it is, and the adipex had my moods pretty extreme. I almost want to be violent sometimes. The smallest things either had me crying, or really pissed off. Id go from one extreme to the next. Its out of my system now and Im back to my normal moodyness lol I learned quickly that it isnt for me.Its not for everyone I guess. Good luck!!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Be wary of doctors who write off label prescriptions...

    The drug has only been demonstrated safe and effective for controlling seizures. The thing to keep in mind is that the FDA looks at benefits vs. risks when approving pharmaceuticals. So, the relative risk of a drug with serious side effects may be low if it is going to prevent a serious, acute medical problem (like stroke, heart attack, seizure, etc). The same side effects could have much higher relative risk if the drug is treating a less severe problem (acne, rash, etc).
  • erintabetarello
    erintabetarello Posts: 1
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    Topamax makes you lose weight YES. Down size of it, as soon you stop taking the weight you lose on the RX can be out back right back, So be careful with this RX.
    Do more "morning cardio" instead is my tip !!!
  • KatdenRN
    KatdenRN Posts: 52
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    Each dose is different for everyone... if the dose is too high for someone... Topamax becomes "Dopamax." Forget words, things you were doing... main uses are for seizures and migraines... started out as a mood stabilizer... they noticed psych patients were
    losing weight on it.

    I am on it now for migraines, works great... but we had to decrease the doses... I couldn't complete a sentence because I lost word recollection..
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    I think you should only take medications for what they are actually prescribed for. Topamax is a seizure/severe headache medication. If you want to lose weight, you won't find it in a pill - and even if you do, the risks are highly likely to outweigh the benefits. Give it some serious thought. Best of luck to you.

    If a doctor prescribes a medication for condition X then that is what the medication is "actually prescribed for." Off-label use is quite common, and I know that I have benefited from it at times. If the OP's doctor believes that the potential benefits of this medication outweigh the risks, then no one here is in a position to say otherwise because we do not know the OP's medical history, situation, etc.. If the OP has questions about the risks and benefits of a particular medication, and how they apply to her situation, she should talk to her doctor.

    I agree with this. I have COPD and the doctor prescribes me low dose pain medication, because it stops cough. and trust me, the medication i am on isnt something they normally give for cough. and it works. If it was prescribed to the OP for weight loss, than that IS the reason it was actually prescribed for THEM.
  • givenshl
    givenshl Posts: 34
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    I have been prescribed Topamax for Migraines. It has cut them to me having them only twice a week now.
  • traceepics
    traceepics Posts: 21
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    I have friends on Adipex and they shed weight and gain it back in a hurry plus more so now they are addicted to it.

    Bascially it's a few molecules away from being cocaine. You will be very thirsty, feel like crap in the morning until you take another pill, and talk a millions miles a minute from the jitters in the beginning. I'm not here to harp on anyone I just thought I would say that you can loose weight and be successful but a pill will hinder you in the long run. I used to live in florida and the clinics selling adipex were shutting down bc of people have heart issues. On my own discretion I tried it over a year ago for a week and I felt like I was a form of speed. So I know exactly what it does.. your not hungry. Doctors want the recognition for helping you when they are only setting you up for failure. Remember they are in the business to make money... that's why they sell B12 shots along with it because they know your calorie intake is usually below 900.

    I'm here to help if you want an answer that involves commitment, nutrition and working out. I'm a hard coach and I'm here to tell you what to do , how to do it and when. I hope you are careful with these pills and I would suggest you wing yourself off for a week until you can completely get off of it. I'm not a doctor but again, I have too many friends who have tried this and had to stop because of health issues and/or they just felt "cracked" out. I hated the feeling all around. Best of luck.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    Be wary of doctors who write off label prescriptions...

    The drug has only been demonstrated safe and effective for controlling seizures. The thing to keep in mind is that the FDA looks at benefits vs. risks when approving pharmaceuticals. So, the relative risk of a drug with serious side effects may be low if it is going to prevent a serious, acute medical problem (like stroke, heart attack, seizure, etc). The same side effects could have much higher relative risk if the drug is treating a less severe problem (acne, rash, etc).

    a side effect is a side effect. It wont be any more or less unless the dosage is higher or lower. This statement is absurd.

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