Topamax-losing weight rapidly...

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  • cindyhoney2
    cindyhoney2 Posts: 603 Member
    I also had wicked side effects...trailing lights when I drove after dark, the door frame would appear to be moving from side to side when I would first wake. As far as the memory loss, yeah I had that too, along with the increased difficulty concentrating. They said it would get better after I stopped but I can't really say that it did.
  • kateandkevin
    kateandkevin Posts: 13 Member
    I take Topamax twice daily for chronic migraines. I've been on it for about three years now. Once of the many side affects for me was weight lost. I'd say I lost about 10% of my body weight within the first 3 months of using it. Unfortunately, I gained the weight back within a year or so.
  • I am a psych nurse. Almost all mood stabilizers, with the exception of Lithium, are anti-seizure meds. Depakote, Neurontin, Lamictal all anti seizures meds. Topamax is not a first line mood stabilizer but not an uncommon one either
  • Catter_05
    Catter_05 Posts: 155 Member
    I take the extended release topomax (Trokendi) and it does help with my migraines. My neurologist is lowering my dose from 50 to 25 and is added a new medication in today. At this point we are just trying to find a situation where the side effects and migraines are tolerable. It definitely is helping and switching from 100 mg of topomax to 50 mg of trokendi xr really helped decrease the side effects as well. Unfortunately, the migraines started coming again too, not as frequently as before, 1-2 a week is better than 3-4 times a week but still awful.
    Honestly, I have been able to start running again. I haven't felt this good in a long time. So, even though I have a lot of the same side effects many of you are complaining about I am able to have a life and for that I am so happy.
  • I have had great success with topamax. I titrated up starting at 25 mg per day, going up 25 per week to 100mg per day. I found this helped mitigate the side effects. Yes,I had brain fog and tingling I the hands, but I found that it faded after a few weeks on the medication. I lost 40 pounds in 6 months. I think this is a highly individual medication that works depending in your situation. This medication has been used to treat alcoholics, and part of my problem with sticking to a program is the temptation of beer and wine. Something about this medication allows me to say no to tempting foods as well as alcohol which of course can sabotage your day!

    Sometimes after that long day,you just say, dang it, I'm having a glass of wine, then before you know it, your husband says, how about a slice of cheese? And you say, why not? I was never able to take off more than 10 pounds before getting stuck in my lifestyle again before topamax. I have found I can go weeks at a time now really sticking with a healthy program, and since the side effects were minimal, FOR ME, it 's been totally worth it. I have 30 more pounds to lose.