Stopped Tompamax for Migraines...weight is comig back!

I was prescribed it one time for my binge eating and my migraines. One of those 2 for 1 drugs.

I should add...the fact that it cut down my migraines was frickin awesome, but I didn't lose any weight because I quit taking it shortly after I started because it made my face tingle in a weird way

I was prescribed Topamax 2 months ago for Migraines, 1 month after I started back on MFP. I did noticed it helped my weight loss. I adjusted the the side effects now. I am still taking it, and doing well with it. I posted a topic about it about a month ago, just asking people about their experience on it, and it really varied. Some people had terrible side effects, some people did okay. I do worry though if and when I stop taking it what would happen. I'm working hard on losing weight, so I would hate to have it come back if I ever stopped taking this drug.

I was on Topamax for migraines. But didn't stay on it long enough to see any weight difference, was only on it for a day and immediately taken off because it caused me to have a minor stroke(Happened little over a year ago) And I'm still having memory issues because of it.

I was on it for a year (migraines) but I started getting intense itching. Now that I am off the itching has stopped. I have been off about 2-3 weeks now. I noticed that it is harder to lose weight now and i have been at the same weight for a while now. We shall see.

My physician prescribed Phentermine for appetite suppressant and then added Topamax for fat burning. I started to get headaches, and my total concentration level was down. I could no longer process complex information as well.

I talked to the physician and he said that there are sometimes cognitive side effects from Topamax, so he had me stop taking it. I took neither pill for a week to let them out of my system, and the headaches went away and my cognition is better.

Now he had me restart the Phentermine alone, and I find some of the headaches are back, but I have not yet seen the concentration problems. I think the headaches are because Phentermine affects my sleep, but it sure does suppress my appetite.

So I have no doubt about the cognitive effects some of you describe.

I just started taking topomax on last Thursday for bipolar disorder, I'm interested to read everyone's experiences with this medication.

I was on Topomax for about eight months for epilepsy about 12 years ago. It definitely suppressed my appetite, but it seemed like I lost weight faster than just due to reduced calorie intake. (i.e., I was a lazy bum with no serious exercise routine.) Anywho, I was at a "healthy" weight according to my BMI but not through conscious healthy lifestyle changes; I could enjoy it (yay, skinny!) but couldn't really be proud of it at the same time (yay, better living through chemicals and no personal responsibility!). Fortunately, I went off it because it made me dumb as a bucket of hair. I gave it the highly clinical term "spaghetti brain"--so weird my neurologist thought I was having a new (to me) type of seizure; I wasn't; it just wasn't the drug for me. I switched to Lamictal, got my appetite back, packed the pounds back on and then some, and chubbily grumped for a decade. I think the Lamictal helped some with the weight gain, but it was my overly ample appetite, an appreciation for fine food and drink, and laziness that really did the trick. Lather, rinse, repeat.

About 100 pounds later, I'm switching to Keppra, and I'm experiencing a suppressed appetite again but not to the same degree (caveat: atypical side effect). This time, it motivated me to change my lifestyle because I want some of the credit. I'm greedy like that. I track my calories to make sure I get enough (never thought that'd be a problem) and exercise 5 times/week or more, mostly cardio. Weight training is the next hurdle.

Long story short (too late): drug-assisted weight changes will not stick with you without lifestyle changes. They might serve as a good kick in the butt (as the Keppra switch did for me—50lbs+ lost since March), but it's the lifestyle changes not the drugs that will get you there and keep you there in the end. Or so I’m told, since I’m not exactly at that maintenance part, yet.

Best of luck.

Yes, at first I lost a lot of my memory, for instance I was in the last few months of my senior year, big play coming up, had all my lines memorized.
Lost. Everything. All my lines were forgotten, couldn't remember my class schedule, or what rooms my classes were in, or my teachers. It was scary, and because the doctors couldn't 'Prove' I had a true stroke, they couldn't do anything for the school. I ended up failing my Drama class because I couldn't do the play(Final exam), and nearly failed my senior year( WHich was already a year late due to a big move)

For now, and probably the rest of my life, my short term memory is fried. I have issues making new memories. I often go room to room and forget what I did, I have to be careful with meds because I'll forget I've taken them, It's horrid. Be real careful with meds you take, and always do research first. Don't always trust your doctor. Please, learn from my bad experience.

I was on Topamax for about a month and couldn't handle the side effects. They should not be scripting that out for weight loss. That is a serious drug.

But I can see where being on a drug like that for a while and it causing some weight loss can cause you to gain some of it back when you get off the drug. I have no answer for you other than keep working at it. Hopefully you will find a good answer. Best thing would be to talk to your doctor about it.

Good Luck.

I was on it for Migraines - MIRACLE DRUG, I must say. For the first month (until I adjusted to the side effects), I noticed a sharp decrease in my appetite. I had to close my eyes and hold my breath and just force myself to eat. Never amounted to any weight loss though.

I've been off of it for about a month or two. Exercise (and avoiding caffeine) has helped tremendously with the migraines (and relieved the high blood pressure and depression). I haven't noticed any change at all in anything - which is weird since I didn't even taper down, I just ran out of pills.

I don't think Topamax does anything to affect your metabolism, but rather has the effect on your appetitie. You might be eating just enough extra that you don't notice it - even drinking 1 sugary soda everyday will add up. You could stop into any pharmacy near you and speak to the pharmacist. A good pharmacist will be willing to look up the drug and see how it would actually affect your weight after you stop talking it. Best to try a Mom&Pop type of pharmacy rather than the chain pharmacies, as the chains run on a skeleton crew to increase profits.

Even if you do gain some weight, you should go back to "normal" after everything wears off. It's better NOT to have all the manmade crap in your system.

Good luck!

FDA has not approved topamax for weight loss, but it is a side effect for most who take it, that's true. Topamax can make eating disorders worsen, so it is not good for those who binge eat to take it nor for anorexic patients.

I took it for migraines for a year or so, and it began to make me obsess about things it seemed. At any rate, if you don't need it for the migraines anymore, then look for better alternatives to control appetite like high fiber/ high protein meals.

YES! Same thing happened to me. I was on Topamax for two years and while I definitely don't credit the medicine alone for my weight loss as I made lifestyle changes that had me losing weight already- it most certainly accelerated it. I didn't feel like it helped my migraines enough to deal with all the side effects (the ringing in my ears and numbness in my fingers and toes drove me nuts!) so I went off it about 9 months ago. BAM! Hello 15 lbs. Now that too wasn't completely the medicine, I had to stop running due to injury BUT my very slow weight gain due to the injury became very quick (15 lbs in 3 months) when I went off the Topamax. The thing i noticed the most was when I was taking it, I didn't have as much of an appetite- it really worked as an appetite suppressant for me- so as soon as it was out of my system, my appetite came back and I felt hungry all the time.

The good news is that sticking with a plan has helped and for me personally, finding a way to stop snacking so much and work on my self control. I am losing, but with nowhere near the speed I did on the Topamax. However, I also don't want to be on a medication for the rest of my life, so I just had to figure it out.

As a side note- I started doing Bikram Yoga at the end of May, and I have only had one migraine since then. Normally I would have had at least 5 in that period of time. Works for me way better than Topamax and no crazy side effects!

Good luck!

OMG! SAME THING WITH ME!!!!! The numbness in my fingers and toes....was the worst!!!! My doctor didnt think it was due to the Topamax, but now that i dont have ANY of that anymore, i guess he was wrong! Esp now that i know you had the same thing happen to you.
Agreed - i was never really hungry taking that med - i could and would sometimes go all day without eating. And yes, now - appetite is back - full force. I have to stick to exactly what i was doing while i was on it and not fall back into the bad habits and routines i was in before i started the diet (and meds).
Im going to look into a yoga class in my area - of course all the ones i looked at were during the day, so i have to keep looking, but thats def. something Id be interested in too. For the mental and physical results.
Thanks for sharing - good luck with getting that 15 back off, sounds like you're right on track....it'll be gone in no time, keep at it

It makes my fingers and toes tingle, too. It is listed as one of the side effects, strange your doctor didn't think that was the cause. I'll deal with it because, for me, the benefits far out weigh the feeling I've been sitting on my hands for hours lol. As far as the weight loss, my first neuro who put me on it did say that it's been known to cause weight loss. In my case, like others....I can go all day and not feel hungry and my food tastes strange. The only other side effect is the feel of flightiness, if that makes sense. I feel like I'm going from one thing to the next without really finishing anything. That drives me nuts.

Topomax absolutely has weight loss as a side effect for some people, it is a well known side effect. It is not known how or why this side effect occurs, but Topomax is now being used in combination with some other medications as a weight loss drug for this reason. It also can have, for some people, other very undesirable side effects. I take it for migraines and am lucky not to have the undesirable side effects - I am fond of saying it saved my life! However it has not, for me, made losing weight one bit easier. I wish it had. Therefore I can see how stopping it can have a slight rebound effect on your weight. You'll have to really tighten up your program, I suspect - but if it was having a very negative effect on your health, I wouldn't go back on it just to keep the pounds off.