Bad reaction to Topamax

[lostsoul2]

I went to a pain management clinic on Tues. morning and the Dr. prescribed Topamax to relax the nerves in my lower back.  I did minimal research on this drug and took it as prescribed before bed on Tuesday night.  Ever since I have been VERY lethargic, in a fog, and just not feeling right at all.  I haven't taken it again, but was wondering if this is normal?  I have been researching this drug and finding more negatives than positives about it.  The Dr. mentioned nothing about any potential side effects, and from my research I seem to be having about all of them.  He started me on 100 mg's once at night, but I have been reading that it is highly recommended to start at 12.5 to 25 mgs and slowly work your way up.  This drug is mainly used as an anti-convulsive for seizure patients and for severe migraines, neither of which I suffer from.  I am just hoping I haven't done any damage with this because I really feel rotten.  I can usually think things through pretty well on my own but for the last two days, especially today, I am having a hard time focusing and thinking clearly.  If anyone has any knowledge or experience with this please let me know if this is normal or if I should seek out some medical attention.  I am really getting concerned.  

[edwardbear]

I'm a severe cluster headache sufferer and I take 400mg topamax daily. Side effects? Paranoia, tingling sensation in the legs/hands, shortness of breath, somnolence, loss of appetite, confusion, fatigue...

BUT, I'm pain-free. And trust me it's the first time since 17 long years. And nothing hurts more than a cluster headache. Topamax is a deal with the devil. It'll fix your problem, but it'll bring some other stuff. So, my wife has to drive me around, and I have to be more careful. Doesn't really matter, really. I don't humiliate myself no more by being so pathetic and weak when I get a cluster attack. My advice? If you can fix your problem by a more natural mean (such as yoga) go for it. Or a more innocent pill. Topamax is waaay too toxic. Hell, Topamax is so toxic, it changed the way Coke tastes for me. You could try Neurobex if you have that around you.

[madmom7]

I took only two 25mg tabs over two days and woke up four days later with sever nearsightedness.  I had stopped taking the drug for the same reason you described but apparently it was still in my system and can take up to 8 wks to work it's way out. I was blind for two days and suffered, forgetfulness, confusion, tiredness, hair loss, slurred speech just to name a few of the side effects.  The frustrating part was that my Dr., the ER DR. and my eye Dr. were all stumped.  I disclosed that I had just started this med. within the last week but they didn't connect the two and I was told that my sight loss could be permanent.   It was not listed on my pers. papers.  I thought I had a brain tumor or something! It was very scary.  I have since done my own research which only took a little time on the internet and found  that they had updated the prescribing information in 2001 to include acute myopia and possible glaucoma (which can cause permanent blindness) but I was not given the updated info. I would totally stop taking this med!!! good luck!

[ardmore]

I was put on 25mg @ first for depression and then within the following months worked up to 50 mg. Once i started on the total of 75mgs i would wake up to major, major anxiety attack in the middle of the night, i never experienced anything like it. It felt like a train was driving through my brain, my heart rate was so high and i felt like i was having a seizure. I had a brain scan to and electroves to see if they were seizures and it came back negative, so I kept on taking topamax the dr. then added 25mg more to the presc and i started getting really bad eye pressure and felt really dizzy; i refused to take the 4th 25mg and the dr. tried to assure me it wasnt the topamax. I stayed on the 75 mg for the rest of 1 year and probably gained about 25 pounds i looked so bloadted no matter what i did to work it off it just wouldnt go away, it was like all water retention. Just the other day i took my last 25mg of the topa and i feel like i can breath better, Like my seasonal allergies and asthma feels so much better. Listen to your body it knows what it can handle. Most dr.'s just dont want to listen. good luck

[Flutterby111]

That's interesting that he did that!  I'd file a complaint.  I was started on I believe 25 mgs.  Over 2 months I was upped to 50 mgs in the am and 50 in the pm.  It was for migraines.  Like Destiny, I would have the numbing effects, and I also had a funny taste in my mouth-which was really sh***y to me....hated it.  

[Destiny4]

wow that was a HUGE dosage i wasnt up to that dosage for 6 months.  i used it for migraines and depression it also helped me quit smokeing for the time i was taking it and lose weight. about 1 year into taking it my legs arm and tongue would go numb which is a side effect so they took me off.  that was heck on wheels my migraines got so bad.  i think you reacted so badly cause of the dosage.  some docs just dont think before prescribing.  i Wish you the best and i have been using the thema pacs there heat packs you can wear for up to 6 hours i use it on my lower back since my accident on saturday.  its nice cause its not a pill and you can work while wearing it and no one knows.

I wish you the best
des

[lostsoul2]

I'm just waiting this out and hoping the effects go away real soon.  I've made the decision to try and do this without any more drugs.  After the addiction to hydrocodone, and now feeling how this makes me feel, I am determined to try anything but drugs to manage the pain.  usarmymedic1 has some core strengthening exercises on his profile that I fully intend to work at.  And I plan to hit the yoga a little more intensely.  I am going to try like hell to manage this drug free.  I tried the pain clinic as a last resort, but now I'm a little gun shy and just don't want any more side effects from anything if I can avoid it.  I went without anything but OTC stuff and mild exercise for a month to get clean, and I liked where that was going, and after feeling these side effects from Topamax, well, I've made up my mind to try like hell to do this drug free.  I can't handle anymore of the pharmaceuticals.  

[avisg]

yes 100 mgs was to high to start you on ......

[worried878]

Like avis said...let your doc know and cut back on your dose..always good to let them know what you are doing or if it is ok with him as well...could be that you get used to it and the effects wont be as drastic after a while...if you then still cant tolerate it, perhaps he can switch you to another drug...everyone is different...i react very drastically to anything that can make you sleepy...if it says drowsiness is a side effect, i feel it...many dont have this reaction...work with your doctor on it

[avisg]

Tags : pain, topamax, fibromyalgia, cfs
Topiramate Shows Promise for Treatment of Neuropathy and Chronic Pain

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 08 - The anti-epileptic drug topiramate may be an effective addition to the arsenal of agents used to treat neuropathic and sympathetically maintained pain, researchers in Oklahoma report.
Dr. Michael G. Jenson and associates, of the Pain Evaluation and Treatment Center in Tulsa, treated 61 patients with topiramate. Patient conditions included reflex sympathetic dystrophy, migraine and cluster headaches, radiculopathy, discogenic disease, phantom limb pain, and pain resulting from skin graft and third-degree burns, in addition to diabetic and other types of neuropathies.

Dosing was initiated at 25 mg at bedtime. As the investigators report in the American Journal of Pain Management for January, they titrated doses upward at weekly intervals until efficacy was demonstrated or to a maximum of 400 mg/day.

More than half of the patients had a greater than 50% improvement in symptoms. A greater than 70% reduction in symptoms was experienced by 14.6%. Only 12.2% experienced a poor response.

The lowest dose at which patients experienced relief was 50 mg, while seven patients were titrated up to 400 mg. A mean of 131 mg was the average effective dose. Two patients discontinued use of the drug because of nausea, and another 16 because of dizziness and sedation.

Dr. Jenson and his colleagues note that the 15- and 25-mg dosage forms make topiramate easy to titrate, which enhances tolerability.

[avisg]

yes it is normal side effect ,it normally goes away on its own you may not be able to tolerate the med .it took a while before the fog went away ,for me the benefits completely made it wroth it .... that of course is a personal decision.You might want to try 50 mg for a while if you desided it may be helpful in the long run

[usarmymedic1]

topamax should be titrated up meaning tapered up and down

[worried878]

I have taken care of patients that have been on topramx long term....it affects some differently i guess but my last patient had been on it for a long time and she had a very flat affect from it....flat meaning, no expression...depressed in behavior...now i do not know what she was like before but i do many do not tolerate this drug well...have you tried nuerontin for the pain?