Topamax safe while TTC?

HI ALL! Doc prescribed Topamax for my migraines. I have a bottle in the kitchen but am afraid to start taking them because I don't want to screw up getting preggers! Can anyone tell me if they are safe? I'm in the TWW right now, but should it be neg this cycle, I wanna make sure I start my next cycle safely!

God Bless and Baby Dust!!

[key toy]

take them this will help....I was at the pharmacy and my pharmacist said to take extra birth control measures with topamax so I am assuming topamax will help!!!

[dancedjeric]

key toy, The reason why your Dr. said to take extra BC measures was because Topamax can cause birth defects in babies born to mothers taking it while on the drug.  Not that it will increase your chances of becoming pregnant.  Topamax usually outweighs the other aspects so she should take it and the second she finds out she is pregnant, advise her doctor so her doctor can roll her off the the Topamax as soon as possible

[molly1970]

Actually, you are wrong. I have been on the phone with the medical group at Ortho-McNeill's medical liaisons.  Topamax interacts with the estradiol in birth control pills and decreases the effectiveness of the birth control, therefore increasing your chance of becoming pregnant.  Topamax is a Class C drug and therefore pregnant women should stop taking the drug but at this juncture, it requires 4 to 6 times the daily dose to cause any birth defects--in rats.  There has yet to be enough studies to prove birth defects in humans.

[braw5110]

to echo what dancedjeric said (a while ago, I know), I asked my neurologist about this--as I'm on both Topamax and BC. He said in no uncertain terms that I MUST wean off the Topamax before we start trying to conceive, because of the risk of birth defects. Period. He was much more specific about what it could do to a fetus, but there you go.

I'd never even heard about an increased risk of pregnancy or lowered efficacy of BC, though--I've been on both of these drugs for 5 years with no problem.