Topamax

[mich41]

Hi there Dr perscribed me Topamax for my migraines and I am a little nervous to try them.  I heard you can also lose weight with this.  I quit smoking 4 weeks ago and have put on quite a bit of weight, so was wondering if you can share your experiences and side effects to see if it is worth it.

Thank you

[Dr_Smita_S]

Hi

Topamax (topiramate) is indicated in adults for the prophylaxis of migraine attacks. Its usefulness in treating acute episodes of migraine headache has not been established.

The most common side effects seen during clinical trials of topamax in preventing frequently recurring migraines were tiredness, pins and needles in the fingers and toes, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, indigestion, dry mouth, weight lost, decrease in appetite, drowsiness, forgetfulness, difficulty with concentration or attention, difficulty in sleeping (insomnia), mood swings, depression, changes in taste and vision disorders.

The weight loss experienced with this drug is usually dose dependent.

You should discuss with your doctor about your concern for weight loss. He will perhaps be able to judge which treatment would suit you the best.

Take care

[HR_PuffnStuff]

I wish you luck with the Topa....it worked for me in the beginning. It has helped a lot of people with migraines. I definitely lost weight and I am little to begin with. Recently I went off of Topamax and have gained weight back for sure :(  So the weight loss is one of the better side effects LOL. The biggest side effect for me was the hands and feet (and sometimes lips) tingling. Not all the time but especially in the beginning. Numbness too. They weren't bothersome enough for me to stop taking it, though.
I hope it works for you.

[hmay42]

Hey, my neurologist put me on Topamax about 9 weeks ago.  I was really nervous about it.  I'd heard about all the weird side effects too (my sister had been on it and had had every weird side effect).  I have lost some weight (about 13lbs), but I'm not attributing all of that to the pills.  And my doctor told me that that would level off once I had my dosage figured out.  Right now I'm still increasing and am at 100mg, and this is where I'm noticing the side effects are their most pronounced.  This is where I've lost the most weight, and this is where the numbness thing has been the worst.  Personally I've found this to be the most annoying.  My fingers and feet tingle and my whole face feels numb, but my doctor just prescribed potassium pills.  He told me for a lot of people just eating a banana when they felt numb would help, but that didn't work for me.  I do find myself zoning out sometimes.  I'll start to say something and I'll lose the word I'm looking for, or I'll walk upstairs and forget why.  It doesn't happen often, but it is annoying and my doctor did warn me about it.  Sometimes I can't focus very well.  I have a hard time sitting down to read a book for very long.  Again, it's not all the time but I've noticed it more on higher dosages.  I do get a little drowsy when I take them, especially at a higher dose, so I take them before bed.  And the last thing, and I think one of the weirdest for me, was soda.  The topamax can do something to the way you taste soda.  The way my sister describes it is it tastes flat and then suddenly starts burning.  I don't know.  I think the thing that I need to emphasize in all of this is that the even though the side effects are a little strange, the pills seem to be working.  When I was only taking 25mg a day, I had 4 migraines in a month.  I'm on 100 mg now and I had 2 in September, and those were extremely stressful days for me and I was expecting them.  So I'd say the pills are doing their job pretty well.  Before the pills I was doing 5-8 or more a month.  Anyway, I hope the Topamax works for you.  I hope this helped.  Good luck!