Topamax is making me stupid (UPDATE pg 7)

[piratesmate]

I'm so glad the hear that the Topomax is working for you!! My DD is on Topomax and Elavil as preventatives for migraines. (She got one in Feb & didn't get rid of it until mid-June this year. ) They didn't start her on them until she was already in the throes of that massive migraine. We were hopeful that the meds would prevent any further migraines. Unfortunately, she got one again the fourth day of school....and still has it. The only good news is that the pain level isn't as bad as it was all spring, but she still can't go to school.

For her the Topomax just didn't do it and things like Maxalt & Frova don't touch the pain. She hasn't lost any weight either. She has only been drinking water for months (except for the occasional sip out of my cup) and never mentioned any problems with taste. The thing we see the most from the Topomax, though, is the "stupidity"! The poor thing is sooooo frustrated with it! Hopefully they'll come up with something new when we see them on Tuesday.

 

[Poohlovr]

Oh that stinks. I can drink anything non-carbonated. But I have mostly been drinking water.

How long were you on it? Was your appetite decreased? Did the bad taste go away?

I guess I tried it for 2 or 3 months. Can't remember any changes in my appetite (just my luck), but that metallic taste lasted the entire time I took it and a few days after I stopped.

The people I work with who took it for weight loss used it for several months (until they acheived their weight loss goal) and had that horrid taste the whole time they used it.

All of the other meds make me stupid, but at least I can still enjoy my Diet-Cokes with them.

My doctor gave me a prescription for Lyrica to try. Supposedly it doesn't cause the memory problems that I've seen in the other meds. Guess I'll try it when I run out of Tegretrol.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

Well, I've decided I'm going to call my doctor in the morning to see if I can get a prescription for this. It seems like lately I've been getting the migraines more frequently. Yesterday I started to get the signs of one and pretty much nipped it in the bud by taking a Fioricet. But boy, to avoid getting them at all would be wonderful.

Last question: I read where it makes you tired. Is this true? The carbonated drinks tasting bad I guess I can deal with that. Oh, except beer's carbonated and I do like a couple of beers now and then! Oh and the foggy brain, I kind of already have that, so that would be nothing new.

 

[disneymama73]

Well, I've decided I'm going to call my doctor in the morning to see if I can get a prescription for this. It seems like lately I've been getting the migraines more frequently. Yesterday I started to get the signs of one and pretty much nipped it in the bud by taking a Fioricet. But boy, to avoid getting them at all would be wonderful.

Last question: I read where it makes you tired. Is this true? The carbonated drinks tasting bad I guess I can deal with that. Oh, except beer's carbonated and I do like a couple of beers now and then! Oh and the foggy brain, I kind of already have that, so that would be nothing new.

I tried a beer a couple of weeks ago. Won't be having another. Oh well...beats being incapacitated with pain.

I'm not sure if it makes me more tired. I take Klonopin at night to help me sleep (restless legs syndrome), and it makes me very tired. I don't seem to be any more tired than before. Heck, I have 3 kids. I'm always tired anyway. I'm on a low dose, too. 25mg twice a day.

I'm so anxious to see if this works for you because I never thought I would be migraine-free. I've been struggling with this since I was 10 or 11 years old.

 

[disneymama73]

I guess I tried it for 2 or 3 months. Can't remember any changes in my appetite (just my luck), but that metallic taste lasted the entire time I took it and a few days after I stopped.

The people I work with who took it for weight loss used it for several months (until they acheived their weight loss goal) and had that horrid taste the whole time they used it.

All of the other meds make me stupid, but at least I can still enjoy my Diet-Cokes with them.

My doctor gave me a prescription for Lyrica to try. Supposedly it doesn't cause the memory problems that I've seen in the other meds. Guess I'll try it when I run out of Tegretrol.

My doctor actually told me that NONE of his patients experienced the weight loss side effect! So I am shocked that I have lost all this weight. I started losing right away and so far in only 2 mos have lost 25 lbs.

I haven't heard of Lyrica. I hope you have good luck with it.

 

[Forevryoung]

What does your dr. say about the weight loss? Maybe you could drink something like Ensure? I hope it works out for you because I know how much better I feel on the Topamax, and I do NOT want to go off of it.

No Ensure for me... Just stocking my apartment with foods that I like to eat and always carry a granola bar or something with me. I live alone so I can eat what I want when I want which makes it easier then when I'm living at home (even though I miss Mom's cooking).

I haven't lost more weight so we shall see. Thanks for the good wishes. Good luck on the Topamax.

 

[disneymama73]

No Ensure for me... Just stocking my apartment with foods that I like to eat and always carry a granola bar or something with me. I live alone so I can eat what I want when I want which makes it easier then when I'm living at home (even though I miss Mom's cooking).

I haven't lost more weight so we shall see. Thanks for the good wishes. Good luck on the Topamax.

I am so rarely hungry that I've been trying to make sure the things I do eat are healthy. I've been a little concerned about my nutritional intake, but I'm just trying to stay on top of it.

Good luck to you, too! :

 

[Forevryoung]

I am so rarely hungry that I've been trying to make sure the things I do eat are healthy. I've been a little concerned about my nutritional intake, but I'm just trying to stay on top of it.

Good luck to you, too! :

Im concerned about my nutritional intake as well but if I can bribe myself with frozen waffles or a bowl of pasta and chedder cheese I can get at least calories into my body.

 

[MzDiz]

I was on Topamax for five days and my life came to a screeching halt after day one. The side effects were worse than the headaches for me. At least with headaches, I have *some* time off. Topamax made me so out of it that I couldn't do anything. For instance, I made kool-aid and couldn't figure out what to do with the empty package, it's like it didn't make any sense. I finally threw it into the pitcher, and THEN it occured to me that it belonged in the garbage. Oh yeah, fun drug.
I'm glad it works for someone!

 

[disneymama73]

I was on Topamax for five days and my life came to a screeching halt after day one. The side effects were worse than the headaches for me. At least with headaches, I have *some* time off. Topamax made me so out of it that I couldn't do anything. For instance, I made kool-aid and couldn't figure out what to do with the empty package, it's like it didn't make any sense. I finally threw it into the pitcher, and THEN it occured to me that it belonged in the garbage. Oh yeah, fun drug.
I'm glad it works for someone!

Wow!!! That must have been FREAKY! What dosage were you on?

 

[Barb D]

My doctor wouldn't put me on Topomax; she said some of her patients who are on it call it "Dopomax" because it makes them stupid. I'm on Depakote, which worked great for the first few weeks and then less great after that. My migraines are fewer now, but I'm still having them. I've taken 200 mg of Imitrex today, so I'm at least functioning.

 

[Disneyland1084]

Whenever I hear the word Topamax, I get bad memories from the time three years ago that my husband took it. He suffers from migraines, and his doctor at the VA Hospital prescribed Topomax to him. He went off the wall after taking it. Some of the side effects caused him to believe I was a witch who wanted to kill him, one night in the middle of the night he wanted to run outside in front of a driving car, he would screech whenever someone would try to talk to him. When my husband was taking that, he was NOT the man that I married. THANK GOODNESS he was taken off it and is now back to normal. He still suffers from migraines, but the medication he's taking now doesn't really have any side effects.

 

[mickeyfan2]

So, if you have migraines, you can stay away from Topamax and be in severe pain or you can take it, be pain-free and dumb as a box of rocks.

I will take dumb as a box of rocks as long as I am loose the weight of the box of rocks.

 

[disneymama73]

My doctor wouldn't put me on Topomax; she said some of her patients who are on it call it "Dopomax" because it makes them stupid. I'm on Depakote, which worked great for the first few weeks and then less great after that. My migraines are fewer now, but I'm still having them. I've taken 200 mg of Imitrex today, so I'm at least functioning.

I'm glad you're getting some relief from Imitrex! Whatever works, I say! Hang in there!

 

[disneymama73]

Whenever I hear the word Topamax, I get bad memories from the time three years ago that my husband took it. He suffers from migraines, and his doctor at the VA Hospital prescribed Topomax to him. He went off the wall after taking it. Some of the side effects caused him to believe I was a witch who wanted to kill him, one night in the middle of the night he wanted to run outside in front of a driving car, he would screech whenever someone would try to talk to him. When my husband was taking that, he was NOT the man that I married. THANK GOODNESS he was taken off it and is now back to normal. He still suffers from migraines, but the medication he's taking now doesn't really have any side effects.

YOWSA!!!! Do you know what dosage he was on? I am on a very low dose of 50mg per day. I only have a hard time finding the word I'm trying to say occasionally. But your DH's experience is downright scary.

 

[disneymama73]

I will take dumb as a box of rocks as long as I am loose the weight of the box of rocks.

 

[DisnyMama]

Hi there! I have been on Topamax for about 2 1/2 years and take 100 mg 2x a day. I am about 90% free of my headaches comapred to what it used to be before Topamax. I still experience times when I can't get a word to come to mind and that can be frustrating, especially when working but I deal with it. In the beginning was extreme tingling of my fingers and this still comes and goes some times but I hardly notice it and the diet coke thing, I was determined to not give it up and it took a few weeks to readjust my taste buds and now they don't know any different. About 6 months into taking topamax my employer changed medical insurance and all of a sudden the topamax was no longer covered. They made me take Depakoke for 2 months first and then if my doctor said it didn't work they would then cover the topamax. That two months was hell. I was constantly nauseaus, some of my hair was falling out. Luckily we got them to pay for it before the two months were up. My DS who is 15 has been on Topamax for his migrains for the last year also and it has helped alot. The only side affect for him has been the taste thing. He has had no problems with remembering words.

 

[momrek06]

OT: Sort of...I would like to jump in here and ask all of you...do the doctors who treat you know what exactly CAUSES migraines?

Is it genetics, food, stress, ? I have a DS who is 20yo and he has days when he has a headache he is so down for the count...like he has to go lie down, take 2 excedrin and be left complete quiet. He generally ends up falling asleep and then is ultimately fine. This happens more rarely than frequently and I am not even sure if this is STILL just classified a headache...what jumps it to a migraine?

TIA

 

[disneymama73]

OT: Sort of...I would like to jump in here and ask all of you...do the doctors who treat you know what exactly CAUSES migraines?

Is it genetics, food, stress, ? I have a DS who is 20yo and he has days when he has a headache he is so down for the count...like he has to go lie down, take 2 excedrin and be left complete quiet. He generally ends up falling asleep and then is ultimately fine. This happens more rarely than frequently and I am not even sure if this is STILL just classified a headache...what jumps it to a migraine?

TIA

Well, I think migraine-sufferers seem to be triggered by different things. I think we are finally pinning mine down to being mostly sinus-related. I still get my sinus headaches, but they no longer trigger a migraine. I just went through 2 rounds of allergy testing, and I have a load of allergies. My biggest one -- dogs. We just got a dog 2 yrs ago.

Other triggers for me are bright lights (flourescent), bright sunlight without sunglasses, going too long between meals (this is a big one for me), prolonged exposure to loud noise....just to name a few.

 

[momrek06]

Well, I think migraine-sufferers seem to be triggered by different things. I think we are finally pinning mine down to being mostly sinus-related. I still get my sinus headaches, but they no longer trigger a migraine. I just went through 2 rounds of allergy testing, and I have a load of allergies. My biggest one -- dogs. We just got a dog 2 yrs ago.

Other triggers for me are bright lights (flourescent), bright sunlight without sunglasses, going too long between meals (this is a big one for me), prolonged exposure to loud noise....just to name a few.

Oh..okay..wow..because I could not believe it when you said SINUS', DS has sinus issues and is taking something called ZYRTEC and he is terrrrrribly allergic to cats. He can tell immediately if SOMEONE around him has a cat without even being at that person's house...something about their clothing and him asking and they always end up saying YES!!!

WOW...Thanks, Disneymama!