Topamax?

[lulugirl]

Anyone here take Topamax as a preventative for migraines? I am going to discuss starting topamax w/ my Dr. next week and I am curious how others have done w/ it.
1)did you have any side effects?
2)if so, did they start immediately or after you had been taking topamax for awhile?
3)did it reduce the frequency and/or intensity of your migraine?
4)what was your dosage?
5)if you are taking topamax and you get a migraine can you take regular meds (imitrix, relpax etc.)?

Thanks, I appreciate any feedback!

-Elisabeth

 

[chell]

Anyone here take Topamax as a preventative for migraines? I am going to discuss starting topamax w/ my Dr. next week and I am curious how others have done w/ it.
1)did you have any side effects? Sometimes it makes my hands and feet tingle, but it doesn't last long and doesn't bother me - actually it lets me know it is working.
2)if so, did they start immediately or after you had been taking topamax for awhile? I think it has to have a little time to build up in your system.
3)did it reduce the frequency and/or intensity of your migraine? Yes to both.
4)what was your dosage? 100 mg once a day which was started as 25 mg once a day for one week, 50 mg - 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg in the evening for week #2, 75 mg week three, then 100 mg after
5)if you are taking topamax and you get a migraine can you take regular meds (imitrix, relpax etc.)? Yes, you can. I take Frova 2.5 when I get a migraine now.

Thanks, I appreciate any feedback!

-Elisabeth

Hope this helps! I know there are several others here who take it as well so I'm sure you will get plenty of feed back. Good luck with it.

 

[mirthmaiden]

1)did you have any side effects?

I did lose some weight (about 15lbs) but otherwise no

2)if so, did they start immediately or after you had been taking topamax for awhile?

about a month or so after

3)did it reduce the frequency and/or intensity of your migraine?

it was hard to tell for me; I never had a real bad problem with frequent headaches. I had more neck and shoulder pain, which my doctor said was migraine related. I get occasional migraines, but not debilitating ones. I had none while I was on Topomax

4)what was your dosage?

started with low dose (I think it was 50mg) and worked up to 200mg over the course of a month.

5)if you are taking topamax and you get a migraine can you take regular meds (imitrix, relpax etc.)?

don't know; I tried imitrix years before and it made me feel so weird, I never took it again. I didn't have a headache while I was on Topomax, so I had no need to take anything else. I eventually quit taking it on my own about 1 year ago and never went back to the doctor. I've had no further problems.

Sorry I can't be more help. Personally, I don't think the doctor diagnosed me correctly, so I'm probably not the best just of Topomax for people with bad migraine problems. I have heard good things about it.

 

[AZKathy]

I took Topamax for my leg pain from a back injury. It was used to decrease the pain I had in my legs (radiculopathy). Yes, I lost weight with it. My symptoms included not being able to drink carbonated drinks (all tasted terrible), decreased appetite, and being very very STUPID! I became very forgetful and had a lot of tip of the tounge episodes every day. I had to keep a calendar to make sure I would not forget anything. The other name by health practioners for this med is "Stupid-max" or "Dope-a-max" with the problems in memory. My pain management physician took me off of this medication when I started experiencing blurred vision. Please let your doctor know if you get blurred vision; you may need to find another medication.

I can't help you with the other questions since I took it for other reasons other than migraines. I hope you can get help with your migraines. This med did decrease the pain in my legs quite well when I took it.

 

[rentayenta]

Our docs prescribe Topamax all of the time. It is also used as a psychotropic med.

 

[lulugirl]

Thanks all, I appreciate the input!

 

[tmarquez]

I tried it. I get alot of classic migraines.

I quit the topamax after 2 weeks. It makes Coke taste nasty! It also made me very stupid. I would know in my mind what I wanted to say, but it was very hard say it...I would be at a loss for specific words. I fell asleep in my office during lunch. I did the laundry and put all my husbands clothes in my drawers and his in mine. I'm sure there was more but I'd like to forget. : )

It would be great to have a preventative, but it just wasn't worth it to me. I take Relpax and just try to really pay attention to my body so I can take it in time...of course that doesn't always work but that drug was just too much for me.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

Here's a long thread on it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1227032

 

[Blue Skies]

I took Topamax for my leg pain from a back injury. It was used to decrease the pain I had in my legs (radiculopathy). Yes, I lost weight with it. My symptoms included not being able to drink carbonated drinks (all tasted terrible), decreased appetite, and being very very STUPID! I became very forgetful and had a lot of tip of the tounge episodes every day. I had to keep a calendar to make sure I would not forget anything. The other name by health practioners for this med is "Stupid-max" or "Dope-a-max" with the problems in memory. My pain management physician took me off of this medication when I started experiencing blurred vision. Please let your doctor know if you get blurred vision; you may need to find another medication.

I can't help you with the other questions since I took it for other reasons other than migraines. I hope you can get help with your migraines. This med did decrease the pain in my legs quite well when I took it.

I had the same side effects. I was using it for simple partial seizures (as well as for migraines). I had to switch to a different medication after about a year. I would STRONGLY caution someone to read the documentation that comes with the pills very carefully before you agree to take this medication. This is very scary stuff!

 

[Jennasis]

It made me stupid...well..stupid-er anyway! Seriously though, I lost a few pounds but nothing to shout from the rooftops over, but it made all carbonated beverages taste like HINEY. Oh it was soooo bad! I live for Diet Coke so this was just the end of my world. I also lost the ability to remember names, dates, places, how to spell...would leave the dryer/oven on all day or forget to lock the gates to my horses pastures or stall doors. SCARY stuff. I'd be driving and forget where I was going. DH would have to tell me things OVER and OVER to make it stick. Additionally it did jack squat for my headaches. I finally got relief form KEPPRA, the wonder drug! No side affects too.

 

[AZKathy]

I was put on Keppra after Topamax and it helped a lot without the side effects that Topamax had and the weight gain the Neurontin gave me.

My pain management doc told me that Topamax was going to be used as a weight loss med since it did such a great job with weight loss, but the side effects (mental) were too great to use this med for just weight loss. Too risky.