TOPAMAX Reviews (TOPIRAMATE)Average Rating: 3.0 (1824 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TOPAMAX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 |
More on TOPAMAX: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TOPAMAX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | Migraine/SUNCT | I'm unlucky enough to suffer 'classic' headache migraines and SUNCT or Cluster Headaches together. The SUNCT has been in abeyance for 18 months since being treated with Lamotrigine but this drug left me with daily headache migraines for which my doc prescribed topiramate. Within 2 days of starting upload period of 25mg at night, the SUNCT was back with full blown symptoms - tearing eye, swollen eyelid, streaming nose, stabbing pains in sinus, all on right side of the face this time. I thought it was just incredibly bad luck till I read of one other person experiencing the same thing on this website. Thank goodness I did. I'm stopping the topiramate right now, before the SUNCT gets any worse. | F | 56 | 10 days 50mg 1X day | 1/8/2013 | 2 | migraine/potential epilepsy | Suicidal ideation, rage, almost broke my hand, numbness, brain fog beyond frustrating, weight loss, abusive behaviors otherwise not present. --- The reason some people get this rage is a sulfa allergy. If you have a sulfa allergy, dont take this medicine! especially if you have prior mental health issues of any sort. This medicine made me a real evil person every uppage and no telling how coming off it will go. I have ptsd and 100% disability for it, a sulfa allergy, and get put on a med that causes those with sulfa allergies to rage. The brilliance is uncanny. I have come to terms that this med might help some people but if you have a known sulfa allergy you will at best turn into a zombie and at worst ive read people have lost friends trying to come off this pill. Im going to a hospital to be admitted and will raise hell to be sure that i get taken care of. I cant titrate off at home. My poor fiance and cats have been through more than enough! padded room for me. :/ This med is hell. Buyer beware. I almost broke my hand on the wall too. O.o | F | 31 | 3 months 100 | 1/1/2013 | 3 | migraine | hallucinations, weight loss, strange thoughts | When I was given this prescription I wasn't told to titrate up to the 100 mg per day so i started taking 100 mg right away. I started having hallucinations where i was being followed around by a small elephant and I saw and talked with my dead mother. I also lost 70 pounds in 3 months. When I told my Dr. that I was standing at my kitchen sink doing dishes and I looked up and saw myself standing there in front of me,looking back at me his advise to me was that I should call mental health and he wrote down a number for me to call. My doctor never connected the Topamax with the symptoms I was having. I tapered off the drug and continued losing weight eating 4000 calories daily for 5 more months until the weight loss stopped. This drug can either be a miracle drug or a death drug and it all depends on the chemistry of the human that ingests it. The medical community should be better informed about its crap shoot varying effects it has on those that use it and to NOT START AT A LARGE DOSE RIGHT AWAY. | M | 50 | 3 months 100 1X day | 12/30/2012 | 1 | headaches | Hair started to fall out. It felt like a broom. My face broke out in pimples from dry skin. My entire body, and orafices were dry as a bone. I lost 20 pounds in one month. Insomnia, lost sense of tactile stimulation, lost all libido. Lost short term,memory, word loss | I went nuts on this medication. It runined my life and many relationships. I did and said whatever I wanted with no sense of discretion, and good judgement. It was as if it turned off part of my brain that stops the pain, but right next to it is the part that gives me a filter & discretion. I hit my kids! Ran faster than my dog! It makes me cringe to think of this medicine. | F | 51 | 2 years 1X day | 12/9/2012 | 4 | Adjunct for depression | Appetite reduction | The GOOD: - Didnt necessarily increase mood in a euphoric sense, but made me much more mellow. I would never get upset or aggressive at anything. - Increased lbido - Decreased headaches (I don't have migraines but I do have daily headaches and this got rid of them and enables much more sleep). The BAD: To be honest, only the appetite loss really bothered me. On 50mg, it was a bit too much for me and I found I was actually finding it harder to sleep. However, once I got down to 25 that was the sweet spot. But, since im a guy , the appetite loss wasn't wanted as I was starting to lose weight and thus finally weaned off. | M | 15 days 25 1X day | 11/20/2012 | 3 | Migraines | I have been on Topamax for about 10 weeks now. Doctor just doubled dose from 100mg to 200mg 2 weeks ago. Side effects intensified then. Confusion, Lack of concentration,can't find words, constant ringing in ears, can't think clearly, nervous, irritable, no appetite whatsoever (entire time though), aversion to any carbonated beverages, struggling in school, tingling in hands, feet, face, pressure in ears, temples, headaches, feel like constant noise in head. Overall weird feeling. This past weekend, my eyes started bothering me. It's hard to explain, just general discomfort. I'm seeing my eye doctor tomorrow to make sure my eyes have not been damaged because this medicine can cause glaucoma and blindness. I am starting to taper off medication tonight. I have lost 23 pounds since starting in September but it's muscle loss not fat so that not beneficial. | Doctors sugar coat this side effects. My doctor only told me about the word find problem. He wasn't concerned at all when I told him my eyes were bothering me. I have only had 1 migraine since on the medication and my daily headaches have diminished quite a bit. I want the benefit of some pain free days but I don't want all these side effects. | F | 45 | 2 months 100 2X day | 11/8/2012 | 4 | IIH | I was prescribed Topamax because My stomach couldn't handle Diamox for IIH. For those of you reading this & unaware what this is (I wouldn't be aware if I didn't have it) that is a neuro condition in which my body overproduces spinal (csf) fluid and puts extra pressure on my brain causing a whole host of problems...the biggest is debilitating migraines. So, my neuro put me on Topamax and worked me up to my dose. I will admit, I did have a bit of trouble with some numbness & tingling while first adjusting to the medication, but this has since diminished. Secondly, I still have trouble with overheating a bit with exercise. However, those seem like such small things to overcome to me when I consider how much relief I've gotten & all that I've been able to get back since starting the med. | F | 24 | 6 months 200 | 11/7/2012 | 1 | Chronic headaches with migraines | Intense crushing pain inside my head. Unlike any headache or migraine experienced. This pain started after took the pill and wore off before next dose. | Did nothing for chronic headaches. Constant pain in upper head unlike anything ever experienced so painful. Was told to stop. | F | 50 | 4 days 25 1X day | 11/4/2012 | 1 | mood stabilizer | broken bones wouldn't heal; fingernails became paper soft; chronic anxiety; metallic taste in mouth; diet soft drinks tasted horrible; fluctuated between hyper-vigilance, dissociation, and mental fog -- very hard to feel grounded; worse effects were when gradually backing off dose (under medical supervision) -- almost unbearable anxiety and agitation; impaired judgment. Friend also backing off same dose experienced anxiety, paranoia, then committed suicide. | I would not recommend Topamax to anyone before ruling out predisposition to anxiety or mood disorder of any kind. The drug is insidious. It can alter the sense of self, and of reality. I honestly have no idea who I was during the years I took this medication. Now that I'm free of this or any other drug, I realize most of the anxiety I experienced was probably caused by the drug itself. I feel better than ever. I strongly recommend trying meditation, environmental adjustments, avoiding stressors, etc. -- anything natural before resorting to a mood-altering medication. Although I started feeling like myself within months of stopping this drug, it's taken 4 years for my fingernails to become strong once again, and I'm still dealing with orthopedic frailties. | F | 60 | 5 years 800 mg 2X day | 10/29/2012 | 4 | Weight loss | It's really not that bad for me right now. I have an aversion to carbonated beverages, some tingling and cramps not bad though. The worst is bad breath and dry mouth/ sore throat which I can deal with. I've lost 40 pounds in 3 months!!! | F | 33 | 3 months 50mg | 10/27/2012 | 2 | migraines | fatigue, tingling in hands/feet, muscle cramps (went away with potassium supplement), word loss, confusion, nausea, anxiety, depressed appetite, weight loss, back and neck pain | Made my migraine nausea better, but made my headaches worse. Increased from 5 days a week to every day, and more painful. Started having a constant aura. Been off this drug for 2 weeks, feeling somewhat better, but still having headaches every day. | F | 21 | 2 months 100 mg 1X day | 10/21/2012 | 1 | Migraine Prevention | Terrible metal taste in mouth. That was the only drawback and it was awful. Even water tasted terrible. It never went away. I tried it off and on for 2 years both the real drug and generic. No luck | If not for the metal mouth I would have stayed on it. It helped prevent many migraines. I had way less migraines but could never ever get past the horrible metal taste in my mouth. It never went away. I started on a low dose then worked up to 200. I took it at bedtime. | F | 38 | 2 years 200 1X day | 10/20/2012 | 2 | Depression, bulimia | Initially: tingling/numbness in hands and feet, metallic taste in mouth, sleepiness More gradually: memory issues (couldn't recall simple words like "desk"), flu-like symptoms | I stopped taking this med because I felt run-down and feverish while on it. Also, it lives up to its reputation of "Dopamax." It made me feel really stupid! I wouldn't recommend it. | F | 22 | 1 months 50 mg 2X day | 10/19/2012 | 3 | What time of day are you all taking your one dose??????morning it night??????? | F | 39 | 7 days | 10/10/2012 | 1 | Migraines | Completely exhausted all the time, trouble concentrating and finding the right words, weight loss, tingling in hands, food did mot tast the same especially carbonated drinks. Worst drug ever! Its called Dopemax for a reason! I felt like I took a stupid pill! Had to wean myself off of it! Could not get off it fast enough! Did not feel like myself for the entire 4 months. Was still getting migraines just not as many. Sometimes the side effects are worse than the actual problem. | F | 30 | 4 months 80 mg | 9/27/2012 | 1 | Bi-Polar | First yr: quit smoking, quit drinking, lost 60 lbs 2nd yr: bad soar throat 10 months, feet & hand spasms, fibromyalgia symptoms, then horrible itching began 3rd yr: painful lesions, dillusional parasitosis, scarring Physicians: 2 ENTs, 2 primary care, 2 dermatologists, general surgeon (3 biopsies), Infectious Disease, Rheaumatologist, 2 Psychiatrists Resolved: Topamax is a sulfonomide drug. Have had KNOWN sulfa allergy for 15 years. NO physician recognized the correlation. I resolved this puzzle on my own through net research. 2 weeks off Topamax: itching, pain, lesions; all healing. Physical and mental anguish subsiding. | F | 42 | 3 years 200 MG | 9/22/2012 | 3 | Migraines | Tingling in fingers with numbness | Initially relieved migraines completely, then they returned and I switched to Verapamil which worked for 3 months-full relief, now migraines headaches back again. Think it's hormonal, read that Aldactone will decrease androgens which cause cystic acne, headaches, hair loss. | F | 4 months 50 1X day | 9/12/2012 | 1 | Depression/Mood | HALLUCINATIONS | Stay away from this medication! For some reason my doctor started me at 50mg, which is a high dose to start on. On the 3rd day, I started feeling very strange and my mouth was becoming very dry and irritated. I then started hallucinating. The next two days were insane. The hallucinations became very vivid but I knew they weren't real. I would get stuck in a 'trip' for hours. I was hyperactive, forgetting what I was saying and what I was thinking. I tried telling my mom what I was seeing and feeling, and she came and stayed with me. I went to the ER and told them what had been happening. They drug tested me, saw I wasn't on drugs and handed me a pamphlet on schizophrenia as they discharged me. After some research, we found others who had experienced these same 'serious' side effects from Topamax. I stopped taking it and after the medicine was out of my system, I started feeling better. The whole experience was terrifying. The worst part was that people thought I was crazy and didn't even consider it was from the Topamax. I had specified that the only change in the past week was starting the medicine, and yet they refused to consider it as an option. Please reconsider starting Topamax and pursue an alternative if possible. I wouldn't want anyone to experience what I did. After the ER doctor telling me that Topamax is called "The Stupid Drug", I wonder if the benefits of this medicine outweigh the possible negative effects, and who is willing to risk this? | F | 30 | 5 days 25MG 2X day | 9/7/2012 | 1 | Concussion | Dizziness, tiredness, confusion, hands and feet tingling (all these might be just concussion symptoms). The medicine did not get rid if my headaches at all and I eventually stopped taking it. | F | 15 | 1 months 30 MG | 9/6/2012 | 1 | Weight loss | My hands and feet constantly burn and tingle. I have diahrhea all the time. My muscles ache. Im suicidal now. Wasnt worth losing weight. Stay away from this drug!!! I also now have to be reminded to eat. I no longer have the ability to know when Im hungry. Days go by without me eating. I also cannot retrieve the proper words in conversation. | F | 1 years 200 mg | 8/27/2012 |