TOPAMAX Reviews (TOPIRAMATE)

Average Rating: 3.0 (1824 Ratings)

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 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

TOPAMAX  (TOPIRAMATE):  Topiramate is used alone or with other medications to prevent and control seizures (epilepsy). This medication is also used to prevent migraine headaches and decrease how often you get them. Topiramate will not treat a migraine headache once it occurs. If you get a migraine headache, treat it as directed by your doctor (such as by taking pain medication, lying down in a dark room). Topiramate is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug.   FDA Approval Date: 1996-12-24 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR TOPAMAXCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 2  Migraines SEVERE and lasting numbness in extremities and tongue even months after stopping drug The Topamax DID help prevent migraines for me, but the numbness it caused for me wasn't worth it. I insisted on a different drug and fortunately found something that worked just as well without the numbness. I gave this drug THREE separate tries and had the numbness each time. The last time it stayed more than 4 months after I stopped using the drug. :( F 33 3 months
50mg 2X day
7/8/2011
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 1  Migraine memory fog; aphasia; in the middle of a sentence I would actually forget what I was saying and have to cover by making a stupid joke or something; difficulty processing new information; terrible short-term memory; coordination problems - worse in morning - especially with hands - dropping a lot of things. I started tapering off about a month ago because I am having trouble learning and managing tasks at work. F 42 4 years
100 2X day
7/8/2011
 2  Silent Migraines tingling in hands and feet to thighs, tingling in lips, dizziness, tingling in lips, and face, nausea, fogginess, headache, diarrhea I was dx by my Neuro doc with silent migraines. I started this drug , tapering it up over a months time to 100 mgs. I have been on 100 mgs a day for 3 days now. The side effects are now nausea after eating, diarrhea, cramps sometimes. I have to eat very little then eat more hrs later, and that's IF I feel like eating. I have lost my appetite. I am nauseated if I eat at all. I DO need to lose 60 lbs so that is the only real reason I am taking this drug. The "silent" migraines don't bother me that much. I mean, I still have nausea, dizziness, brain fog anyway! I also have Sjogren's syndrome...dizziness, joint issues, brain fog, intermittent nausea...what am I giving up? Nothing! What's to lose, but the weight! I am going to stick with it for at least another month. If I see a loss in my weight, I will stay with it. After all, the side effects are the same with my migraine issue and Sjogren's anyway! (Sjogren's also causes hair thinning..now if I notice clumps..then I will taper off the Topamax for sure.) F 48 30 days
50 mgs 2X day
7/2/2011
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 5  Migraines Some tiredness and irritability, lightheadedness, slurred speech initially when I started the medication, but after a few months those symptoms disappeared. My mind always tended to race and I had difficulty concentrating prior to starting medication, thus medication did help improve my ability to focus, prior to starting Topamax I suffered from migraine headaches almost on a daily basis. If caught early I was able to take another medication called Imitrex, but this only worked on migraines in the early stages. Often I would wake up with a full blown migraine with the sensitivity to light, noise, frequenly vomiting and feeling like my head was going to explode! The Topamax prevents the migraines from getting that bad. Occasionally I have a breakthrough migraine. This only occurs maybe twice a month. I guess I got lucky, I could not function before taking Topamax. It was a lifesaver for me. F 47 13 years
100 mg 2X day
6/29/2011
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 3  Migraines/ TBI extreme weight loss, diarrhea, hair shedding, extreme insomnia, pins and needles, verbal dyslexia, aggressiveness, irritability, anorexia I've been on topamax for three months and at first i thought the weight loss would be nice ( i weighed 115) well, now im at 100 and i look disgusting. i havent slept in two weeks. i hardly eat and when i do i have diarrhea right after. it has increased my lactose intolerance. my hair falls out all of the time, more than ever before. I had verbal dyslexia because of migraines and topamax makes it so much worse. i am an utter bitch to everyone for no reason and highly pressed to get into a physical altercation. i feel this drug has made me have an eating disorder because i am so obsessed with my weight now that sometimes when i eat late at night, i'll make myself throw up. i'm finishing the bottle then i'm going on 100mg of zonisamide. we'll see how that goes F 22 3 months
100 mG 1X day
6/27/2011
 3  Bipolar II/Anxiety Disorders I have taken Topamax in the past at a higher dose. I started at (I believe) a 30mg pill, that was not to be crushed or chewed. However, my doctor told me to cut it in half. It was SO tiny, that I tried to cut it in half with the pill cutter. I was having "rapid release" of the drug, due to cutting it in half and was having panic attacks and crying fits. Forgetfulness and thoughts of "going crazy". No weight loss like most people had. I took Topamax like that for about 2 weeks. Then I quit. I did my research once my head came back to normal and found out that there is a 15mg Capsule. It can be opened and "sprinkled on food" or swallowed whole. I have been taking the 15mg one for about 2 weeks. It is helping me better. I like the smaller dose. When I feel ready then the doctor can "up" my dose, or I can stick with this. I have to admit, that even though my dose is small, I do have difficulty remembering things. I am having trouble typing this com I am going to continue to take this in hopes that my foggyness will go away. And I hope that I can stay on a small dose, maybe going up to 30mg twice a day sometime in the future. This seems to help with my mania and bipolar mood swings--BUT IF YOU WERE A ZOMBIE, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MOOD SWINGS EITHER. So, only time will tell. Been on this for only a very short time. We will see what happens and I will update you all. And anyone who has questions, please email me. God Bless. F 31 3 weeks
15mg 2X day
6/25/2011
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 1  migraines little weight loss, tingling in hands and feet, sometimes it makes my mind start racing like crazy and my head feel like it is going to explode and I think I am going to die. I am winging myself off of this drug, it is horrible, and I would not recommend it to anyone! It gives me the worst feeling I have ever felt in my life. I would rather deal with the migraines. F 35 90 days
100 mg 1X day
6/22/2011
 1  migraines After ramping up to the 100 mg per day, I experienced complete loss of appetite, numbness/tingling in the hands, severe muscle/joint pain which would come and go throughout the day, a sense of muscular tension. My thought process was fuzzy, i.e., poured orange juice on cereal, dfropped off rental car w/o a ride home, sad, anxious and panic attacks. Other than "get off it", received very little direction on how long side effects would last. I learned more from internet research than anywhere else! I have been weaned off it for 6 days and still have no appetite, random muscle pain and tingling hands. F 62 30 days
25mg 4X day
6/21/2011
 3  Migraines Extreme weight loss, vision changes, eye pain and pressure, vision loss, change of taste, mood swings, aggressiveness, racing thoughts, tingling in hands and feet, forgetting of words, trouble forming sentences, hair loss, skipped periods. I lost 100 lbs. I was always over weight as a Kid and was so excited feel beautiful for the first time. Then the weight wouldn't stop coming off. I was told I was going to be put in the hospital with a feeding tube and was being accused of being anorexic. It was the topamax. My hair was falling out in clumps. My teeth looked too big for my face. I was all bones. Finally one of my doctors believed me when I said it was the dope-a-max. Once I got off of it my periods returned and I was able to put weight on. Becareful because it comes back quick. I went back on it recently and have no weight loss. It could have been a one time thing. My first round taking topamax I kept getting pain in my eyes. They just hurt and I noticed my vision getting worse and worse. One night while driving on a road iv Been on hundreds of times I became so confused. I didn't know where I was. Then my vision just went. It was the scariest thing ever. I was alone. I turned my wheel all the way and rolled till I hit what was the curb. My vision returned probably in 45 sec. Seemed like minutes :( F 24 9 months
100 MG 1X day
6/20/2011
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 5  epilesy tingling like sever pins and needles in hands and feet and even in mouth at the beginning. weight loss. word loss. spaced out. insomnia. i started out on a 100 and lost a stone and a half in a month the pins and needles were very odd but settles down after a few weeks i still get them quite badly in my feet, if i sit in the wrong position, ones i could before sometime it is almost painful. the word loss can be very frustrating mid sentence its just gone, but that to has tailed off,still get it from time to time. the side effect i dislike the most is the weird spaced out part. think someone else describe it as the something to do with a train stopping but the world still moving, it can feel a bit panicy at times and because of the epilepsy can make me feel i am about to have a fit which can lead to more panic. this to has tailed off and overall i am very happy so far with this drug as i have only had one seizure in 8 months and that is just brilliant. F 29 8 months
100 2X day
6/15/2011
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 1  Frontal Lobe Seizure(Brain) Dumbness, tingles in fingers, constant seizures, (no physical signs, all internal) serious deppression, B/P is up and down all over the place. start crying all the time, memoty is "shot", total loss of words, have to think a while before I speak, and get lost in my own conversation. Very bad thoughts come and go. Anxiety, being more housebound than ever. The worst medication I think ever manufactured. My P.C. exploded when she found out that the Neuro Doctor put me on this medication. Then when she heard she "Up'ed" the dose she jumped out of her chair and started yelling. My husband said, "You sent her to this idiot"! Now, she, my P.C. is changing me to a new Neuro Dr. and wants me weaned of this stuff immediately. That is the big issue taking a chance stopping suddenly will kill you. You have to be weaned off while the new Dr. gives me something to take its place. Very scary and dangerous medication. Do NOT use it if you are seeing Phychaitrist, (spelled wrong) Phych Dr. must know about your beinging given Topomax before you even think about taking it, please get the correct advice. It is so bad I am not even typing this my husband is I am telling him what to type. The kick in the butt is I am a Dentist, a Doctor, recently disabled from an accident. Being a Doctor and cannot trust the judgement of a specialist is a scary thing! F 52 2 months
50 3X day
6/7/2011
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 1  migraine severe peripheral neuropathy (tingling n numbness of the extremities), loss of appetite, twitching of facial muscles, deviation of mouth to one side ( sounds like facial nerve palsy), abnormal movement of eyeball which caused me to have some problem in my vision, loss of appetite, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, low mood, diarrhoea, decreased sweating. However the symptoms went off after few days stopping the drug. -it did not help my migraine much, and the side effects were horrible... - if any of u guys are experiencing abnormal symptoms pls consult ur doctor n do stop the drug, my neurologist told me that the muscle twitching is not drug related, but then again there is always variation n diff people can present with diff symptoms F 25 3 weeks
25mg 2X day
6/5/2011
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 2  Bipolar II Tingling feet. Taste dulled. Strange food cravings. BRAIN FOG! (and the famous topamax weight loss and appetite suppression... didn't happen for me) I was put on this drug to try to counter-act the weight gain caused by seroquel. Overall, my BPDII has been very well controlled while on topamax, but that may likely be due to the seroquel and 100mg of lamictal I take, rather than the topamax. On topamax I've noticed tingling feet, which is annoying, and altered taste, such that I am always spicing food much more than I used to do to try to make it taste less bland. I also notice an occasional craving for carbonated beverages that I never had before. I did not experience any weight loss or appetite suppression on this drug whatsoever. The biggest downside of topamax was the brain fog issue; I am a scientist, and topamax made me so stupid during the day I couldn't even add two two-digit numbers properly. I would forget the names of people I've known for years, but haven't seen for several months. It was awful. I finally stopped taking the daytime dose, and will stop taking the nighttime dose soon, since I don't see much point in taking a drug that isn't doing anything for me but giving me horrible side effects. The only good thing I can say about it is that it is easy to get off of, which is a first for me as far as psych meds go! F 44 4 months
100 mg 2X day
5/19/2011
 2  mood stabilizer nausea, I rarely get headaches but Topamax gave me a nonstop one, word dropping, confusion, pronounced words wrong, dull, lethargic, sense of smell too strong, dry mouth My doctor prescribed this to take the "edge off" things. (mood stabilizer) This drug may be worth the side effects if you are having excruciating migraines everyday or of course, seizures but otherwise I'd say NO. I was weary about starting after reading reviews on here but figured I'd give it a go. I made it 4 days. Where to start? I'm already a word dropper so I figured that couldn't get much worse. WRONG. I couldn't pronounce words correctly either, i said reird instead of weird and episodey instead of episode. Topamax actually gave me headaches and the nausea coupled with that made things pretty unbearable. My sense of smell became so strong that I'd immediately become extremely nauseous with any normal every day smell. Two days in I decide to take it at night so at least if it made me stupid I would be asleep when it happened...but I woke up and was so confused I didn't know I was in my own bedroom. I sat there for 5 minutes trying to figure out where I was. I last took Topamax 3 days ago but I know it's still in my system cause I drank a Coke this morning and it tasted like it had no carbonation, I also had a meltdown at work and couldn't stop crying....not normal for me. F 33 4 days
20 mg 1X day
5/17/2011
 4  Migraines Numbness, tingling in hands and feet, loss of thought, can not explain simple things,sleepy, sluggish, OCD worse, can not perform simple math, I have been taking Topamax for probably 5+ years. I know the side effects out weigh the number of migraines I was getting but my thought process is getting real bad. I can't even think of words to write on here even though I know what to write. I misplace things all the time which I NEVER had before, I was the type to have a place for everything and everything in its place. I have problems with my speech also. F 37 5 years
200 1X day
5/16/2011
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 2  MTBI, CHRONIC DAILY HEADACHES Due to my brain injury I often feel pressure in my head as well as 24/7 headache and for lack of better words irritation has been noted in my left brain that is triggered by different frequencies, flashing lights or repeatative sounds. TOPAMAX seemed to gradually increase the pressure in my head but left me unable to clearly think and I didn't even realize that it was the cause. The headaches actually got worse and i could only function with earplugs. I tried this med on 2 different occassions and same thing happened. Please consider the comments of other but based on your own medical condition, don't be afraid to try something that may help you. I have a close friend who suffers migraines and TOPAMAX helps her tremendously wihtout any side effects but weight loss. This was a very traumatic experience for me and my emotion wants to say "don't ever take this drug" but please, like all medications, it may work for some but not others. ALWAYS, ALWAYS TELL THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU IF YOU ARE TRYING A NEW DRUG. If they notice any changes in your behavior the can alert you to stop. Bothtimes I tried, first time my pastor, the 2nd my boss had to grab me by the shoulders and say "Mary, stop taking that med. Its the only thing you changed so it has to be the cause." and they were right! I wish you well. F 43 7 days
2X day
5/12/2011
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 1  anxiety Weight gain, increased appetite, headaches, anxiety, loss of words, memory loss Everything that this drug is proclaimed to help with it did the exact opposite! Did nothing for my anxiety! I gained weight and had the worst headaches! F 33 1 months
75mg 1X day
5/12/2011
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 3  Migraine prophylaxis Decreased headaches significantly initially at 25 mg twice a day, but have had to increase dosage gradually to current dose of 150 twice a day as headaches would recur, and now again having a migraine at least every other day so looking for new solution :( ,, Also has limited birth control options - Ortho Evra completely ineffective, regular strength birth control pills do not work, and I now know it is because of the Topamax (not my weight, it's well under the limit). Read up on *all* meds, folks, I should have known better... your physician is not omnicient, we must be educated consumers. :) F 49 5 years
150 2X day
5/3/2011
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 2  back problems can't stay asleep at night and i also take ambien because i already have trouble sleeping. So sluggish and tired during the day i cannot do anything. can't take a nap because my mind won't shut off. coughing during the night. tingling in right heels and fingers. very bad mood, very nervous on top of my already panic disorder and more depressed than normal. Only lost 3 lbs, that is basically the only reason why I have been struggling to stay with this medicine. Loss of Appetite to the point where I have to force my self to eat so I don't start to feel dizzy. I have high blood pressure and sleep with oxygen at night and i am overweight so the weightloss could help me out in the long run. F 31 22 days
25 mg 3X day
5/3/2011
 1  migraines tingling/twitching of face, eyelids, arms, and legs. inability to eat. extreme weight loss. dizziness. extreme anger. inability to remember ANYTHING. when i started taking topamax, it was great. it has been the only drug that has helped my migraines at all. sadly, the side effects slowly crept in a couple weeks after starting topamax. i was unable to eat a whole mcdonalds cheeseburger (which was very unusual for me). i started out weighing 105 when i started topamax, and after a couple months i was down to 90 pounds, and still loosing weight. i lashed out at everyone, for no reason. i couldn't remember anything from my schooling (at the time i was a senior in high school). oh, and i couldn't stand up without feeling like i was falling off the earth. needless to say, i stopped taking this drug, and i am now searching for something else.. :( F 20 4 months
75mg 1X day
4/6/2011

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