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 Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females). 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 |
| 5 | transformed migraines, daily headac | Mild tingle in hands and feet, thirst, mild loss of words | Will be taking 200mg soon. No major weight loss yet. No horrible side effects like people say. Have seen more + than - for my headaches. This drug has helped! | F | 26 | 2 months | 4/18/2007 | 5 | Bipolar II | Tingling in hands & feet, problems with my speech and some irritability, both of these side effects went away when I staggered my doses 3 times/day instead of all at night - Carbonated drinks taste flat, weight loss =^) | In my opinion, if you're a rapid cycler bipolar patient who often self medicates like me, then topamax should be the first choice of treatment because it works great. I have tried everything from Depakote to Lamatacil, Depakote causing heath concerns (high blood pressure due to annoying uncontrollable weight gain) and Lamatacil gave me tartitive dyskenisia...so finally my pdoc prescribed me topamax, which has taken away all desire to self medicate with alcohol, etc and has stopped my rapid cycling dead in its tracks...for the first time in my life I feel "normal" and it feels great. I find that by staggering the doses 3 times a day is the best way to stabilize my moods, plus it stops the irritability that I found I got when I took it only at night - Also, a good remedy for the cognitive "stupidness" that is associate with this drug is if you take Omega 3 fish oils with DHA/EPA (found at your local health food store, make sure you get the one free of heavy metals) | F | 24 | 4 weeks | 3/15/2007 | 5 | Epilepsy | Slow comprehension, memory loss, weight loss, and daily headaches | I take 200 mg twice a day and that, combined with Lamictal, has controlled my seizures. I always have to write things down to remember them otherwise I'll forget the next minute. That's how slow the Topamax has made me. Otherwise, I'm not dissatisfied b/c I've lost about 50 lbs. | F | 20 | 2 years | 6/23/2005 | 5 | Migraines | I have allot of confusion and trouble placing words. Feel hungry but couldn't eat, loss of wieght (didn't mind that), I felt off balance the first 2 weeks but that went away, and I am tired all the time. | I felt that it worked miracles for my migraines but with the side effects being confusion and sleepyness, it made my school mark drop dramatically because i couldn't focus. | F | 18 | 6 months | 6/15/2005 | 5 | post stroke headache & pressure | weight loss (50+ in 16 months), confusion, blurting out the wrong word all the time, definite fatigue as I am always tired, increased thirst, kidney stones & hematuria but no problems with carbonated beverages as I ONLY drink seltzer water. | this is a great drug as i tried many different combinations to help with the side effects that were caused from the stroke that I had. After 2 days of taking this drug, the headaches were gone and I finally after 2 years felt normal and could function on a level that i was used to before i got sick. Yes there are side effects but this drug has given me back my life - the weight loss i guess was a bonus?? as i did not know topamax caused it and actually went back to the dr thinking something was wrong again. | F | 31 | 16 months | 6/20/2005 | 5 | MIGRAINES | SODAS TASTE FLAT, CIGARETTES REALLY TASTE NASTY, HANDS AND FEET, ARE TINGLING.SOMETIMES I FEEL A LITTLE NAUSEATED.LOSS OFF APPETTITE,NUMBNESS IN MY ARMS, DIAHEREA. | I HAVE ONLY BEEN TAKING TOPAMAX FOR A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AND THIS IS THE FIRST MEDICATION I HAVE EVER TRIED FOR MIGRAINES.THE SIDE EFFECTS DO SCARE ME A BIT BUT SO FAR SO GOOD I HAVE ONLY HAD A FEW HEADACHES AND THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE WHAT I HAD BEEN HAVING. | F | 25 | 5 weeks | 8/12/2006 | 5 | MIGRAINES | I have had tingling in my hands. Sometimes my hands feel as if they are numb. I also for the first two weeks got CRAZY dreams! | This med has really stopped my migraines | F | 22 | 60 days | 8/20/2007 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | eye pressure, weight loss | I was switched to topamax because my first cocktail of meds made me gain weight. I loved Topamax !! It helped my mood better than any other stabilizer Ive ever been on!! Plus I lost all the weight..But im off it now because im pregnant...I would recommend Topamax for anyone whose gained weight from mood stabilizers! | F | 25 | 1 years | 7/16/2005 | 5 | Migraine headaches & numbness spell | Initially I had foggy thinking, name recall was so bad I just didn't call anyone by name for a couple months including close co-workers, daughters' coaches, etc., tingling in hands & feet, minor weight loss, fatigue. All of this went away after then first couple months other than occas. feet tingling and fatigue. I have other reasons to be tired, so overall I am pleased. | Topamax has been great for me so far. It is my only regular med. I take only 25mg per night. I was initially instructed to increase gradually but my migraine headaches & episodes or "spells" (numbness, tingling, slurred speech, dizziness) completely went away and did not return! Before Topamax they had increased to 5-6 or more a month instead of 1-2 a year, likely a peri-menopause thing, I've been told. I feel lucky because this is the first regular med I've taken to prevent migraine rather than just managing symptoms like Immitrex. I've had only 2-3 migraines in the past TWO YEARS, and each time I had forgotten my Topamax. These were also more manageable spells than in the past. So, not sure what the future holds for long term use, but maybe try staying at your intro dose longer to see if it is enough to help you. It worked and is working for me. My doctor & I do joke that if 25 mg is just placebo and not what the drug companies call a "therapuetic&quo | F | 47 | 2 years | 10/22/2008 | 5 | Bipolar I | Short term memory loss, appetite loss, weight loss, bye bye binge eating, anxiety (went away with low dose Abilify)... | This drug saved me from a terrible hypomanic episode that was rapidly turning into mania and sent me to the ER yesterday. My doctor tried it as a last resort because I have a history of an eating disorder and I refuse to take meds that will make me gain weight. It really slowed me down, but to a point where I could FINALLY function. Granted, I did have short term memory loss, but I was already experiencing that from the Abilify she put me on a few weeks before. I couldn't read the page of a book, which sadly, was one of my favorite activities. Once she added Topamax, however, I could zone right in. I was reading Dostoyevsky's "The Brother's Karamazov" within days of switching over. Now, that's not going to happen with everyone, but it did with me; I was out of control. I adjusted quickly though. My doctor started me at 50 mg to stop my binge eating/ to help with sleep, but my body revved up again and she wouldn't return my calls, hence my panic-stricken visit to the | F | 24 | 2 weeks | 10/26/2008 | 5 | headaches | tingling, confusion, drowseness, HAIR LOSS, HAIR LOSS, weight loss, memory loss, loss of the headaches:) | It has realy helped for my headaches ,i feel like im in a better mood . i'v lost 45 lbs. i'm just wondering how long this hair loss will go on .it's realy starting to scare me. i think the hair loss side effect needs to be more reconized! this med has helped alote, though i'am thinking of going off because of the hair loss. | F | 32 | 1 years | 10/10/2006 | 5 | Migraines | Tingling in feet, hands, and sometimes chin; thirst; "light trailers" in dim light; weight loss; emotional outbursts & depression at beginning of treatment; foggy feeling. | I have suffered with migraines since I was seven years old. Many of them have taken me to the ER for pain and anti-nausea shots, and I have missed a lot of work over the years because of them. I am a high school teacher, and during the school year I usually end the school day with Exedrin Migraine on good days or Imitrex or Relpax on bad days. Last May my doctor put me on Topamax, but didn't warn me about any of the side effects, and, as usual, I didn't read the package insert. I then left the first of June with a group of 21 students for two weeks in Europe, then I flew to Greece for a month with my husband. By the time I met him, I was an angry, emotional mess. I was dropping weight like crazy, which was good on one hand, but I was depressed, emotional, and angry, and we couldn't figure out what was going on. My hands and feet had become numb, and I had started seeing these trailing lights when I moved my eyes in dim light (which I blamed on trying Absinthe in Paris one night | F | 50 | 6 months | 10/11/2006 | 5 | Migraine backpain | tingling in fingers and feet(was told to increase potassium intake)so i eat a half of banana and it works. Decreased my cravings for salty foods, sweets, an appetite, all good side effects for the most part. The first week I felt like, not quite myself, in my mind, kind of hard to explain! | I suffered migraines from the time I was two years old. I am 42, the frequency had increased to almost daily with the most excruciating being just before my period. Those 3 days would put me in bed! I was seeing a new Gynecologist who happens to suffer from migraines, she saw in my charts that I no longer even try to take any thing for it. She figured I would need at least 125mg a day for it to help and even then she thought it would just reduce frequency. My 1st week on 25mg was my week proceeding my period that usually puts me in bed, no headache, not one, the back pain that I wake up with from my herniated disc is gone too. I increased to 50mg the second week as I was scheduled to do, but I did not increse my dose for the 3rd week as 50mg is working like a miracle. Side benefit lost 3 lbs in two weeks | F | 42 | 17 days | 10/8/2006 | 5 | migraines | tingling in extremities, trouble finding right words to use, slurring of speech, excitable, questionable if it caused some insomnia, 20 pound weight loss, diahrea, food has lost all taste and even consistency is weird | I also take 1 mg of Klonopin daily for anxiety. I found that if I split that up into .5 mg twice a day, early in the morning and evening, it helped with the speech and language stuff and the excitablitity, I would take any and all these side effects compared to the migraines I had, got rid of them almost completely and I had them 90% of the time | F | 30 | 2 months | 11/6/2004 | 5 | RSD | Tingling hands feet | Have to take in morning because it keeps me awake. The only med that I have found to to take care of my severe nerve pain. I take 75mg once a day | F | 36 | 1 months | 11/7/2004 | 5 | Migraines, Bipolar (rapid cycler) | EXTREME intestinal cramping and dirreha during first 2-3 days of menstrual period, used to be slight before taking this medication, now is HORRIBLE! Gets so bad I cannot stand up straight, and lose all appitite for 2-3 days every month. Has anyone else experienced intestinal/digestive/menstrual disruption since taking this med? If so, how have you coped? | I did have the sensation of feeling 'high' a bit at first, but is now gone. Normal appetite has changed for the better, eating much smaller portions and have lost some much needed weight. Migraines a SO MUCH improved, hadsuffered terribly with them since age 18 after car accident, they were crippling, now I can actually go to work if I have one and still function-this part has been like a miracle for me, I don't know what I will do if I have to stop taking it due to the intestinal disruption, this is the first medication in 25 years (other than Demoral) that has provided any signifigant relief for me! Have noticed for Bipolar side that rapid cycling has decreased, but can still be aggrivated by extreme stress. Depressive episodes have decressed and mild manic have increased very slightly, no complaints about that here. I find that slight manic episodes are controllable now, because I have learned to recognize when I am in one and how to channel that energy into accomplishing somet | F | 43 | 5 months | 4/8/2007 | 5 | depression, fibromyalgia | tingling in hands and feet, weight loss , loss of appetite, which was great because the ssri drugs packed on 40 40lbs, insomnia too, but thats also my other med issues cant blame it on the topamx the fibromyalgia is a slep disorder, if anything it calms me. | i am taking 100 mg twice daily...i am thrilled so far if it changes Ill re visit this site | F | 31 | 30 days | 8/7/2005 | 5 | Migraines | occasional tingling and cold in hands/feet; some hair loss, soda tastes gross...except fountain root beer=); 30 lb weight loss, lose my train of thought | I really am happy with this drug. Some of the side effects are quite annoying at times...medical professionals do call it "dopamax" but I have been on it for a year and my headaches keep getting better. I have lost weight (which wasn't a bad thing) gave up smoking (with almost NO withdrawl)...I just started HATING it after I started on the drug)...I think now that I have quit smoking the medicine will be able to help even more and my headaches will lessen even more! So I will take the occasional dopiness..I still function as a health care professional, and the tingley toes! I take 200 mg now, but I am hoping to be able to drop that down in the future. | F | 29 | 1 years | 3/24/2007 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | Side effects are hell. It really affects me mentally. I had to resign from my demanding job as I couldn't think straight. I can't think of words, have memory loss, lose track of what I am thinking mid-sentence, etc. I lost weight I did not need to lose, however, I did gain it back after side effect wore off. Certain foods taste terrible. | The reason I put up with the terrible side effects is the drug really helps keep me from having manic episodes. But what a price to pay. I am also taking Lamictal, and hope that once I am up to the right dosage, can stop Topamax. The side effects are that bad. | F | 36 | 5 years | 11/6/2006 | 5 | Migraines & nerve damage | Had tingling in my face, hands and toes if I miss a dose. Appetite goes up and down. Had an inital weight lose but that has leveled out. Libido is nil. I get disoriented and sometimes start to tip as I walk or trip over my own 2 feet. I get confused all the time! Not only do I spell backwards but I talk backwards. I also, as many others cannot find words when trying to have a conversation. | I started taking 100mg Topamax for migraines that I was having 1-2 a week and it helped. Then I had a spinal fusion and I began to get the migraines 5x a week. It was like they came back with a vengence, worse then I had gotten them before. My doctors started increasing my dosage 25 mg at a time until I was up to 300mg. The migraines finally decreased down to 2-3 a month but my brain was mush and I didn't sleep, so back down to 200 mg. I went. I've been there for about 8-9 months now and the migraines are the same at 2- 3 times a months, I just don't have as much brain mush! Although I did fall the other day, I still get a little disoriented from time to time and feel like I cannot have an intelligent conversation because I lose my train of thought. Some days I feel very clear, others, not so much. I think it definately helps with my moods/depression from my accident. I do have 1 of my doctors that wants me to come off of the Topamax because he said its not meant for long term use. I h | F | 38 | 32 months | 7/3/2006 |