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 | Mood stabilizer, migraines | Occasional word loss, drowsiness | I love this drug. No headache in four years and it helps stabilize my mood with my bipolar meds. The only weird thing is if I forget a dose I have vivid nightmares, so coming off this med may be hard. | F | 41 | 4 years 100 mg | 12/16/2017 | 5 | migraines | tingling in fingers,and toes,loss of appetite,bad taste in mouth hair loss | F | 49 | 1 years 30 mgs 1X day | 2/17/2010 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Weight loss, inability to concentrate (read a book), lethargy, trouble remembering words, slurring when tired. | This drug literally saved my life. Some of the side effects wore off eventually. I have no problem reading now and have normal energy levels. The weight loss leveled off as well. I still have the occasional memory or speech problem but it's a small price to pay for the results. My mind no longer races a thousand miles per hour. This truly is a wonder drug for mood disorders--it has also worked for family and friends. Just make it through the first few months--the reward is worth it. | F | 36 | 8 years 200 MG 1X day | 3/11/2010 | 5 | Chronic Daily Headaches | Tingling in hands and feet; minor memory lapses; minor lack of organizational skills; visual disturbances, but only when first getting out of bed in the morning. | Topamax has completely cured my chronic daily headaches. For almost 2 years of suffering, I told my family doctor he had to do something, so after a cat scan of my sinuses which came back ok, he sent me to a neurologist who diagnosed me and prescribed Topamax. I had pain in my head every day for 2 years, every time I coughed, sneezed, or bent over, plus migraines on top of that. That is now completely gone, and I have not had a migraine for probably 3 months. I will not go off Topamax, and I will live with the side effects as long as they do not get any worse or affect my job. I go for a follow-up in 2 days and will discuss these with him. | F | 46 | 6 months 50 mg 2X day | 3/16/2010 | 5 | Migraines | I haven't had any side effects. | I started on 50 mg twice a day and the Dr. gradually increased me until the headaches went away. I am on 125 mg twice a day now. | F | 63 | 125mgs 2X day | 3/24/2010 | 5 | Severe Headaches/Migraines | Numbness of toes & fingers, (pins & needles) feeling cold, Mild hair shedding/loss, weight loss, feeling full, no appetite, feeling tired, being thirsty all the time, weight loss, twitching under eyes | When i first started this medication, i was a bit sceptical as ive suffered with chronic headaches/migraines since the age of 18 im now 34. I have tried alot of preventative medications, & painkillers which i became highly addicted to. It took about 3 months for the Topamax to really take "effect" i refused to give up the headaches were still happening in the first month or so after about the 6 week mark i started to notice that i got fewer & fewer headaches they were coming every second day then every third then fourth then twice a week, then once a week, then a few times a month & then they just stopped coming all together!! This was after about 6 months or so, i still got the odd headache here or there, but certainly NO migraines. I eventually worked my way up to the dose of 200mg per day which but i did this very slowly that is the only way with this drug SLOWLY! I have been on it for 2 years now & it has changed my quality of life. I have noticed lately more frequent headaches creeping back so i will be slowly increasing the dose again up to 250mg or to what i can tolerate. | F | 34 | 2 years 200mg 1X day | 3/30/2010 | 5 | chronic migraines | numbness and tingling, taste aversions, mild electrolyte changes (according to regular blood work) | Have had migraines as long as I can remember, never knew where one stopped and the next one started. Frequent trips to ER just to treat and be semi-functional. Tried countless drugs and treatments. Started taking Topamax when I was 18, took a while to get the dose right (numbness/tingling would be so bad in my feet I would fall, in my hands so bad I would drop things). Continued to go up and down for the first year until we decided 25mg when I woke up was all I really needed. After 6 months, I was migraine free. Still haven't figured out a consistent treatment for breakthroughs...nothing seems to help when they hit (save for a trip to ER to be knocked out...otherwise, just an assortment of OTC drugs I call "the cocktail" to make it tolerable until I can sleep it off). Have had the dosage steadily increased every 18-ish months to counter the tolerance my body develops to it. It's definitely been my life saver. I wouldn't be functioning without it. | F | 23 | 4 years 50 mg 2X day | 4/20/2010 | 5 | migraines,binge eating | loss of appetite, weight loss | This is amazing!!! I haven't had a headache or had an eating binge since day one!! My mood is better! My family can see a difference in my attitude. I feel like a new person! I can't wait to see my Dr. and give her a big hug!!! | F | 38 | 14 days 25mg 2X day | 5/1/2010 | 5 | migrine | leg cramps, anxiety, trouble sleeping at night, hair loss, weight loss, memory-brain cell loss, dry skin, eye pain, severe migraine when I do get one | 6 years ago I started out with 25 mg and worked up to 100mg. The worst side effect was anxiety, it was major! I went down to 50mg. I've been on it since then and can't believe the change in my life. Just last week I went back up to 75mg, because my headaches have started to come back again. I didn't know some of my side effects were the same as what others were having. Would I still take it if I knew about all the side effects? YES-the side effects are worth the cure. Both my daughters are on it. Just go on a lesser dose when your able to. | F | 57 | 6 years 50 1X day | 5/20/2010 | 5 | Migraines | Initially lost 20 pounds (gained it back when my thyroid slowed down). Memory loss, losing a word here and there. Not as sharp as I used to be. Inability to concentrate/focus at times. Initially had the tingling and change of taste, but that mostly has gone away. Still get some tingling every now and then. Started out at 50 mg, then was upped to 100 mg last year but backed off to 75mg as 100 mg made me really sick. | I had 4 to 5 migraines a week. This medicine pretty much saved my life. I've been on it for so long now, I'm starting to be concerned about long term side effects, as there are no real studies on it. | F | 45 | 6 years 75 mg 1X day | 5/23/2010 | 5 | cluster headaches | Really the only side effect I have had has been that carbonated soda's taste flat....and I needed to stop drinking those anyways. | Best thing the doctor ever did for me. I was suffering from cluster headaches for 7 years prior to taking the topamax. | F | 41 | 3 years 50 mg 1X day | 5/24/2010 | 5 | Migraine | Tingling hands, feet and face, loss of appetite short term, altered taste of food short term. | Never had Migraines before a year ago when they suddenly appeared and changed my life forever. Finally prescribed Topamax and cannot live without it. If I forget to take it my day is miserable. My short term memory loss I have now is nothing compared to the cognitive impairment I was experiencing without any treatment. I would not take myself off this for anything unless assured there was something better on the market. I do suffer from days where I need more than the dosage I am on and wonder if they are getting worse and should I take more but that just brings on more tingling hands and face. I have lost weight, I do have more energy because I feel a lot better than used to. I am no longer on antidepressants, I actually have periods regularly which is strange as a 40 year old with PCOS. This seems in complete opposite to most on this site, but I love this stuff. Its not perfect, but Its so much better than where I was. | F | 40 | 1 years 100mg 2X day | 5/22/2010 | 5 | bipolar disorder | slight emotional dulling, hair thinning | I was diagnosed as a mild case of bipolar several years ago and have really struggled with the "med-go-round". After horrible luck with a previous med I was really afraid to be put another anti convulsant. But in the end, this stuff is really, really good. My mind doesn't race, my anxiety is that of a normal person;) and I honestly feel like me again. I do feel a little dull at times, but a brisk walk or a red bull helps. My hair is thinning, but I'll just put in extensions and live with it. There's a lot of bad opinions floating around about this med, but you may be lucky like me! | F | 29 | 8 months 100 mgs 2X day | 6/25/2010 | 5 | migraines | Tingling in hands and feet, light trails, bruising, suicidal thoughts, etc. | I loved the fact that Topamax got rid of a lot of my migraines however, the side effects were scary so I stopped taking it one night and called my Dr. To tell her the next day. Tingling in my hands and feet, all I had to do was reach over my head for a minute or two and I had pins and needles in my hands. Cross my legs to sit and one or both feet had pins and needles or would go to sleep altogether. Light trails. I would watch the light that surrounded an object that moved, move after the object had stopped moving. Breathing problems. I could no longer walk as far as before without being short of breath. I walk a lot at my job, about 6 miles a night or more. Bruising. I got bit by your average yard ant a few times on my foot and I scratched it like normal people do, they turned into bruises. Same with mosquito bites. Probably the scariest side effect I had though was at work one night. I'd had a rough day already and some problems at home. I found myself planning suacide. I caught myself and I knew something was wrong. I had never done that before and I was with it enough to realize that something was seriously wrong! That's the night I quit taking Topamax! I've been fine since then besides the fact my headaches are back. I will attempt to find another way to deal with them. I'm 32 and I've had them since I was a very small child. They won't kill me but I was scared that Topamax would! | F | 32 | 3 months 50 2X day | 7/12/2010 | 5 | Migraines | It took some adjusting to at first (or if I'd miss pills the side effects would come back) and that lasted maybe a month or two? I can't remember now. But when I first went on it I remember being SOOO exhausted that I felt like something was seriously wrong with me. The tingling in my arms and legs was slightly annoying and parts of my body that had never "fallen asleep" before (like my knees) would tingle. That was annoying but not terrible to deal with. Carbonated beverages tasted weird at first but I drank them anyway and just got used to it that eventually they no longer tasted weird. Lost a TON of weight! But that was a plus. When I was adjusting to it my memory was shot all the time and every once in a while I'd have difficulty remembering something big, oh, like one time I couldn't remember one of my friends' last names! Ridiculous. But like the other side effects, I think my body adjusted to that as well. | When I went on it I started with 25mg, then 50 mg, then 75 mg, then settled at 100mg. It is a drug you need to taper on and off of. It also takes some adjusting to the side effects but overall, this was the ONLY drug of any other drug (and I tried many, many) that did anything for my migraines. Was so worth it! But, be warned. Without insurance it is SUPER PRICY. Was paying something like $160/month for it when I had to pay out of pocket. | F | 23 | 2 years 100 mg 1X day | 7/23/2010 | 5 | Severe Migraines (since teen) | Loss of vocabulary (soooo glad I've read all your posts - I thought it was age !) Lost 25 lbs the first two months from loss of appetite. Weight stable now, although appetite iffy. | Worked great on my migraines. Now I only get one if I don't eat regularly. It was three yrs ago, but never had the tingly extremities...? And, I never noticed the flat pop. But...just over the past few weeks - Coca Cola hasn't tasted as good as it usually does. I HATE not being able to "think of a word"...I teach - so I have to turn my "loss" into a quick classroom activity..."OK class, what's another word for.....?" | F | 42 | 3 years 100 mg PM 1X day | 7/27/2010 | 5 | Schizoaffective/Schizophrenia | Loss of Appetite | I got put on this medicine for my mood and to decrease my appetite that was increased by the high dose of Seroquel I am also taking. It has worked and I have lost about 7 pounds. I feel happy everyday, and I don't have any other side effects. | F | 22 | 1 months 100 MG 2X day | 7/26/2010 | 5 | Severe Migraines | crazy dreams, severe insomnia, severe numbness/tingling in face, numbness in extremeties, cramps, not being able to find the right words... | This medication is working great on my migraines. I just started taking it two weeks ago after jumping thru so many hoops with other medications that just didnt cut it. Im diagnosed with severe mental health problems and have not yet had any side effects of that sort. Im hoping none come along but I would totally reccomend that someone else at least give this medication a shot before turning it down. Im still at a low level but who knows what will happen next! | F | 23 | 2 weeks 25mg-50mg 1X day | 7/25/2010 | 5 | MIgraines | weight loss, head itching, some hair loss, tingling of feet and hands, loss of words. Nothing real major | I can deal with all these side effects, I love the Topamax it has been a godsend to me. I have had migraines since I was 15 and nothing has helped but this drug. I have lost weight from it, which I needed to anyways so that was an extra plus. A few small migraines have slipped by but nothing like before. | F | 53 | 1 years 2X day | 8/19/2010 | 5 | migranes | weight loss, tingling in my hands and feet sometimes in my face, slight hair loss but nothing significant, change in appetitie, pain and neck ache, loss of menstrual cycle, sometimes fatigued | to be honest, i don't know what i'd do without it. i've been on it since i was 18, and though i have some side effects, i feel that they are minor, nothing life threatening. my mirgranes went from pretty much daily to maybe once or twice a month. definately recommeded. | F | 23 | 6 years 75 mg 2X day | 8/27/2010 |