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 |
| 4 | Fibromyalgia | Word finding problems, which are part of the "Fibro Fog" caused by Fibromyalgia already, were greatly increased. Difficulty in concentrating and focusing. Initially had weight loss, which leveled off after first year on the drug. | Topamax has taken away all of the flare-ups with my fibromyalgia. I have had only one major flare-up in the past 4 years, and that was after a medical procedure. To not have the weeks-long and months-long flare-ups in my pain levels has greatly improved my quality of life. Unfortunately, the cognitive deficits have gotten so bad that I need to stop the drug because I can no longer think straight or remember things. | F | 56 | 4 years 200 mg. 2X day | 6/16/2010 | 4 | Migraines, chronic daily headaches | Fatigue, head twitches, memory loss and overall intelligence lowering | Wow. I came upon this site to look for another drug and I just now realized how many side effects I have that may be linked to Topamax. It's the only thing that keeps me functioning though without a daily migraine. And I have to be at work in order to pay the mortgage. I seem to take a lot higher dose than most of you. 300 mg. I take 100 in the morning and 200 at night. Everytime I try to wean back, the migraines hit me like bricks. I didn't even know for 4 years (and a 20 lb weight gain) that Topamax was the cause of my fatigue. I see the best specialist in town too. I guess he wasn't up to sharing that little side effect. I have kidney stones now (seven to be exact) after 5 years, not sure if this drug is the cause or another. I honestly can't wait until something new hits the market that works. I have tried them all over the last 20 years. | F | 42 | 5 years 300 mg 1X day | 6/17/2010 | 4 | migraines | decreased appetite, weight loss, initial bouts of insomnia, word finding difficulty, mood changes, mild tingling in lips, hands and feet. | All in all, Topamax has really improved the quality of my life. I went from having several debilitating migraines a week to a couple of mild migraines a month. Sure, the beginning was a little rough...especially with the insomnia and some mood changes. But, things seemed to have leveled off and I'm back to really enjoying life. The only side effect that I still notice is decreased appetite. And I'm not complaining about this...I've lost 10 pounds of "baby weight" in two months and I feel great! Food still taste good, I'm just not hungry quite as often. | F | 31 | 2 months 100 mg 1X day | 6/26/2010 | 4 | migraine | mild numb and tingling sensations, appetite suppression,dizziness, fatigue at first, taste changes | Side effects have really been pretty mild for me, and when compared to the constant pain of daily migraines, the trade off for me has been worth it. The numbness and tingling sensations have been transient, only lasting 15 minutes or so at a time, I've lost maybe 5 lbs in the 2 months I've been on it so that isn't terrible either. Soda started tasting awful once I hit 75mg, but it isn't any great loss to me not to drink it. The dizziness and fatigue happened for a couple of days each time my dosage was upped then went away. I started at 25mg at night for a week, then 25mg morning and night for a week, then 50mg at night, 25mg in the morning for a week, now I'm at 50mg morning and night. I would take the mild side effects I experience any day over the severe pain I was suffering on a daily basis. This has been a little wonder drug for me. I feel like I have a life back again. | F | 37 | 2 months 50mg 2X day | 6/27/2010 | 4 | migraines | tingling feet and hands, severe insomnia, loss of words and other memory problems, hair loss, speech problems, initial hyperactivity and a huge jolt in libido | I've had migraines since I was 12 and have tried nearly everything. Botox was working well until it caused my eyelid to droop. Started with 25mg 1x/day for 2 weeks, now at 50mg 1x/day at bedtime. 50mg has cut back migraines from 3-4 week to maybe 1 a week, except for menstrual migrianes. My problem is I've always had trouble with insomnia and take 100mg Trazadone + 10mg Cyclobenzaprine at bedtime to help with that. I'm sleeping 3hours and waking- unable to go back to sleep. Adding 0.25mg Xanax dosen't help. Can take Ambien and sleep about 6 hours, but it's not a restful sleep. Does anyone take Topamax in the AM to help with insomnia? | F | 47 | 2 months 50 mg 1X day | 6/30/2010 | 4 | migraine/cluster headache | at first I had numbness in my fingers and toes, under the eyes, and lips. tiredness (but was ok since I took it at night), loss of menstrual period, carbonated beverages taste like metal...which is ok because they're full of calories anyway! | I had never had any problems at all until all of a sudden out of the blue I got migraines and visual disturbances like nobody's business. The Dr put me on Topamax gradually, and I experienced a lot of the initial side effects that a lot of people are posting on here...but with the gradual increase mine were very manageable, and if the "tingly fingers" became too much, my Dr. didn't increase my doseage as planned, but waited until my body was ready. We worked together to find my correct dosage, and are discussing my BMI (I'm a small framed woman) because I have lost some weight on the drug. He's concerned that I need to decrease the dose now that my side effects have diminished and I haven't had a headache in a couple of months. I really feel like my Topamax experience has been successful, not "perfect" -- because it's a try-it-until-you-find-what's-right-for-you kind of drug -- and my Dr. has been very clear about managing my side effects and NOT having me on any doseage that's causing me any impaired functions. I know everyone's experience is different, but I have been pleased with how my Dr. has handled mine. I know that it's not in our plan for me to stay on Topamax, but to gradually decrease until hopefully I don't need it anymore. Good luck to those searching for help! | F | 29 | 6 months 100mg 1X day | 6/6/2010 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder | Decreased appetite, tingling in fingers and toes occasionally | Calmed my hypomania down right away, better than the risperdal that I took previously. | F | 26 | 2 weeks 75 mg 2X day | 5/5/2010 | 4 | bulemia and bipolar II | tingling in hands and arms, loss of short term memory an sense of direction, some hair loss, b12 deficiency(also because I am a vegan) | overall, I feel the drug has helped me with my bulimia tremendously. I would never come off of it. I am in the process of lowering it to 200mg just bc of the memory loss. I do need to keep it at the 200mg level to maintain NOT binging and purging. In the past when i dropped to 100mg i went right back to destructive behavior of binging and purging and my bi-polar mood swings. I would rather suffer with some memory loss and direction loss than that.****OH TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOSING YOUR HAIR BUY VITAMIN H AKA- BIOTIN. IT WILL RESTORE YOUR HAIR. ALL SEIZURE MEDS AS WELL AS ANTIBIOTICS CAN MAKE ONE'S HAIR FALL OUT OVER TIME. THE VITATIM H IN BIOTIN WILL RESTORE IT. I USE IT AND IT WORKS. I AM A WOMAN WITH LONG HAIR AND I AM 34. JUST GOOGLE IT AND YOU WILL SEE. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL. <3 | F | 34 | 10 years 150mg 2X day | 5/4/2010 | 4 | Chronic Magrianes | Not being able to find the right word and then not being able to pronounce it when I do finally find it. Significant tingling in both feet (more so in left foot) some in arms/hands. Some crying for no reason, eye pain and trouble sleeping. No weight loss for me at least not yet. | Recently I have been having problems with my left shoulder and my doctor advised I had a 'frozen shoulder' and said it might be from the topamax -wow that's scary! It's the only thing that works along with MAXALT when I get a migrane. Was getting 4-7 per week, started @ 25mg per day gradually increased to 150mg per day!! It does work, but am wondering if it is worth it. | F | 47 | 3 years 75MG 2X day | 3/19/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling in finger tips; numbness/tingling in feet; memory impairment | I started slowly on Topamax for everyday headaches/migraines. I was on 100 MG for years, until my most recent visit, when they increased me to 150 MG, because I was still getting headaches nearly daily. Since starting on the increased dosage, I have hardly experienced any headaches, and the ones I do have are sinus headaches. The side effects are worth it for the relief of the headaches. I do admit that the memory is probably the worse, but for now, I will just blame that on old age. I notice that I will forget things like people's names and common things that you should remember, but I still do fine to function at work. I already recommend this Rx to all my friends and family, because a lot of them are headache sufferers! | F | 36 | 3 years 150 MG 1X day | 5/12/2010 | 4 | Headaches | Loss of memory, vision problems, depression, leg pain, lack of concentration. However, I have tred other medcations and Topamax is the ony medication that ca keep my headace at bay. It does not take it away, but it makes it at least bareable. The doctors cannot find a reason for my headaches and cannot give me a diagnosis so this is the only solution for nw. | F | 35 | 2 years 175 2X day | 4/19/2010 | 4 | migranes | depression, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, appetite loss, and wieght loss. | it works to relieve my migranes, but there's alot of side effects that come along with it. | F | 17 | 60 days 50 MG 2X day | 4/20/2010 | 4 | migraines | difficulty with words, spelling, tingling in feet, hands, generally feel stupid at times. When I went to 150 mg a day, became very irritable and emotional and anxious and had to go back down to 100 mg. | I have had migraines with aura since I was 11. I am 44 now. I have tried every drug in the book and only Topamax has reduce the frequency and severity of the migraines. I would have 14 migraines a month without, and am down to 2-4 with the Topamax. I don't like the side effect of feeling stupid at times, but if I go off, I go right back to having tons of migraines, so I'm just going to wait it out until they finish developing the drug specifically for migraine sufferers that is in the works. Topamax has also reduced the pain, but has done nothing to get rid of my auras. | F | 44 | 2 years 50 mg 2X day | 4/5/2010 | 4 | mood disorder NOS (low-lvl bipolar) | Some slurred speech and disorientation; overall okay. | I was on it for 3 years (ending 2 years ago), low dosage, overall positive. I didn't really notice much when I was on it - a little steadier moods. But when I tapered off, the edginess, intensity, and anxiety that I'd been experiencing before taking meds came back... meaning that it had been helpful in taking the edge off my mood swings, anxiety, and depression! I'm doing okay without it now, but it worked reasonably well for me. Family history of epilepsy, migraines, and temporal lobe disorder, so it may have just been happenstance that I got a drug that works right on my brain. | F | 23 | 3 years 50mg 2X day | 4/7/2010 | 4 | migraines | Rated from the most dominant side effect to least dominant side effect: Initially menstruation cycle was every 2 to 3 weeks, then it all together stopped!, tingling of fingertips, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatty foods(like butter/margarine)and soda taste different, lack of concentration, occasional blurry vision. That pretty much covers it for me. | First off, I want to address, I there is a MAJOR difference in side effects between TOPIRAMATE(the generic form) and TOPAMAX!!!I can't stress this ENOUGH! I went from MEAN, ANGRY, IRRATIONAL, UNSOCIALABLE while being on Topiramate, to back to normal when switched to BRAND NAME TOPAMAX!!! It definately works. It took away my migraines that I have been treated for with maxalt, immetrex, vicadine, for 8 plus years. I still get an occasional headache, that I can treat with an Excedrin migraine. I can handle that. | F | 44 | 4 months 100 2X day | 3/27/2010 | 4 | Migraine | Helped the migraine, but caused SEVERE irritability. | I'm thinking seriously of stopping Topamax, but first I will talk to the pain doctor who prescribed it. I'm way too grouchy. Topamax has helped ease the migraine a bit. The drug has taken the constant migraine pain from a level 8 to a level 6 (on a 10 scale). But my 40 year long marriage is suffering. I am so crabby. This is not worth ruining my marriage. | F | 60 | 1 years 100 mg 2X day | 3/25/2010 | 4 | Seizures | tingling in hands, feet and face. Slight weight loss, low sex drive, soda tastes flat. Decreased appetite at first but it has come back a little. Leg cramps, and heartburn. Trouble concentrating at times. | I switched over from Tegretol and Keppra to this medication and let me tell you I would rather have heartburn and tingling in my hands and feet any day over being hungry all day long and cranky and an emotional wreck like I was when I was taking Tegretol and Keppra. I am able to actually manage my siezures and lose weight and get along with people. The side effects of this medication outweight the benefits! | F | 34 | 45 days 75 3X day | 2/18/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling only when exercising or upping my dose. Possible abdominal pain, brain fog, lost words, weight loss, hair loss, ear ringing | I began to use Topamax close to a year ago for severe migraines that occured 2-3 times a week that last each lasted 1-3 days each. Imitrex was used to treat them, however it didn't always take care of them. I started out on 25 mg of Topamax, moving up 25mg about 4-6 wks out, once migraines would begin to reappear. It has dramatically changed my life migraine wise, however it has been an adjustment with the loss of words, and the slower brain. I am naturally a small person 5'2" and have struggled to maintain a healthy weight as I was a healthy weight before, I lost about 8 lbs. I have tinnititis from previous ear damage, so the additional ringing can get annoying, when it is quiet in my house, sometimes it feels like I can hear Cicadas outside in the trees all day long!! I think the one thing that has bothered me the most is the hair loss. I had a thick head of hair, and this past winter due to snow storms I had to up my dose twice in a short period of time due to the pressures. Everytime I wash my hair (everyother day), I lose about a handfull of hair. I do not have any "baby" hairs growing, and my hair is just getting thinner and thinner. I feel like I am getting really down this winter, and worry about depression, which seems to be a common theme on this blog. This drug has been a lifesaver, and you have to weigh the good against the bad, I cannot bear living with these migraines again knowing how I feel now, but looking at the other options out th | F | 41 | 10 months | 1/30/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling in hands, feet, and face; depth perception; ten percent loss in body weight - which is typical with this drug | I started having migraines about 7 months ago and after many test the diagnosed them as genetic migraines. Being a very young teenager, my neurologist was weary to put me on this drug. My mother is a pharmacist and agreed to help me titrate up on the drug. I started losing my appetite while on 25 mg and titrated up 25 mg per week. I did not experience any help with the migraines (which were an everyday thing) until about a month of taking the medicine, which I got to 100 mg a day. It still did not get rid of them completely so we decided to bump up my dose to 150 mg a day. This is when I started experiencing the tingling and numbness in my hands, feet, and face. We went down to 125 mg a day and after continuing to be on this medicine it has helped me tremendously. If suggested, I would give this medicine at least two months to work. Like any other drug, it might not be for you, but it has given me my old life back - before the migraines. | F | 17 | 4 months | 1/31/2010 | 4 | migraines | My headaches were worse at first--but i stuck with it and then they improved significantly; tingling in hands/face/heel that is painful at times (this has improved since my doctor recommended taking vitamin B and B12); hair loss (this still hasn't improved...); fatigue in first two weeks only (it wears off significantly); loss of words in the first month (that wears off); eyes burning and dry, especially when I am in the sun all day; reduced sex drive; I now hate the taste of soda; dry mouth; slight loss of appetite | Most of the side effects truly wear off, just be patient!!!! Also, this medicine has really evened out my moods. It makes me feel a lot better all the time. I have heard this is the opposite for some people (they feel angry on it). You may feel your headaches get worse at first. Just wait--they will improve. Take vitamin B with vitamin B12 if you have bad tingling. This helped me a lot to reduce the tingling. It isn't completely gone--but it has helped. Others recommend bananas. | F | 25 | 2 months | 2/3/2010 |