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 | migraines | tingling in hands, feet, face, difficulty thinking of words (cogn slowness), depression, weight loss, extreme coldness. Most of these side effects decreased/disappeared after about a year. | I started taking Topamax in college when I was getting a few migraines per week. It has helped tremendously, and I now only get 1 or 2 headaches per month. The side effects are a little scary though, and I definitely think that Topamax has affected my ability to think/concentrate. Beyond the normal hand/feet tingling, I have experienced some really weird feelings a couple of times when I feel like my hands or arms are enlarged. This will last for a few minutes and then go away. I lost about 10 pounds when I went on Topamax, but have gained most of this initial loss back over about 2 years (I think it was mostly from the medicine initially affecting what foods were appealing...I can now drink soda and it doesn't taste flat). Also, when I first started the medicine I was cold all the time, to the point where I couldn't hold a drink without having napkins around it because it would make my hand too cold. I started taking B12 vitamins which seemed to help. Depression has definitely been a side effect on and off throughout. I am on a plan now to wean myself off over the next few weeks. While Topamax has worked wonders on my migraines, it has to be weighed against all of the side effects. I would recommend it as a last resort, after trying some of the other drugs out there that have less serious and numerous side effects. | F | 24 | 3 years 75 mg 1X day | 2/25/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Inability to concentrate, confusion, trouble finding words, slow comprehension, memory loss, weight loss, and metallic taste in carbonated drinks for first few months. | Due to the side effects my neurologist is in the process of taking me off of Topamax, I was on 100mg, and am down to 75mg. My migraines are back already. It has been the only drug that has worked and I am thinking of sticking with it regardless of the side effects... | F | 25 | 9 months | 11/28/2005 | 4 | Chronic Daily/Menstrual Migraine | Fatigue (NO interest in exercise), Complete loss of libido, almost to the point of AVERSION, as well as difficulty reaching and significant dimishment of orgasm, flakier than usual, more switching and grasping for words than usual | I have only been taking 25 mg at night, and for only a month, and have felt the side effects to be very mild and tolerable, with the exception of the sexual side effects. They were immediate, and WITHOUT other explanation (to refute a dismissive comment by my neurologist regarding the "complexity" of female orgasm). I was delighted to find such a small dose almost immediately effective for interrupting the chronic migraines (where triptans were failing with alarming frequency). I was disappointed to have two menstrual migraines in the last couple of days, but they also seem less severe and more responsive to triptans than had been the case prior to starting Topomax. This is still very early, and hopefully these SEs will lessen, even if I have to (probably) up the dose. Just wanted to corroborate the negative sexual effects. What a sad day when we have to choose between welcoming intimacy with our husband and an otherwise blessedly pain-free existence. | F | 29 | 1 months | 5/15/2006 | 4 | epilepsy | at first had painful tingling, numb mouth, soda tasted like battery acid, memory loss, lost 40lbs (became skeletal thin), lost some hair, heat intolerant, peed constantly, achy, itchy skin, runny nose. Now- still thin but holding weight steady, heat intolerance, still a little 'dumber' than before =) | Once I stabilized on 500mg for about 6months all side effects pretty much vanished, it was a rough climb to get to that point but this medicine was magic to me!! I was having 3-5 tonic-clonic seizures a week and now am having only partial complex (and only 1-3 a MONTH at that) with no tonics since I hit 400mg. I'm in love with topamax and would gladly go through all the nasty side effects again for this relief. Now the only side effects I'm having from the topamax are heat intolerance and I'm a bit more stupid than I used to be (hence the nickname 'stupimax') =D | F | 27 | 9 years | 6/12/2006 | 4 | Migraines | I have chronic insomnia, extreme weight loss (I now weigh 104 lbs) confusion and anxiety attacks. I cry out of the blue for no reason and am also extremely tired and can't get out of bed most of the time. I don't feel like myself as I am short with people all the time now and have a very bad temper. I was never short tempered prior to taking this medication and was always very happy and full of energy. It did get rid of my migraines so It did give me back alot of my life and am scared to go off of it for fear of getting them back but am now thinking that the trade off is not worth it. It is better to have a few days with migraines and feel normal again that feel sad all the time. | F | 43 | 1 years | 8/6/2006 | 4 | Grand Mal Seizures and Migraines | At the beginning: weight loss, loss of hair, vision changed every year (some times for the better, some times got worse). Currently, my dose was reduced due to experiencing halucinations, and now I am gaining weight. But, I have had NO seizures. I have had a few migraines however. The entire 5 years I have been on Topamax I have experienced a tingling sensatiion in my hands and my neck. | F | 30 | 5 years | 9/3/2006 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling in extremities; mood swings; irregular periods; carbonated beverages taste different; fatigue; blurry vision; light acne; changes in body chemistry/sweat; weight loss | The tingling dissipated after a month or so as did the change in taste in carbonated beverages. Fatigue is no longer a problem. The issue I am most concerned with is the mood swings which are severe. They began when I increased to 100mg. | F | 32 | 8 months | 8/2/2006 | 4 | Migraines | Pins and needles feeling, BAAAAAD loss of memory- severe "Blonde Moments" loss of appetite | No headaches AT ALL...its worth not being able to feel my feet most of the time | F | 20 | 2 months | 5/3/2006 | 4 | Pseudotumor cerebri | Tingling, some language disorders, loss of 20% of my body weight | Mostly I experienced an extreme weigt loss. I started the drug at 125 lbs and fell to 100 or so in 1.5 months. It became so extreme I was diagnosed with amenorrhea, and when I discontined the drug and had some weight rebound, I had tendencies toward anorexia and bulemia, weighing only 110 lbs. For someone who's never had a body image issue, this drug caused me to feel fat although a size 0 is often too big. But the headaches were gone. | F | 20 | 8 months | 5/10/2006 | 4 | mood stabilizer | i was very eratic up down and going weird | side effects are only stomache pains | F | 47 | 2 times | 1/15/2006 | 4 | migraine | occasional burning/numbness in arms, legs, face; digestive system changes - feel constipated at night, then diarrhea in morning; lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks! Soft drinks taste horrible. | I am taking Topamax to prevent migraines, but am happy to have lost 20 pounds. I did LOVE to eat and overate often, but since starting the Topamax, I will be hungry, but feel that there is nothing in the world that would truly be what I want, so I just don't eat. I am taking 50mg at bedtime, still having occasional migraines, but less than before. | F | 37 | 6 weeks | 1/21/2006 | 4 | Chronic Daily Headaches | Thought patterns are slow, sodas taste funny, low sex drive as well as tingling in the legs and toes that drives me up the wall from time to time! | After 5 years of many, many tests, many different medications, many different Dr.s a person has to weigh the price to wake up without a headache depends on how bad that headache was to begin with. After reading many of the reviews, I really respect everyones concerns regarding Topamax. For me, Topamax alone doesn't work for my daily headaches. I must take an SSRI in addition to a calcium channel blocker and 200 mg. of Topamax per day( 100 mg. in the AM and 100 mg. in the PM). I started out with 50 mg. of Topamax per day and did not even have a hint of a headache for over 2 months. As the headaches started coming back, I had to increase the Topamax. I've had to increase it several times now. The slowness of my thought process is a frightening side effect but for many of us that are in such extreme pain, it is somehow worth the trade off to be able to wake up with a smile on our lips instead of tears in our eyes. | F | 48 | 6 months | 12/3/2005 | 4 | Headaches, seizures | Severe weight loss, tingling in hands and feet, memory loss, unable to find words, mood swings | Although most of my side effects don't sound so great, things have improved. I have stopped having seizures, which were scaring the pants off my child, headaches are almost completely gone, the tingling in my feet and hands subsided after about a month, and mood swings are also a thing of the past...all these things go away once the medication is regulated. I still have problems gaining weight and with memory. I'm debating on whether or not I should speak to my neurologist about lowering my dosage...but when I have my appointment, I forget to bring these things up...ha ha, little head-humor there :o) | F | 33 | 10 months | 11/14/2005 | 4 | migraines | I have a hard time focusing sometimes, and my fingers tingle. I just heard an increase of vitamin C will help this so I will try this. I'm most concerned with my hip pain. I know this is not a listed side effect, but it started happening after I began taking Topamax. | It has given me a quality of life back. I can function again. | F | 37 | 2 years | 11/2/2005 | 4 | Migraines, constant headache | Weight loss; tingling in face, hands, and feet; severe reaction with alcohol | I've only been taking taking Topamax for 2 months and am in the process of increasing my dose to 150mg/day. My migraines were up to 4 times/week at their worst, and I've had a constant headache for 6 months. I've tried a lot of different medications, and have settled on Amerge for acute migraines, and Topamax and Percocet daily. I went on a migraine elimination diet and found about 6 food triggers. Taking Topamax and avoiding trigger foods have brought my migraines down to about 1/week. Topamax has also cut my Percocet use in half. I'm hoping that increasing the dose will help even more. If I don't take any painkillers, my daily headache becomes a migraine. FYI-I've heard about rebound headaches, but I had daily headaches before I took something for them every day. | F | 29 | 2 months | 11/6/2005 | 4 | migranes | slight nausea the first 2 weeks, soda pop & beer tastes like crap (at first, I kept checking the expiration dates thinking it was spoiled). Cognitive response much slower,..I realize it at the moment but can't change it (very frustrating). I get hungry but things don't taste the same or I just don't feel like eating. | So far, has significantly reduced my migraines but I've only been on it for about 3 weeks (but then I have about 2-3 migraines a weeks before I started). I've had 2 slight headaches since I started taking it. The first time, I didn't take my other meds to see what would happen. The 2nd time, I took one of my other meds (midrin) and it knocked out the migraine entirely. That usually doesn't happen. | F | 42 | 3 weeks | 10/23/2005 | 4 | Frequent Migraines | short term memory loss, trouble saying what I am thinking at times, loss of appetite, light headed | I am highly allergic to Imetrix and the recent removal of an adrenal gland triggered migrains that would last up to four days. I can honestly say that I have found relief due to the Topamax. I do not know how safe it is to stay on this drug as a preventative therapy, but I honestly don't want to stop taking it. I can't take another migraine. I just pray it doesn't go the way of Vioxx. | F | 47 | 2 weeks | 11/11/2005 | 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 | 4 | Seizure/headache | It started off as tingling in my fingers and slight numbness. I can handle that. It gets really bad when I get cold. I've always had that due to low blood pressure so it's not that different. If I have ANY caffeine my lips twitch, eyelids twitch and my cheeks, neck, and jaw tingle like nobodies business. Right now I'm trying to type this message out while watching my fingers spasm. It's weird that it only happens during the middle of the day after work, it seems (the finger spasms). I can make it stop by fully flexing my fingers or fully clenching them into a fist. I have lost my appetite somewhat but I've never really had a super strong one. I've lost my sex drive completely but that might be due to the topamax and other things, however it is unusual. Not that big of a deal as I'm single at the moment. I do, however, seem to get irritated at little things a lot easier and I can't remember things like I used to. Extremely frustrating, not being able to remember things well. | F | 25 | 2 months 25 4X day | 5/23/2013 | 4 | Chronic Daily Headache | Small loss of appetite. Bad taste in mouth. | Definitely have made a difference to my daily headaches and am glad I am on the drug. Topamax has made a good difference to my life. I can go ahead and plan things now, knowing I will not be debilitated every single day with a chronic headache. I still get headaches but not every day. | F | 60 | 1 years 100 2X day | 2/23/2013 |