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 | prevention of migraine headaches | slight tingling in fingers and toes, usually one once ot twice a day, diet coke (with caffeine) tasted very flat, occassional loss of words loss of appetiite | I started with 25 mg. dosage for 1 month, increased to 50 mg for 2 weeks, but found that I go back to 25 mg and it waas fine. I have not had a migraine since 2 weeks after I started taking it. I have now completely given up caffeine, and have lost 13 lbs. in 10 weeks since I started on Topamax. Tension headaches now only come about once every 2-3 weeks, and do not develop into a migraine for me like before, and Excedrin takes care of them quickly. This drug has worked well for me at 25 mg. dose. | F | 45 | 10 months | 2/17/2007 | 5 | Slightly Bi-polar | Tingling in toes and fingers, tired during the day, can't sleep at night, weightloss (but I'm also on weightwatchers but I think it helps me not be as hungry), words come out of my mouth wrong, sometimes it's hard to concentrate, and memory loss which does bother me because I've always had a good memory. | My docotor put me on topamax because I'm on Lexapro for anxiety and it wasn't working so because it wasn't she thinks I'm slightly bi-polar so I can take both medications together. Since then I've seen a big change and I'm finally starting to feel better. I'm now up to the 100 mg a day. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 7/8/2007 | 5 | migraines | Thinning of my hair. All other side effects go away after a couple weeks. | only take 25mg at night. haven't had a migraine in 2 months. Sleep like a baby. No weight gain or loss. It's amazing to wake up without a headache. Started taking 6000mcg Biotin daily in hopes to stop the hair thinning. Going bald would not be an option.Dropped dose to 12mg a night, keeping my fingers crossed its enough to work and stop the hair thinning. | F | 43 | 2 days | 6/11/2007 | 5 | Migraines | In the beginning, I had to titrate to a higher dose of 75-100 to get my migraines under control. I had been having them almost every day...very debilitating. After one year, they are well managed (SO wonderful!) and I now take 25 mg. a day with very minimal side effects. The "stupimax" factor is real but for me it wore off after about 6 months. You should be careful if you are on a higher dose and driving though. I have found the lower dose to be very effective in controlling once horrible migraines. This has been a great drug for me in relieving my migraines. (Read my additional comments though). | Look at any other medications you are taking. They sometimes compound the sleepy and low cognitive impact...even something as little as Benadryl while on Topamax can really be impacted (increased effect). This could make it much harder to function. As far as hair loss, I've heard great results with taking Biotin (available from the health food store) which is a vitamin that is depleted by anti-seizure medicines. I know this drug can be hard to get use to at first and will not be for everyone. Good luck to all! | F | 33 | 18 months | 5/15/2007 | 5 | migraines, neck pain, fibromyalgia | BAD sinus problems, fatigue, dizziness, burning nasal passages, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, anxiety, buzzing in hands and feet | I keep trying to ramp up past 2 a day because I am supposed to get to 4 a day. This drug DOES WORK for my pain, I have only had two migraines in 6 weeks and minimal neck pain and fibro, and I used to be in constant pain and get 4-5 BAD migraines a week. I go back to my neurologist on Friday though, because I am so afraid I will have to stop taking it if it is causing these sinus problems in my forehead and nose and this horrible breathing difficulty, like asthma. I feel like I can't get enough air! I don't know whether this is anxiety or an allergic reaction, and I don't know if it will go away or get worse! Has anyone else experienced this? I can handle the weight loss for at least 20 more pounds! And the pins and needles I've often had with the fibro before, so I just need to see if my fears are warranted. NOTHING else has worked this good! Tried Lyrica, Relafen, Mobic, and Axert. Nothing was this good. | F | 49 | 6 weeks | 6/17/2007 | 5 | migranes | tingly sensation, extremly thirsy,forgetfull, lose of words, 'dumbness' and the constant 'whats that word?' feeling | i will continue to take this because i would rather have the side effects then the horriable migranes. when i forget to take the med or i skip to see if i still need it, i get a horriable migrane, so i deffinitly need this med to function. it has helped me so much. at one point my first doctor wanted to take me off the med and within a week i was in the hospital for a week dealing with the pain of my migranes. | F | 19 | 4 years | 6/12/2007 | 5 | migraines and daily headaches | tingling in fingers and toes (paresthesia), soda tastes bad, weight loss, cold hands, constipation, appetite loss, no problem falling asleep at night (used to be a problem pre-Topamax) | I did not know how much migraines and my regular daily headaches were affecting my life until the pain was gone. My migraines have been caused by hormones, weather changes and stress- try to escape those triggers. Topamax has truly helped me. The first two months of taking it were rough, with mood swings (depresion, tears), fatigue, memory problems, etc. Now I'm fine- back to being sharp, happy, word retrieval is fine, memory is great, energy is back. I've lost 23 pounds that needed to be lost (nice side effect:-). I've been reading about the vision side effects, which worry me, and I'll be discussing this with my neurologist at my next appointment. I have never felt better. | F | 40 | 5 months | 4/13/2007 | 5 | Migraines, cluster headaches | weight loss, hair loss, changes in tastes of foods, increased thirst (only for water, everything else doesn't taste | Topamax has changed my life. I take 200 mg twice a day, and can live fairly normally. I have gone from having headaches almost daily to 3 or fewer a month. I can live with the side effects. It has actually helped me start eating better as fruits, veggies, etc taste better than junk. | F | 37 | 1 years | 2/8/2005 | 5 | mood stabilizer/binge-purge | insomnia, horrible floating sideways while sitting occasionally (this makes me dizzy), sinus problems similar to mild allergy symptoms), slowed mental process (learning how to slow myself down, however frustrated when cannot remember events or facts - it is getting better), strange | also on bupropion 150 mg daily. was on depakote, gained 35 pounds rather quickly, went off, went on lithium 600 mg daily for 6 months then decided wanted to try drug in category that could possibly help with weight (if appetite controlled, less chance to binge, also combined with therapy). started on 100 mg topamax, sideways feeling too much for me, cut dose in half. so far so good. I'm getting use to the side effects. Have lost 5 pounds. Have not binged/purged since I have been on it (mainly b/c I don't have much of an appetite to binge on). Mood is good, though I am tired - which can bring me down. this one is worth sticking with, mainly because the b/p is most dangerous to health and after 5 years it's the first thing to help | F | 26 | 1 months | 2/16/2005 | 5 | migraine headaches | at first, I had a bit of confusion. I really noticed when I would be typing on the computer. It really only lasted a week or two. Also, my taste for soda, like everyone else says, but the good news is, I have switched to water. | It has worked wonders for my migraines. I only take 50mg a day, and this a such a low dose. My appitite is slightly decreased, and I have dropped some wieght. but no other horrible side effects like I have read that others have had. | F | 37 | 2 months | 2/20/2005 | 5 | Migraines | Tingling in feet, hands, and occasionally face | This drug, in combination with Atenolol and Trazodone, enormously helped my migraines. I went from having 3-4 a week to having 1-2 a month, and those are related to my menstrual cycle (I'm pursuing other treatment for those.) My whole quality of life has changed. | F | 31 | 2 years | 2/28/2005 | 5 | mood stabilizer, depression | weight loss, tingling in fingers,feet and nose. This went away after a few weeks. drinks taste flat at first. excessive thirst, hair loss and changed the texture of my hair. Sometimes I do find myself getting my words switched around. As a matter of fact my 8 year old laughs at me because of it. | I think topamax is like a wonder drug. It has helped me tremendously. Plus I've lost 40 pounds. There are some side effects I have experienced that I didn't realize was due to taking this though, until I read some of the other comments. Such as the hairloss. And one other person said she felt like she was turning sideways when she was sitting still. I never realized anyone else did that. I've felt like that a few times. But all together I am stable and feel better than I ever have on anyother medicine. I also take Effexor 75mg. a day. None of my side effects are severe enough to stop taking this. They may get worse in time but I'll see. | F | 33 | 7 months | 1/1/2005 | 5 | FMS/autoimmune related chronic pain | Like others have said, carbonated beverages taste very strange to me, and I have stopped drinking them. I felt a little spacy the first couple of days, but that has passed. All other side effects have been positive. My mood has been fantastic, very cheerful and mellow--my stress level is way down. My appetite is down too, and I have lost 3 pounds since I started taking the drug a little over 2 weeks ago. | I love this drug. Aside from the carbonated beverage thing, all my side effects have been postive, and the burning, tingly, electrical-feeling pain has been cut at least in half for me, which is a huge relief. I still have achy joints, and feel very stiff in cold weather, but those feel much more manageable now that the nerve pain is under control. Because my mood has been so good (I suffer from chronic depression, and take medication for that as well, but Topamax has added to the effectiveness of my Wellbutrin) and my anxiety level has been so low, my thinking has actually been clearer and more creative, which is apparently not the case for everyone (some people get foggy-headed on this drug). For me, it feels like since my energy is not so tied up in feeling lousy and being stressed-out and blue, I have more energy for other things, both physical and mental (writing, reading, etc.), and my motivation to follow through on ideas is much improved. Granted, I have been taking Topamax less than a month, so my experience may change with time--if it does, I will come back here and post an update. | F | 27 | 2.5 weeks | 1/10/2005 | 5 | migraines | Hate the taste of pop. Tingling of the extremities. Harder time controlling body temp (bad in Canada). Dry eyes. Meds for extra stomach acid. Lost weight and didn't need to. Skin looks bad. Can be very irritable. Complete insomnia. Haven't slept in over 1.5 months (rx drugs haven't helped) | I was suffering from daily migraines and after 1 month of upping my dose to 100mg they basically went away. I get the occassional one. The drug works wonders and I will definitely stay on it if I can get some sleep. My neurologist said he hadn't heard of insomnia as a side-effect so he suggested I take all meds in the morning. Hopefully it works. | F | 30 | 3 months | 1/10/2005 | 5 | migraines | tingling fingers/toes (not at all painful); eye discomfort; loss of energy; occasional burning sensation in head and chest; loose bowels; | Before Topamax I was in moderate to extreme pain about 60 percent of the time. My neurologist put me on Topamax and stepped up the dosage slowly to 125 mg per day and now I experience about half the number of migraines that I used to have. Also, the severity of my headaches has decreased somewhat (no longer feels like I have a steel rod piercing my skull- the pain is now | F | 44 | 4 months | 1/17/2005 | 5 | Migraine prevention | Tingling sensation in fingers and toes; drowziness | The benefit of not having migraines far outway the side effects!! I used to have 3-5 migraines PER WEEK. Since taking Topamax, I have had 3-4 migraines total. | F | 35 | 7 months | 1/17/2005 | 5 | migraines | tingling feet and hands, legs | Awesome drug! I was getting 2 severe migraines a week and having to go by EMS to the hospital. My doctor finally prescribed Toridol (ER IV medicine) for me to inject myself since Imitrex injections and all other meds did nothing. This has been a life saver for me! I take 100mg at night and I sleep fine (after my leg stops) I also take 150mg of Effexor for depression/anxiety. | F | 39 | 7 months | 3/11/2005 | 5 | Migraine Prevention | Tingling in hands and feet, weight loss, slight confusion, aggitation, loss of menstrual cycle | I went from 135 lbs to 115 lbs on 150 mg of topamax in about 4 months. I didn't really need to lose weight but it was a nice side effect. This drug has worked wonders for me. I was getting 4-5 migraines per week and now I get about 2 per month. I have stopped getting my period which concerns me. | F | 25 | 6 months | 3/18/2005 | 5 | acute migraines | update on posting all side effects are gone | I have been on this for about a year and a half now and my migraines have completely stopped. My last migraine was about 9 months ago. I am convinced Topamax is my miracle drug. | F | 41 | 1.5 years | 3/19/2005 | 5 | PTSD due to multiple tasing | Tingling in limbs, face. Soda and certain food tastes funny. Weight loss. | Topamax has been great for me. I was shocked five times in less than a minute with a 50,000-volt Taser by a power-hungry, abusive deputy who did not want me calling his sargeant/dispatch for help. I was traumatized severely by this and the events that followed, and was unable to cope. My psychiatrist put me on Neurontin, which made me gain weight and did nothing to help. Then he tried Topamax. For the first time in months, I could wash my dishes; I could complete a thought; I could finally watch TV; I could listen to someone talk and really hear what they were saying, even though I may not remember it later. And even better than that, I finally felt it was okay to not have to constantly be doing something with my hands, i.e., needlepoint that I inevitably messed up, or a straight stitch of yarn, or just wringing them, anything to be moving them. I remember telling my doctor that I loved the Topamax because it slowed my brain down to a pace where my thoughts were not racing back and forth. I stopped | F | 35 | 1 years | 4/21/2005 |