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 length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. 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 |
| 3 | frequent migraines | short term memory loss, loss of sex drive, stuttering, weight loss | Although Topamax was wonderful for getting rid of my daily headaches and migraines I could not handle the side effects. I experienced short term memory loss, complete lack of a sex drive and I stuttered...quite a price to pay! The lack of headaches was very new for me. I have had headaches for weeks at a time since I was a small child. It was amazing to go without them for a while but I could not comprehend anything and had a difficult time speaking. I hope others are able to use it successfully! | F | 31 | 2 years | 9/7/2009 | 3 | Migraines | All of the usual: altered taste, tingling when I was on 100 mg, but that stopped when I dropped to 50 mg., forgetfulness, cloudy thinking, HAIR LOSS!!!, extreme anger, feeling DUMB, weight loss. | This was a miracle for ending my migraines. It initially changed my life. However, after being on it for 2 years, I was sick of being so stupid all of the time. I also lost quite a large amount of hair...used to be super thick, but it really thinned out. I have been off of it now for 6 months. Unfortunately, the migraines are back in full force...getting several each week just like before. However, my mental acuity has returned; my hair is getting back to normal, and WOW does stuff taste good again. I have put on a few pounds, but not bad. I wish SOOOO much that topamax would work without the DUMB feeling and the hair loss. I have an MS in Math, and I would just sit and STARE at numbers, not being able to THINK about what I was supposed to do with them. I don't know if I should go back on it for the migraines or not. It is a REALLY tough trade off. :( | F | 44 | 2 years 100 1X day | 10/21/2013 | 3 | Migraines | Tingling, weight loss, memory loss.etc | I'm not even sure rather the TOPAMAX is working anymore. It worked for a little while when I first began the medication. I think I jus like it due to losing weight :( . Also, I think I may have became a little depressed while on this med. I'm just always down!! | F | 17 | 2 years 100 MG | 7/4/2015 | 3 | cluster headache, chronic migraines | Tiredness, some nausea | Also take for absence seizures and as adjunct to bipolar meds. It doesn't work well for cluster headaches or chronic migraines but it's still better than nothing. It seems to help absence seizures but I'm also on 400 mg lamictal for those so who knows? Also unsure if its effect on bipolar disorder as I take a lot of other meds for that. | F | 34 | 2 years 200 mg | 6/5/2016 | 3 | Chronic migraines | slight tingling in fingers in toes and significant weight loss. | I began taking Topamax in April of 2006. While I only experienced a few minor side effects at first, I noticed after discontinuing my birth contol that my hair began falling out in huge clumps while washing and blow drying my hair. After six months I had lost 50% of my hair. While the medicine worked great for my migraines, my scalp hurts so bad that it hurts to lay my head down on my pillow at night. If you consider taking this medication really weigh your pros and cons and talk to your doctor about taking vitamin B supplements and Biotin before you begin your medication. | F | 28 | 2 years | 9/20/2008 | 3 | Headaches | Numbness and tingling of hands and arms, memory and concentration loss, weight loss, kidney stones, loss of sweating, dilusions, paranoia, and fatigue | I have been on Topamax for about 2 years now. Like everyone else the hardest side effect to deal with is the stupidity I suffer from. Even carrying on the simplest of conversations is very difficult. Over time I began to suffer from some of the more extreme side effects that could become life threatening. To me it is worth it though. My doctors (primary and neurologist) tried many different meds to help elliminate my headaches with no success. I felt like I was dying. For years I suffered from migraine type headaches due to a in-operable brain cyst. The headaches would last weeks and most of the time only a few days in between episodes. That was if I got that much time between them. Sometimes it would only be a day in between them. Then my neurologist suggested Topamax. He explained the side effects very clearly to me and said that they could be very extreme. I was willing to give it a try. I could no longer bear the pain of the headaches any more. So here I am two years later I have only had 7 headaches since being put on the meds. Which is wonderful! To me the side effects no matter how severe are clearly worth it to me. If anyone suffered the kind of headaches I have, then you would agree that the side effects are a small price to pay. However if you are taking the drug for another reason then I can understand that the side effects may not be worth your risk. You have to weight your own personal benefits verses the reasons for taking the medication. As for me every side ef | F | 37 | 2 years | 6/22/2009 | 3 | prevent migraines | tingling, minor weight loss, hair loss, cognitive issues, ringing in ears | Dr. added 25mg Topamax daily to my regular 500mg daily of Depakote ER (which was later reduced to 250mg daily). I experienced tingling, minor weight loss, hair loss, lots of cognitive issues (losing train of thought in mid-sentence, can't think of words). After the incessant ringing in the ears was driving me crazy, I asked Dr. to consider something else. Dr. changed me to 250mg daily of Keppra; didn't help ringing. I still suffer from the cognitive issues and the ringing ears! Now on 250mg daily of Depakote ER and 7.5 mg daily of Deplin (for high blood levels of homocysteine). Migraines have subsided, but probably mostly due to onset of menopause. | F | 55 | 2 years | 6/10/2009 | 3 | Bipolar I | Brain fog, difficulty finding words, difficulty reading, using incorrect words, EXTREME weight loss, anorexia, apathy, difficulty focusing on long distances, vision impairment | Topamax did calm my mania. In fact, one week after I went off of it I became extremely manic again. But I was really staying on it because I had become addicted to the weight loss. I could eat anything I wanted and still remain under 100 pounds. My lowest was about 90 pounds. However, it just wasn't worth it. As a graduate student, I really needed to be able to read and write. If you're a student, I don't recommend this drug. | F | 26 | 2 years | 4/18/2008 | 3 | Migraines | Word finding issues, memory loss, but the worst lately is the depression. I have a history but I didn't realize how much Topamax impacted my mood until recently. I'm detached and want to isolate. | It worked for migraines but I'd rather go back to Botox or anything else to have my cognitive functioning and emotions stable again. | F | 43 | 2 years 150 1X day | 5/30/2022 | 3 | Anxiety | Decreased appetite. I lose my train of thought easily, and can't find words. At the higher dosages (175 mg), I had contorted visions at times. | It helped ease my anxiety, and the running thoughts in my head. | F | 33 | 2 years 100 mg | 5/23/2017 | 3 | Migraines/Seizures | Tingling in hands (specifically fingers and during temperature changes), occasional tingling in feet, jaw clenching, emotional sensitivity, fatigue, increased thirst, weight loss | The tingling in hands and feet has decreased significantly over time. I only experience tingling in the hands (generally the fingers) during temperature changes (coming inside/going outside, cold water/hot water, etc). I only experienced tingling of feet in the first few months of taking the medication. I have occasional emotional sensitivity and experienced significant emotional instability during the first month of taking the medication. Fatigue is noted with use of this medication and I have to take my dosage in the evening. I have also experienced an increased thirst as well as stress and clenching of the jaw structure. I have also experienced a decrease in appetite during the first 6 or so months of taking the medication and a steady weight loss of roughly 20-30lbs since starting the medication. | F | 26 | 2 years 100mg 1X day | 6/4/2017 | 3 | migraines | Insomnia, slightly light headed, pins and needles for first couple weeks. | Decreases the length of my migraines slightly by about 25%, not a miracle drug for me by any means but worth a try for migraine sufferers. My "migraines" are really tagged that but are not classic in any sense but are classed that because they have no other classification. I survived an electrical shock when I was 19 from an industrial accident at work, I was instructed to cut through a live 630 Volt DC panel line, might not sound like much and I really only suffered superficial burns cause DC is single charge it throws you away from the charge. So it threw me into a wall about 8 feet away when it exploded. It was a 15 Amp mainline Tech cable feed for a planar mill though and entered through my right hand and exited through my head. I blacked out and woke up in the hospital to a flatline machine. Anyway I've had headaches ever since the muscle aches and back pain went away the head pain didn't. Topamax seems to shorten my headaches a bit in length but not in severity. I was | M | 29 | 2 years | 2/24/2006 | 3 | chronic daily headache | weight loss, tingling in hands and feet, memory loss, inability to find the right words for things, slower thought process, EXTREME FATIGUE | I suffered from a permanent headache that never went away for approximately two years. I began taking topamax, and the drug began to have results at 150mg/day. The drug was somewhat effective on its own, but I only got true results when I added an antidepressant. I now take 200mg topamax and 50mg nortriptylene/day. The side effects were severe, and the weight loss was extreme, as I was thin to begin with. However, I would endure almost any side effect in order to have relief from daily headaches which were preventing me from having any life whatsoever. | F | 29 | 2 years | 4/19/2006 | 3 | migraine | Tingleing of hands and feet. Severe in the feet in the beginning. Subsided when I cut back to 75 mg per day (at night). ALL/98% of my mental confusion, which was severe even at low doses, subsided when a friend of mine suggested I try taking the bid dosage at night. Topamax always had a sedatative effect so sleeping was improved and thus my mental function was better. It had a positive effect on my mood. Sodas were flat for about 2-3 months, with some tongue numbness, which has subsided. My deliterious effects subsided - however hair loss became one - when I took my 75-100mg at night instead of 50mg bid. I couldn't function. HAVING SAID THAT. After being on Topamax for almost 2 years my migraines have returned. It could be stress or related to hormones. There were days I praised the drug, but I'm not sure if it stays effective without dosage increases. And I WILL NOT consider losing more hair - however, there are days I'd lick the sweat off the back of a bull's butt if it would just stop the pain. | F | 44 | 2 years | 5/4/2005 | 3 | Migraine | Sex drive gone. Forgetfulness. Lack of concentration. Eye problem. Legs feel heavy. Feeling drowsy. | Helps to reduce migraine. | M | 55 | 2 years 50 1X day | 6/18/2012 | 3 | migraines-3 to 4 per week | flu-like symptoms, headaches, and tingling toes during the tritation period. Around the three month mark, hair loss began to occur. Weight loss from the beginning that leveled off around a year, but spiked again with an increase in dosage. Memory issues in question. | During the titration period, I began on a dosage of 25 mg. I initially titrated up to a dose of 100 mg. For the first month during the titration period, every time I took the medication I experienced extreme nausea, severe headaches (not migraines), and stomach pain. I experienced no migraines for many months, and the initial side-effects subsided. After 3 to 4 months, I noticed a thinning in my hair that continues to be a problem. At this point I had also lost a substantial amount of weight. I am 5'10, and my beginning weight on this medication was 180 lbs. I was then at 150lbs. My doctor was concerned about the weight loss, and stated that I would have to come off topamax if I loss more weight. Then, I began to experience migraines again, but not as frequently as before. My doctor doubled my dosage from 100 mg to 200 mg. This seemed to work. The problem is that I began to lose more weight I am now at 130 lbs. I eat constantly, and cannot maintain weight. Prior to taking this medicat | F | 26 | 2 years | 10/21/2006 | 3 | Migraine | Tingling in fingers, feet, and knees; spelling errors (which I never used to make); inability to find the right word for things and speak intelligently (bad when you are a college professor); typing mistakes; loss of appetite and weight (didn't really need); mosts pop tastes terrible; loss of sex drive | Helps somewhat for migraines | F | 34 | 2 years | 9/10/2005 | 3 | mood stabalizer | I noticed right away that I studder, I am always having a hard time getting words out, which is very embarrassing. always have dry mouth. | I have been on lithium before and I would say this is much better as far as weight gain. I also think by taking this I never can feel really happy or excited. | M | 27 | 2 years | 9/10/2006 | 3 | Epilepsy | Dumbness in the face, hands, and legs. No appetite one minute and the next I could not get enough to eat. Restlessness, memory loss, and forgetfulness. Can't stand being in a crowd of people - can't handle the noise. Can't sleep, up most of the night and it is getting worse. When I do sleep and am even more tired then when I don't get any rest. | Can't take other medications because I am on Topamax. Always have to check with the doctor when I have a cold because other medications may interfer with the Topamax. I also suffer from allergies and can no longer take any thing for it either. The side affects are starting to out weight the good things about Topamax. It stop the seizures but caused me so many other problems. Not sure if it is worth taking. | F | 36 | 2 years | 10/19/2006 | 3 | Migraines | Occasional tingling in hands and feet at times. Extreme memory loss, inability to find words, spell difficulties, word replacement/confusion, decreased short-term memory, overall cognitive dysfunction. | It's hard to know exactly what side effects were caused by Topomax as I was simultaneously going thru treatment for Hep C while raising my dose of Topomax from 100 to 200mg/day. I am currently suffering from depression and have in the past, but that is a risk when on treatment for Hep C as well. The biggest issue for me was the cognitive dysfunction it caused. I went from being a fast talker and one that has a vast vocabulary to having extreme difficulty forming single sentences. Words elude me now, and I constantly use wrong words like using there instead of their which used to be a pet peve of mine. I feel like my brain has been damaged. For this reason I'm reducing my dosage slowly to try to see how low I can go w/o having the migraines come back. I don't want to go back to 20 migraines a month, but this is far worse in my opinion. The least I ever had per month while on the 200mg dose was 10 migraines per mo. I can't take a Zomig to make my brain work again, but I can to get rid of the migraine. I choose the migraines. :-( | F | 34 | 2 years 100mg 2X day | 2/9/2011 |