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 |
| 1 | Bi-polar Disorder | I had Weight Loss, which I welcomed due to my excessive weight gain as a result of taking many different antidepressants. But the worst side effect was the Memory Loss which after more than 2 years after discontinuing the Topamax my memory has not returned at all. I always had a great memory and a phenomanal vocabulary, all of that has disappeared. I had a a neuro-psych test that showed my I.Q. dropped 11 points & a subsequent MRI showed I have 'White Matter Disease' i.e. pre-dementia. | A study showed that 11.2% of those that take Topamax experience memory loss, but all my psychiatrist told me was that I would lose weight. My neurologist sent me for an EEG which indicated I was having seizures. I never had any of these symptoms prior to taking Topamax and he suggested I stop taking it. | F | 53 | 18 months 100 mg 1X day | 11/16/2010 | 4 | migraine headache | tingling fingers,blurred vision,lack of concentration. | Helped migraine. | F | 50 | 17 months | 1/2/2009 | 5 | post stroke headache & pressure | weight loss (50+ in 16 months), confusion, blurting out the wrong word all the time, definite fatigue as I am always tired, increased thirst, kidney stones & hematuria but no problems with carbonated beverages as I ONLY drink seltzer water. | this is a great drug as i tried many different combinations to help with the side effects that were caused from the stroke that I had. After 2 days of taking this drug, the headaches were gone and I finally after 2 years felt normal and could function on a level that i was used to before i got sick. Yes there are side effects but this drug has given me back my life - the weight loss i guess was a bonus?? as i did not know topamax caused it and actually went back to the dr thinking something was wrong again. | F | 31 | 16 months | 6/20/2005 | 1 | migrane and auras | This drug should be banned!! I have had so many side effects starting with hair loss (low serum ferritin levels), anemia, mental confusion, 15lb. weight loss,and fatigue. Just recently I went to the MD cause I was feeling extremely tired and now I have vitamin "D" deficiency due to the increased phenytoin levels in topamax. Also lymph nodes have been enlarged for 1 year. I am currently weaning myself off this terrible drug. Please evaluate this drug carefully before you agree to take it. Consider all your options. | F | 52 | 16 months | 9/28/2008 | 5 | Epilepsy | Mood Swings is the only side effect I have experienced. My doctor presribed prozac for that so I have no more swings. | Topamax has controlled my seizures completely. I love it. I'm doing great on it. | F | 21 | 15 months | 4/1/2006 | 3 | Migraines | Tingling and complete numbness in hands, knees and feet at times. Eye twitching in right eye, which has become more frequent with increased dosage. When I am no longer hungry I HAVE to quit to eating. It feels like could probably sleep for days. I'm spacey and have trouble grasping words. My performance at work has declined. I've lost 18 lbs.=D During my increases I become emotionally unstable torn between crying and being mean... | I've been getting headaches/migraines for 15 yrs. I experience about 15+ days of headaches a month. The severity of my headaches has decreased but the days that I have them hasnt. I've titrated up to 300mg/day. But I took only 50mg 2xday for a year, just recently have upped my dose to 150mg 2xday. I don't really mind the side effects. Just wish the eye twitching would stop. | F | 29 | 15 months 150 mg 2X day | 3/10/2010 | 5 | Migraines | Insomnia is the biggest side effect for me. Tingling in toes and fingers, mild hair loss which stopped *AFTER INCREASING VITAMIN B INTAKE*, occasional diarrhea, trouble coming up with the "right words", cognitive difficulties. | I get hormonal migraines, and Topamax has made a world of difference for me! I used to get severe migraines, and now I might get one once every other month, and they're less intense. The biggest issue I have now is the insomnia. I take 100 mg in the a.m. to avoid sleeping issues, which has worked for over a year. But due to increased headaches my doctor just increased the dose by 25 mg which I have to take in the afternoon, and now I'm averaging 3 hours sleep a night... other than that, I love Topamax! | F | 48 | 14 months | 12/18/2007 | 3 | Migraine | Tingling in hands and feet. Some taste change (soda) that went away after a few months. Some brain fogginess and fatigue with dosage changes. | Have taken 75 mg a day (along with 160 mg/day of Propanonol (beta blocker)). Was quite effective for a number of months, then started getting headaches/dizziness/nausea again that would grab a hold of me for 2-3 weeks at a time. Also may have left me vulnerable to anxiety problems during these times of stress -- although I cannot say for sure that Topamax was at the root of this since I had been able to take it for a long time with no anxiety. With the return of headaches recently my neurologist has recommended that I move up to 100 and possibly 150 mg a day. So I have just added the extra 25 mg for the last couple days and am feeling some of the tingling/taste/fog return. Hoping my body adjust. Gosh, I wish a little of the reduced appetite side affect was there for for me :) | M | 44 | 14 months | 5/25/2007 | 3 | migraine | significant cognitive impairment: memory loss, word finding difficulty, slow comprehension, difficulty concentrating. Other: eye pain and redness, weight loss, change in taste acuity,loss of appetite | To summarize: over time the costs of taking this drug have begun to clearly outweigh the benefits. I started taking topamax in oct of 2004 for migraine. Titrated up to 50 mg twice a day. Reached therapeutic dose and migraine frequency decreased significantly from 3-4/wk to ~1 month. Tremendous benefit never seen with any other med. I did not need to lose weight, but started to lose at 100mg/d and continued until I was able to get better control of it. My lowest was ~102# and losing at 5'6". I have regained to ~110# My 1st MD said he did not believe the eye pain/redness was related to the med - I don't agree and my new neurologist does in fact believe it is related. FDA published a warning about this and all should be aware of the risks. I am now on my way to titrating down to 60mg at night and then getting off the med as the cognitve side effects are unbearable. I feel like I have lost all mental sharpness, it is incredibly difficult to carry on a conversation and function at work | F | 30 | 14 months | 1/15/2006 | 1 | migraines | Severe Hair loss-1/3 of hair volume, word-finding and other cogntive difficulties, mood problems, frozen shoulder-had surgery and unable to recover after it (chicken or egg?), weight loss, decreased appetite, hemifacial spasm under left eye, restless leg syndrome, tingling in fingers and mouth, dry mouth, inability to sweat, increased thirst, prolonged interval between menses, decreased libido, spurts of anger | Did not realize many of these symptoms were or possibly can be related to Topamax. Hair loss has been most devastating and is intolerable. I have actually lost 1/3 of the volume of my hair, along with its previous shine and elasticity. Have also developed a constant facial twitch under my left eye which does not appear related to any anatomical malformation after having an MRI and MRA to rule these problems out. Am very disturbed that these adverse effects are not published. Am now weaning off the drug. | M | 50 | 14 months | 2/18/2006 | 5 | Bipolar II - Weight loss | Weight loss, severe tingling toes, loss for words, fatigue in begining, carbonated beverages taste flat | I am taking 200 mg a day and I am taking it since February 2008. My doctor prefered trying on me Topamax over Lithium since I was already overweight and had a binge eating problem. At first, I was only taking Topamax and experienced a mild depression period. Since then, I am taking Wellbutrin with it and it is working great ! Now, every side effects have are gone (be patient and don't worry, the fatigue and the memory loss won't be permanent) but I am keeping the weight that I have loss (50 pound in 1 year) and no more binge eating ! As for the tingling... the solution is to take a supplement of potassium and I garantee that you will be free of it ! | F | 36 | 13 months | 4/8/2009 | 5 | migraine | Miracle! a little mental fogginess an hour or so after taking, some tingling in fingers significant weight loss | I was in some phase of a migraine every day of my life and was contemplating suicide by the time my doctor prescribed topamax. Nevertheless, I checked this site and the comments about it scared me out of taking it for two weeks! It was very difficult to get started on. GO SLOW. My pharmacist helped me with this and I went a lot slower than the Dr. suggested. The side effects are dose dependent. I increased to 50mg 2x/day and the side effects were greater - forgot how to spell, became dyslexic -which was a mixed bag, since I am a reading specialist. It was distressing to see/write letters upside down and backwards, but it helped me to help the kids. The most distressing was once when I got lost on the way home. After the migraines were under control for a while, the Dr. cut me back to just 25 mg. 2x/day. I hardly notice the side effects not. I forget peoples' names-oh well. I only get headaches about once every 6 weeks now and I can live with that. Topamax has been a miracle for me and | F | 51 | 13 months | 4/6/2008 | 4 | Migraines | Feeling stupid and unable to contribute to conversations as I was accustomed. I prided myself on picking the best word to use in a conversation, and all of a sudden I had no words, or even thoughts. Could not play my percussion instruments in the community band. I was fearful of driving, too. I did like the weight loss. | Began a fast titration where, within 2 weeks, progressed from 25 mg day to 200 mg day. My family noticed a remarkable personality change, and I decided that the ongoining headaches that I had been experiencing for the past 40 years (I am 65) could continue. Doc suggested I start again at a slower rate; within a 6 month period I worked into 100 mg/day. Unless I experience trauma via surgery, or uncontrollable triggers, I am headache free most of the time. It's great. | F | 65 | 13 months | 2/18/2008 | 4 | Depression | difficulty finding words, tingling in hands & lips, forgetfulness, weight loss | The Topamax was prescribed for me as an 'off-label' drug to help with depression, specifically for its weight loss side effects--- one of the things causing my depression. I've since heard it described by some users as Stup-A-Max due to it's ability to allow your brain to shut down mid-sentence leaving you hanging for your next word or thought. This does happen often. However, in my case it has helped tremendously with the depression. A year ago I was in a place emotionally I hope to never go back to, and although I had tried many other anti-depressants over several years, none seemed to be helping any longer. My doctor prescribed the Topamax in conjunction with Wellbutrin and that has been doing wonders for my mental health and well being. I now tolerate the side effects; the tingling went away after about six months, and I've learned to laugh at myself for losing my train of thought, I take stock in the fact I can now fit into those size 4 jeans, and most importantly I feel good | F | 41 | 13 months | 6/26/2008 | 1 | Daily Chronic Migraines | Headaches, tingling in the feet and hands, twitching of the facial muscles, depression and crying for hours on end, fatigue, insomnia, memory issues, stomach aches and diarrhea, just didn't feel like myself and felt crappy all the time. | My doctor swore this as a miracle cure for my migraines. He wanted me to be on the recommended dosage of 100mg, but I couldn't do more than 75mg without wanting to sleep all day. I didn't lose any weight. My face had twitched around 3:30 every day, and my hands and feet were always numb. I couldn't sleep so I was always tired. I was still getting headaches, but they weren't as severe as the migraines were. I finally told my doctor that I wanted to go off it because I felt so awful and he couldn't believe I'd want to stop it. I decreased over two months and I can't believe how much better I feel. No more headaches, no more feeling out of it or forgetting how to spell simple, four-letter words, and no more insomnia, to name a few improvements. Also, it turns out my migraines were due to high BP, brought on by allergies to grass and a other things. Once I started on the allergy med and stopped Topamax, my BP went down and things have been fine. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this to anyon | F | 31 | 13 months | 11/12/2007 | 4 | bulimia, mood stabilizing | Had taken this before at only 25mg twice a day and it is great for controlling most of my binges (recovering bulimic and binge eater), lost weight the first and second time I was placed on it. Though I had tingling in my extremities. However, second time around I was placed on 50 mg twice a day, and I have horrible memory, concentration problems, stammering, and word recall--so much so that my pdoc has decided to lower my dose (though this could possibly be in combination with Lamictal I am on as well) | Really great and I love it's beneficial effects in terms of controlling my bingeing tendencies, yet the cognitive consequences outweigh the benefits considering the fact that I am a college student. | F | 20 | 12 months 50mg 2X day | 10/28/2010 | 4 | Migraine | I took Topamax for almost a year. It eliminated 5-day migraine headaches. Any headaches I had were very mild. I experienced hairloss, tingling sensations, very bitter taste in mouth and soda pop tasted aweful. My dose was 50 to 75 mg. at night. This helped eliminate the bad taste in my mouth. I had lots of weird side effects when I first started on the medication. I believe the titration schedule for this drug is too fast. I think people should take a few weeks before increasing their dosage. | I am going off the drug since I developed lichen planus, a skin rash and oral rash. It started out very mild and escalated. I don't know if the Topamax caused the "lichenoid drug reaction" or not. To be determined. | F | 48 | 12 months | 1/14/2008 | 2 | daily migraines | hair loss, diarrhea, some depression, some lethargy | Even though I am taking 50 mg twice a day, I continue to struggle with daily migraines which require imitrex. I have decided to wean off topamax before I lose more hair and before I experience any further stomach upset. | F | 59 | 12 months | 6/25/2008 | 5 | seizures | none on the Brand Topamax for nearly a year... then switched to the generic and I had immediate problems within 9 days...rapid heart beat, panic attacks, seizures and depression...have no idea why..but am going back on the brand name asap. | I tolerated this med( brand name) well....didn't have any weight loss ( darn). But also, no memory problems that I couldn't blame on age anyway..=) | F | 63 | 11 months | 5/27/2009 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling, numbness, perhaps a rash, and weird taste in mouth. | This drug helped for migraines. One has to slowly increase the dose. I developed weird spots on my wrists, etc. (lichen planus skin problem) and when I went off Topamax it went away. Since then, I've only done *acupuncture* and I am having the best result in more than 20 years. I have acupuncture sessions every 2 1/2 weeks. I went from 3-6 migraines a month to virtually ZERO! | F | 49 | 11 months | 8/6/2008 |